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The Best Mason Bee House Location
Spring is here, so it’s the perfect time to set up a mason bee house. One of the most important things you can do is find the best mason bee house location. If you place your bee house in a location that is not suitable for bees, they may look for shelter elsewhere. So, how do you find the best mason bee house location? It’s actually pretty easy. You must take the following into account: orientation, height, mounting, forage, and nesting material. Why Raise Mason Bees? If you have a garden, you can benefit from mason bees. They are amazing pollinators – 120 times more effective than honey bees. If…
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Crown Bees Mason Bee Cocoons Review
If you follow me on Instagram, you may have already saw my posts yesterday about my mason bee cocoons. I thought I’d do a Crown Bees mason bee cocoon review on here, in case anyone is interested. Ordering Mason Bee Cocoons from Crown Bees I got a brand new mason bee house this year and decided to get some mason bee cocoons as well. I ordered them online from Crown Bees, since they are a well known and trusted company. The ordering process was really simple. On their website, you can choose which type of solitary bee cocoon you would like to order. If you want bees for spring, choose…
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Parts of a Beehive and Langstroth Beehive Measurements
When you see a beehive in books or on tv, most likely it is a Langstroth hive. This type of beehive has been used since it’s invention in 1851. The first movable frame beehive revolutionized beekeeping by incorporating “bee space” into a top opening hive with frames that can easily be removed. It is such a practical and innovative design, that today we use the same measurements in modern beekeeping. What is a Langstroth Beehive? The Langstroth beehive is the most commonly used beehive today. Appearance wise, Langstroth hives look like tall, wooden drawers. That’s because this hive consists of stackable wooden boxes containing frames for the bees to build…
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Swarm Traps – Where to Place Them and When to Put Them Out
A bee swarm is a really remarkable thing to see. Swarming is the colony’s natural way to reproduce. For beekeepers, it is also an opportunity to get free bees. Beekeepers place swarm traps out in order to capture the swarm and move them to their own hives. This article will discuss where to place swarm traps, when to put out swarm traps, and honey bee swarm traps for sale. Why do Bees Swarm? In a beehive, swarming occurs when one colony splits into two. It is something beekeepers must manage if they don’t want to lose half of their bees. If you are able to trap a wild swarm, it…
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Feeding Pollen Patties to Bees
While we would like for our bees to be able to feed themselves exclusively through foraging, there are times when a beekeeper must step in to feed their colonies. When necessary, beekeepers will feed their bees either pollen patties or sugar syrup. Feeding bees can mean the difference between a strong colony and one that is struggling to survive. Of course, there is a correct way to feed bees. Knowing when to feed pollen patties to bees is essential. What are Pollen Patties? Pollen patties are a type of bee food that is made to simulate pollen. Pollen patties do not usually contain real pollen. Instead, they are a mixture…
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How Does a Flow Hive© Work?
Beekeeping has been the same for very many years. That is, until the Flow Hive entered the market. The Flow Hive is best known for being able to drain honey from a tap straight from the hive. Since then, there have been a lot of questions about the Flow Hive. Common questions are How does a Flow Hive work? Is the Flow Hive good for bees? How much does a Flow Hive cost? This article will answer a few of the basic questions about the Flow Hive. Images remain the copyright property of Flow® and are reproduced here with their permission. What is a Flow Hive©? Created in Australia by…
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How to Attract Bees to a Bee House
Spring is almost here, so that means that if you haven’t yet, it’s time to plan your garden. Whether you plant fruits and vegetables, or just flowers, it’s beneficial to have a bee house. Bee houses are not the same as beehives. While beehives house honey bees for the purpose of collecting honey, bee houses are for solitary bees. Solitary bees do not make honey, but are excellent pollinators. Some people buy mason or leafcutter bee cocoons for their bee houses. Others set up the house and wait for the bees to come on their own. Read on to learn how to attract bees to a bee house. Disclosure: As…
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Seasonal Management of Honey Bees
For beekeepers, each season brings new tasks in regards to management of their beehives. Depending on the season, honey bees have different needs. The exact timing of the season will vary depending on your location. Some beekeepers like to divide their seasons up into periods instead. Those periods are the dearth period, build up period, honey flow period, and harvesting period. Either way, each season, or period of your hive, have different management methods to help your colony thrive year round. Seasonal Management of Honey Bees Spring Spring can also be known as the build up period. This is when plants are starting to open up and flower. Spring is…
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8 Frame Langstroth Hive Dimensions
While 10 frame Langstroth hives are seen as more “standard”, I noticed that many beekeepers are opting for 8 frame hives lately. And that’s no surprise. There are many benefits to 8 frame Langstroth hives. Benefits of 8 Frame Langstroth Hives Weight By far, the biggest benefit of using an 8 frame Langstroth hive is the weight. A super full of honey is quite heavy, and don’t forget that you’ll be lifting the super from the top of other boxes. Using an 8 frame hive instead of a 10 frame significantly reduces the weight of the box, making honey harvesting much more manageable. For example, an 8 frame shallow super…
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How to Raise Native Bees
Learning how to raise native bees is a great spring or summer activity that the whole family can enjoy. It’s so fascinating to see the bees flying to and from their bee house. Not only does raising native bees help to increase their declining population, it is also beneficial to you. Native bees, such as mason bees and leafcutter bees are excellent pollinators. Add a bee house to your garden to see an increase in your harvest. Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This is at no cost to you and helps to keep this website running. What are Native Bees? When you think of a…
