The Pickled Prepper
Placing a white dot on a queen bee.

It is Queen Rearing Time in the Bee Yard

Finding and marking recently mated queens is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack, but we managed.
Bees on a frame of capped brood

How to Check for Spring Swarms Before Your Bees Abscond

If a beehive swarms, the bees may be gone for good. It's a good idea to inspect your hives and take steps when you see signs of a swarm.
Five frames of bees

Checking on my Bees; My Beekeeping Reputation Depends on their Survival

With my beekeeping reputation on the line, I was hoping for at least two of my three hives to make it through the winter.
The Lorob Bees oxalic acid vaporizer

Rain, More Rain, Snow, and Gassing my Bees

We got warm weather, but there was no sun, just rain and more rain. As soon as it clears up and warms up, we're going to kill some varroa mites.
Bees on Asters (left) and Goldenrod

Goldenrod and Asters Help our Bees Prep for Winter

You could consider bees preppers. They stock up nectar (carbs) and pollen (protein) to help carry them through the long. cold winter.
Stihl trimmer with metal blade installed

Taking Advantage of the Cooler Weather on the Homestead

We are working to make fall plantings, clean up the homestead, stock up, and generally make sure we are ready for winter.
Our dog on the mountain

Prepper Diary September 4: A Homestead Update

We face our second hurricane in two weeks, prepare for cooler temperatures and ready our bees to get through the winter.
Rows of honey jars

Good News from the Bee Yard

It's finally time to harvest some honey and see how our bees performed this year.
Comb honey just minutes after it was removed from our beehive.

Our First Honey Harvest is in and it Tastes Delicious

I didn't expect to harvest any honey this year, our first with the hives, but just 60 days later, we pulled our first frame of honey from one of the hives.
A box full of bees.

We Test Out the BeeScanning App on Hive Inspection Day

We opened up three hives and took a total of 62 photos to test in the BeeScanning app as a tool to measure a varroa mite infestation.
The Pickled Prepper Blog
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