Hive Inspection
Now that the warm weather has finally arrived, our bees are getting busy, busy, busy! John's inspecting a healthy hive loaded with bees. When the tress and shrubs start to grow, providing the bees with an abundance of pollen and nectar, the queen starts to lay eggs. Did you know the queen has the ability to lay 1,500-2,000 eggs per day? Since the average lifespan for a bee in spring and summer is 45 days, this ensures survival of the colony.
Hiving a Nuc
We brought a "nuc" down to Kimball's U-Pick (in Belvidere, NJ) over the weekend. This video shows John placing the bees in their new home. they'll be very happy there. Kent Kimball's farm is pesticide-free and he's got acres of wonderful blueberry bushes, strawberries, and lots of herbs and veggies. `
New Hives
This weekend, we were inspecting our hives in Hunterdon and Morris Counties. Some of those hives are already "exploding" with bees! We put more honey supers on all hives. We were even able to make some "splits." Splits are new hives which we make by taking a few frames loaded with bees and brood and tranferring to a "nuc" box. We let them build up in thiese smaller hive boxes. When they are "ready" (strong enough), we transfer them to a larger hive box. Here are four we brou
Bees Like Water!
Did you know that honey bees drink an enormous amount of water? Not only does it help them stay hydrated, they take it back to the hive to share with the queen and other bees as well. The "nurse" bees mix water with nectar and pollen, which they use to feed the brood (baby bees). Bees also use water to help regulate the hive temperature. In the hot weather, the bees strategically distribute water around the hive, then "fan" it with their wings. This works just like our air co
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