Tag Archives: honeybees

Spring Beehive Tidy And Preparation 2016

Posted on April 2, 2016 by brookfieldfarmhoney

Spring has arrived in Whatcom County Washington (the northwest corner of Washington state). It has arrived two weeks earlier than last year, which was early as well. The sun and flowers emerge fast on the heels of a very web … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 4 Hive Components, 9 Brookfield Farm Bee Yards | Tagged beekeeping, bees, Brookfield Farm, hive, honeybees, how to, manipulation, Maple Falls, spring, Washington | 3 Comments

Post-Winter Hive Check 2016

Posted on March 12, 2016 by brookfieldfarmhoney

We had some clear weather at the end of February, and I took advantage of it to check the hives. For the record, Brookfield Farm Bees And Honey had a 13% loss of beehives from September to March. I’m often … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 4 Feeding Bees, 5 Queens and Queen Rearing, 8 Brookfield Farm & Bees, 9 Brookfield Farm Bee Yards | Tagged bee yard, beekeeping, bees, Brookfield Farm, check, hive, honeybees, late winter, Maple Falls, Washington | 13 Comments

Making Bottom Screens 2015

Posted on June 21, 2015 by brookfieldfarmhoney

I keep mentioning that I’m “making equipment like crazy” this year, due to good weather and bee hive expansion. One of the things that we make here at Brookfield Farm are our own bottom screens. I don’t use bottom boards … Continue reading →

Posted in 1 Beekeeping, 4 Hive Components, 8 Brookfield Farm & Bees | Tagged 8 Brookfield Farm & Bees, beekeeping, bottom screen, Brookfield Farm, honeybees, how to, make, Maple Falls, Washington | 5 Comments

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

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

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 →