I lost my first colony to a silent killer in February , and the worst part was not knowing what went wrong. The hive looked fine the previous fall, the honey stores were adequate, and when I opened the box in spring all I found was a pile of dead bees on the bottom board … Read more

I remember the first time I cracked open a hive and saw eggs but no larvae. My heart sank, because I had no idea what that meant, and the answer turned out to be the most important lesson of my first season. Why your hive has eggs but no larvae is one of the most … Read more

One of the most jarring moments in beekeeping is opening a hive that has been calm for months and getting met with a wall of angry, stinging bees. I have been there, and I know the panic that sets in when your formerly gentle colony suddenly turns hostile. If you are dealing with this right … Read more

I remember installing my first package of bees on a chilly April afternoon. I gave them sugar syrup, a fresh brood box, and brand new foundation. Then I waited. And waited. By day 10 they had barely touched a single frame. If you are watching your new package bees not drawing comb, I want to … Read more

You opened your hive on the first warm spring day expecting a booming cluster of bees ready to take on the nectar flow. Instead, you found a small, sluggish population, patchy brood, or no brood at all. If you are diagnosing a colony that will not build up in spring, you are facing one of … Read more

Varroa mites remain the number one threat to honeybee colonies worldwide, and knowing exactly when to treat can mean the difference between a thriving hive and a winter deadout. The varroa mite treatment threshold is the specific mite count at which research and field experience agree you should intervene rather than wait. Our team has … Read more

Every new beekeeper eventually asks the same question after watching their first package bees explode into a booming colony: can you split a first year colony, or should you wait until next spring? It is one of the most debated topics in beekeeping forums, and the answer is not as simple as yes or no. … Read more

I made my first walk-away split three years ago, watched the colony ignore the eggs for a week, and ended up with a queenless hive covered in laying workers. That sting taught me to ask the right question: why does the split fail to raise a queen in the first place? If you are staring … Read more

A honey bound brood nest is one of the most common reasons healthy colonies suddenly stall or swarm in spring. I’ve opened plenty of hives over the past decade and watched strong colonies shrink because the queen ran out of laying space. The good news: this is fully reversible if you catch it early. In … Read more

Opening a hive and finding every frame stuffed tight with pollen is a moment of confusion for many beekeepers, especially newer ones. The brood nest looks full, the colony seems strong, but the queen has nowhere to lay eggs. This is what beekeepers call pollen bound frames, and if left uncorrected, the colony population can … Read more