Author Archives: brookfieldfarmhoney

About brookfieldfarmhoney

Brookfield Farm, a small off-grid apiary in Maple Falls, WA focuses on the beauty and bounties of Washington’s wilderness. I sell honey from our bees, whose naturally-treated, antibiotic-free hives are home to bees who fly Washington’s mountains and farmlands. Herbal salves and lip balms from Brookfield beeswax. Delicately infused honeys and vinegars. Varietal honeys from independent Washington beekeepers. Karen Edmundson Bean: beekeeper, photographer. Her love of the wilderness inspires her to discover new ways of bringing the wonders of nature to others. Brookfield Farm : the tastes, textures, sounds, and images of nature.

New Queens in New Hives

Posted on June 11, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

New queens have arrived and are installed. What I did. What happened. Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 5 Queens and Queen Rearing | Tagged bee, bees, Brookfield Farm, honeybees, install, introduce, Maple Falls, queen, Washington | 3 Comments

Making and Moving Bee Hive Splits

Posted on May 25, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

How I make and move overnight bee hive splits (aka artificial swarms) Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 4 Hive Components, 8 Brookfield Farm & Bees, Uncategorized | Tagged bee, beekeeping, bees, Brookfield Farm, hive, how to, make, Maple Falls, move, night, over, splits, Washington | Leave a comment

Preparing Boxes for Splits and Supers

Posted on May 12, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

How I clean boxes and frames & Organizing drawn comb and foundation to create splits and supers. Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 4 Hive Components | Tagged beekeeping, bees, boxes, Brookfield Farm, cleaning, how to, Maple Falls, order, Prepare, splits, supers, Washington | 7 Comments

Why We Are Leaving Bellingham Farmers Market on June 30

Posted on April 28, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

The story behind the groundless demands by the Bellingham Farmers Market Board for Brookfield Farm to remove over 50% of our established products, which have been selling at the market for over a year. This makes the market economically unviable for us, and we are leaving it on June 30. Continue reading →

Posted in 93 Marketing / Business | Tagged antibiotic-free, Bellingham Farmers Market, Brookfield Farm, hives, honey, leaving, Maple Falls, natural, raw, Washington, why | 3 Comments

Spring Hive Check List

Posted on March 29, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

It is spring here: periods of sun between bouts of rain. I’ve taken the sunny days to do the spring hive assessment, which requires opening all of my hives (about 80) to check them and give them their spring essential … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 4 Feeding Bees, 9 Brookfield Farm Bee Yards | Tagged beekeeping, Brookfield Farm, checking, chores, cleaning, hives, honeybees, Maple Falls, spring, Washington | 14 Comments

Two Hives In One

Posted on March 17, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

Finding two queens and their colonies living in one hive during post winter check up. Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 5 Queens and Queen Rearing, 9 Brookfield Farm Bee Yards | Tagged bee, Brookfield Farm, hive, hives, Maple Falls, over winter, queen, two, Washington | 3 Comments

Snow At The Hives

Posted on February 27, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

The February snows have arrived. I woke up last Sunday to the realization that a bit of snow had fallen and it was not going to stop. That slowed things down a bit this week, thus this photo essay of … Continue reading →

Posted in 8 Brookfield Farm & Bees, 9 Brookfield Farm Bee Yards | Tagged beehives, bees, Brookfield Farm, Maple Falls, photographs, snow, Washington, Winter | 4 Comments

Dressing for Winter Markets

Posted on February 19, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

Layers & natural fibers : the way I keep warm at long winter markets. Continue reading →

Posted in 93 Marketing / Business | Tagged Brookfield Farm, clothes, Karen Bean, layers, Maple Falls, Markets, Washington, Winter, wool | 2 Comments

Making Bee Candy (aka Fondant)

Posted on January 30, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

I leave lots of honey on my hives in the winter. Usually about 70 pounds for established hives, a bit less for the smaller hives. In a normal year this will provide food for the bees from October, when forage … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 4 Feeding Bees | Tagged bee candy, beekeeping, Brookfield Farm, feed, Fondant, honeybees, Maple Falls, Washington, Winter | 14 Comments

Boxes and Frames : A Winter’s Tale

Posted on January 11, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

I received a call once from a young lady who wanted to see if her husband could “experience a day as a beekeeper” – a birthday present. Somehow I don’t think she meant: sit in a room in mid-winter with … Continue reading →