I started keeping bees in Central Texas six years ago, and one of the biggest lessons I learned fast was that timing matters more here than in any other state I’ve visited. Our winters stay mild, summers hit triple digits, and the nectar flow follows patterns you will not see in Michigan or Vermont. If … Read more

If you have ever stood in front of a booming spring hive, lifted the lid, and felt a jolt of panic at the sheer number of bees pouring over the frames, you are in the right place. Splitting a hive is one of those beekeeping skills that sounds terrifying in theory and turns out to … Read more

You did everything right. You bought the right treatment, followed the label instructions, waited the full duration, and pulled the strips on schedule. Then two weeks later, your alcohol wash shows mites climbing right back up. If you are reading this, you have probably experienced that exact moment of frustration. You are not alone in … Read more

Walking up to a hive and spotting a scattered, yellowish brood pattern can stop a beekeeper cold. European foulbrood requeen or treat is the question that follows, and it is the right one to ask. I have helped inspect colonies where a single yellow larva was the first warning of a bigger problem. Over the … Read more

If you keep bees anywhere from Virginia down through Florida and across to Louisiana, the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) is probably the pest you think about most. Our long warm season and constant humidity create the exact conditions this invasive beetle loves. Small hive beetle control in the humid Southeast is not a one-time … Read more

Every year, beekeepers lose colonies to varroa mites that no longer respond to the treatments that once worked. The problem is not the treatment itself. The problem is that mites adapt when we use the same chemical over and over. Rotating mite treatments to prevent resistance is the single most effective strategy beekeepers have to … Read more

Drawn comb is one of the most valuable assets a beekeeper owns. Bees must consume roughly 8 pounds of honey to produce a single pound of wax. When that comb sits in storage over winter, wax moths see an all-you-can-eat buffet with no guard bees to stop them. Protecting stored comb from wax moths over … Read more

I crouched beside a hive last April and saw white pellets scattered across the landing board. At first I thought they were grains of sugar, but a closer look told a different story. Those were chalkbrood mummies, and the colony inside had been quietly losing ground for weeks. That scene is what pushed me to … Read more

Mite counts spike in August and September because varroa reproduction accelerates during peak brood production at the exact moment the adult bee population begins to shrink. This combination turns a manageable mite problem in July into a colony-threatening crisis by October if untreated. I have tracked mite counts in my own hives for over a … Read more

I lost a colony in August of because I applied Formic Pro during a 95F heat wave. The queen died within three days, the brood stopped, and the remaining bees absconded. That single failure sent me down a rabbit hole to understand exactly how temperature affects every mite treatment you choose, and I’ve spent two … Read more