Category Archives: 1 Beekeeping

Beekeeping

Splitting And Supering Hives

Posted on May 15, 2015 by brookfieldfarmhoney

I’m a bit behind in my posts. About 3 weeks ago I went through all my hives, again. The intention was to either split or super the ones that were getting crowded to keep them from swarming. It quickly became … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 5 Queens and Queen Rearing | Tagged bee hive, beekeeping, bees, Brookfield Farm, honeybees, how to, Maple Falls, nuc, overnight, queen excluder, split, Washington | 8 Comments

Spring Supers for Bee Hives

Posted on April 6, 2015 by brookfieldfarmhoney

Spring arrived early here this year. So I’ve supered the strong hives, many of which were packed with brood, and fed honey to those that had eaten nearly all their stores. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 4 Hive Components | Tagged bee, beekeeping, Brookfield Farm, frame, hives, Maple Falls, positions, super, supering, Washington | 6 Comments

Winter Bee Hives Losses and Lessons

Posted on March 26, 2015 by brookfieldfarmhoney

I have now gone though all my hives. My last post was about what that entailed. This post is about the results, what I saw for good and for bad, and the result of an experiment. The Overall Results This … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping | Tagged bees, Brookfield Farm, failure, fungus, honeybees, Maple Falls, over winter, queen, results, Washington | 4 Comments

Checking and Manipulating Hives in late winter

Posted on February 20, 2015 by brookfieldfarmhoney

The sun finally broke out, temperatures went into the low 50F’s so I finally got out to the hives to check them for honey stores, a bit of hive manipulation, and to put in their essential oil patties. The sun … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 4 Hive Components, 8 Brookfield Farm & Bees, 9 Brookfield Farm Bee Yards | Tagged bee, bees, Brookfield Farm, cleaning, hive, honey bound, honeybees, how to, manipulation, Maple Falls, Washington | 8 Comments

Making Bee Patties at Brookfield Farm

Posted on January 30, 2015 by brookfieldfarmhoney

Twice a year my bees get some essential oils in their diets. The aim is for general health, to strengthen their immune systems and to combat varroa mites, from the inside. Before I go any further, let me say there … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 2 Diseases/Pests/Treatments | Tagged bee, Brookfield Farm, essential oil, honeybees, how to, making, Maple Falls, patties, patty, recipe, Washington | 2 Comments

Barn Cats / Hive Cats : Indispensable

Posted on January 14, 2015 by brookfieldfarmhoney

Barn Cats – I could not run the farm or the bees without them. They keep the mice out of the barn with its myriad of places for mice to live and thrive. They patrol the bee yard, to help … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 9 Brookfield Farm Bee Yards | Tagged barn, beekeepers cats, bees, Brookfield Farm, cats, hive, Maple Falls, protection, Washington | 6 Comments

Honeybee Food Foraging : Where? Why? How Far?

Posted on December 16, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

I get asked a lot at market: how do you know that the bees actually went to “that” honey. “That” honey may be Buckwheat, Alfalfa/Wildflower, Fireweed/Wildflower, or Wildflowers of particular regions in Washington State. Really it is all about flight … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 6 Honeybees -interesting stuff, Honeybees - interesting stuff | Tagged bees, Brookfield Farm, feeding, flight distance, forage, honeybees, how, Maple Falls, Washington, where forage | 5 Comments

How Much Honey Per Hive?

Posted on October 17, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

How much honey per hive in western Washington state. General information, factors that affect harvest, amounts from 2014 harvest. Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 92 Honey | Tagged 2014, Brookfield Farm, harvest, honey, honey per hive, Maple Falls, state, Washington, western | 8 Comments

Harvesting Honey, Treating Hives

Posted on September 13, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

I have been pulling honey and putting thymol on the hives this last week. This blog’s been silent for quite a few weeks. July and August simply got out of control. Busy Times: July to August In general I was: … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 2 Diseases/Pests/Treatments, 8 Brookfield Farm & Bees, 9 Brookfield Farm Bee Yards | Tagged 8 Brookfield Farm & Bees, bee, beekeeping, Brookfield Farm, harvest, hive, honey, how to, Maple Falls, Mount Baker, natural, pack goats, treatments, Washington | 4 Comments

Cutting Grass in Bee Yards

Posted on June 18, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney

As spring moves into summer here in northwest Washington, the grass grows – with authority. What looked like a tidy-ish bee yard one week can be a jungle two weeks later. So armed with my trusty power scythe, I headed … Continue reading →