The Pickled PrepperNews. Views and Advice

The honey is rolling into the homestead! As we prepare for our largest harvest yet, we take our new extractor for a spin.

A fellow beekeeper raises her own queens and has extra mated queens. She asked me if I needed any. Since I had two under-performing...

We are gearing up to produce more eggs and honey for our use and for sale. Its an important part of our self-sufficiency.

The first part of the honey harvest is in and being bottled, but there will be one or two more this year as honey remains on the hives.

Rural life isn't easy, but it can be interesting and challenging. This weekend proves the point, from contaminated water to animal rescues.

The lack of rain is affecting humans, honeybees, and plants, but some relief may lie on the horizon, at least in the Appalachians.

Pete discusses the skills every new beekeepers should have, from overcoming the fear of being stung to learning to read a frame.

Losing a swarm is a lost investment, but these bees are paying for themselves in more ways than one as the hives multiply.

Despite the calendar claiming it arrived two weeks ago, spring is finally here, and the bees and butterflies are thrilled.

Tips and a budget for starting bees at home in the city or on the homestead. Plus, why bees are great for preppers.

From surviving winter hive losses to the threat of domestic sleeper cells, being prepared includes spring chores and self-defense.

Beekeeping in January, upgrading the Ruger 10/22, and vacuum-sealing ammo. How unusual weather is shifting this winter's homesteading priorities.

A spate of warm weather gives us a chance to feed the bees before cold and possibly snow hits us around Thanksgiving.

As winter grows closer, the honeybees grow more desperate to set aside stores. Beekeepers help them by feeding them and treating for mites.

Our fall honey harvest is in, and we set a new record for honey production. Extraction and bottling is a lengthy process because we do it by hand,

The spring honey harvest is complete, and it yielded some of the tastiest honey Pete has ever produced.

We've had unusual weather this year, but it seems to be benefitting both the trees and our honeybees. We expect a record honey harvest.

The bees are overflowing! Time to create some more splits to prevent swarming. I also add a nuc to bolster my bee's genetics.

Commercial beekeepers have lost between 60 and 80 percent of their beehives in the past nine months, endangering the food supply.

The weeks of bitter cold weather in January took their toll on Pete's bees, but enough hives made it through he can rebuild his apiary.

As summer draws to an end, we harvest our honey crop and some of the last vegetables from the garden. Before winter sets in is also a good time to check that all systems are functioning.

We finished extracting, filtering and bottling honey. Now we need to add labels and deliver it to our local retailers and customers.

Summer is busy on the homestead. We have to take advantage of the warm weather to grow and harvest what food we can in a limited time.

What's Pete been doing? Shooting guns, cleaning guns, and keeping bees. Both shooting and beekeeping are good hobbies for preppers to adopt.

Pete is trying not to count his eggs before they hatch, but all indications point to a large spring honey harvest. And that's just part of the news.

Our apiary grows and we may gain a second bee yard to allow for further expansion. I'm running low on equipment, too.

You can buy bees, or you can help your hives reproduce, expanding your bee yard or apiary at no cost. it just takes time and patience.