Beekeepers have a need to store bee-less frames overwinter for a variety of reasons: empty honey supers, frames from a deceased colony, or frames from a massive summer colony that has slimmed down for the winter months. Whatever the reason, it is important to know how...
As the season winds down for our bees, there are a few important considerations to keep in mind to ensure your colony has the best chance for overwintering success. Pollen Stored Ensure your hive has adequate pollen storage – if in doubt, a protein patty is a great...
Summer is when we spend the most time outdoors so make it as beautiful as can be with a diversity of blooming plants, especially ones that pollinators love. With temperatures in the 70's heading into the start of summer, right now is an opportune time to be...
Planning a Multi-Pollinator Landscape Plant a wide variety of nectar plants with different colors, forms, and as wide of a bloom time as available. Plant pollen plants, as wide a bloom time as possible, for honey bees and native bees. Plant larval host plants for...
We are proud to offer nucleus hives created by Fred Selby, a 2nd generation beekeeper. After being head of the Shonnard’s Nursery beekeeping department, Fred now professionally operates his apiary near Brownsville, Oregon. What is a Fresh Nucleus Hive? A fresh nucleus...
Have you ever felt overwhelmed by all the issues needing to be addressed in the world? Climate change, global warming, food security, the list goes on... Yeah, us too. So where can we begin to try and make a positive difference? Well, you are here, reading this...
In part one, we covered what a mason bee is and why they are important. Now let’s dive into what mason bees need (all within an area of only 100 to 200 feet) and how to encourage and manage your own populations. Reproduction Mason bees are cavity-nesting solitary...
It may seem like a difficult task to create an environment for bees to thrive, but give yourself the time to learn something new today and discover what all you can do to aid in the revival of this very important pollinator – the mason bee. Who are the Mason Bees? A...
Having trouble deciding whether you want to order Italian or Carniolan bees? Here is a quick run down of the differences: Italian (Apis mellifera liguistica) These bees were brought to the US in the mid-1800s courtesy of Reverend Langstroth, the same person who...
Extracting your honey just got easier! Investing in extracting equipment can be a big expense for a hobby beekeeper, so we’ve put together a top-of-the-line extractor rental package that enables you to extract your honey with ease at a fraction of the cost....