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The nuc (left) arrives in a temporary beehive. The beekeepers lifts out the frames and adds them to an empty beehive. This larger hive body gives the queen more room to lay eggs and the bees room to put nectar and pollen,

From Four Beehives to Ten in a Month

The bees are overflowing! Time to create some more splits to prevent swarming. I also add a nuc to bolster my bee's genetics.
I was given these two beehives by a beekeeper who was moving and couldn't take her bees with her.

Beekeeping Grows more Difficult in 2025

Commercial beekeepers have lost between 60 and 80 percent of their beehives in the past nine months, endangering the food supply.
This frame from a new split shows the queen is doing a good job laying eggs.

Checking in with My Bees and the New Queen

Our apiary grows and we may gain a second bee yard to allow for further expansion. I'm running low on equipment, too.
After the queen bee returns from her mating flight, she never leaves again unless the hive swarms.

Growing my Apiary the Natural Way

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.
Eggs stored in our refrigerator waiting to be sold.

Can you have Too Many Eggs?

The early spring has meant a surge an egg sales and very active beehives. Now we just have to hope there isn't a sudden hard freeze.
A frame of fall honey

Back to the Hives for one Last Honey Harvest

After a big honey harvest in late August, the bees surprised us and kept producing for another month. We got anther 50 pounds.
The peas (left) and beans are blooming.

It’s Better to get Shocked than Stung

This is the peak of production on the homestead. In a survival situation, this is when we would be packing on pounds to get us through the winter.
Lots of bees

Lots of Bees, Not Much Honey

I have plenty of bees, but little honey. We are all waiting for something to bloom besides wildflowers and clover so the honey flow can start.
Staining beehives to protect them from the weather.

Weird Weather Brings Beekeeping Challenges

The bees are keeping my buzzing as I real with queenless hives, new splits, a lack of nectar and strange weather patterns.
This frame pulled from my beehive shows brood in multiple stages. If you look carefully, you can see the eggs.

Working on my Farmer Tan and Splitting Bees

A long day spent int he bee yard getting stung and splitting hives, but we're nor done yet as we expand to seven hives.
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