The Beecharmers

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If you are considering starting hobby beekeeping, January and February is the best time to get your plan together! If you are still doing those google searches, getting confused in Facebook groups or consuming every beekeeping website around ... let us help! Saturday, February 20 - 10am - 12 pm. Register here: https://app.barn2door.com/e/36Bj3/all/zOyDD ... This workshop is a short, friendly orientation to beekeeping including time commitment, budget, choosing type of equipment and type of bees as well as planning ahead to keep your bees healthy. It’s a great class to take before a full Beginner Beekeeping class. See more

This is pretty interesting, but not all that surprising. What do you think about this new study? The researchers performed a molecular autopsy in which they analyzed the fluid inside sperm-storing sacs after exposing queens to extreme heat, extreme cold or pesticides. They found that each stressor was associated with elevated levels of different proteins in the fluid.... they found proteins indicating exposure to pesticides and extreme heat but not extreme cold.

Happy New Year! I’m glad that 2020 is heading into the past! I’m looking forward to building fresh, new foundations using a hive mind in community collaboration just like the bees do each new year. . What are some of your 2021 plans?

Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe, the less taste we shall have for destruction. -Rachel Carson

So you think you want to be a beekeeper? Yay! Let’s talk! Getting Ready for Bees workshop is a helpful next steps for getting started session. Now is the time to start planning ahead for spring! We will be talking hive style, where to get bees, dealing with neighbors, budget, time commitment and a walk through of your very first hive inspection. Beekeeping isn’t for everyone but it is an amazing mix of art and science that will make you notice all the tiny wonders of th...e world around you. And, there’s honey, too! Register here: https://app.barn2door.com/e/36Bj3/all/zOyDD

If you ask 100 beekeepers a question, you’ll get at least 101 different answers! I was told that when I first started beekeeping and I have found that it is more than true. You might get 200 different answers!! What type of foundation do you use in your hives? No foundation or foundationless as shown here? Plastic foundation, wax foundation or maybe a combination of both? How did you decide and how’s it going? Let me know in the comments!

Hey, remember that time we all got together and huddled in really close to see the magic of bees inside the hive? I miss those days... but guess what?! I have some virtual workshops and classes coming up! I have worked super hard to make sure they are interactive and fun. These aren’t your usual zoom 2021 spring classes and The Beecharmer Academy program are also open now for registration. Class size is limited to keep us all safe, so get your spot while it’s still available. www.hivetospoon.com to learn more!

Super excited to partner with Honey Bee Genetics and Tauzer Apiaries on some beekeeping how-to videos! Check them out on the Honey Bee Genetics website. While you're there, check out some of The Beecharmers workshops and classes!

Wax moth larva so you can see how big it is. One of the easiest ways to identity wax moth larva compared to small hive beetle is their size. Beetle larva starts small and stay small. The wax moth may start small but they get big very quickly. This is an average-sized larva. Repost - Foxhound Bee Co

This is so important for the health of bees!

Honey bees are the insect tankers of the skies. Look at that pollen load! Bees transport pollen between plants and bring back all they can carry to their hives for food. The pollen granules are secured in a suspension of nectar that makes a putty-like mixture stuck to long hairs in the corbicula or pollen basket on their back legs. Seems like a precarious way to carry about 30% their body weight through the air, doesn’t it? ... It’s more secure than you would think. The force necessary to dislodge the pellets is more than 10 times the bees flight force! They’re not letting anything get between them and their food!

Dreaming of starting your own backyard hive? Confused with all of the equipment options and advice online? Join our Getting Ready for Bees! Workshop on Saturday, Oct 24 at 10 am to find out what you’ll need to get started. What’s a typical new beekeeper’s year 1 budget? How much time will you need to dedicate to your new hobby? We will be going over the must haves, nice to haves and definitely don’t needs along with an overview of what to expect when you’re expecting... bees...! Register here: https://app.barn2door.com/e/36Bj3/all/zOyDD

It's always the gut microbiome..... The importance of this paper is that it’s one of the first papers that actually shows that the microbiome is involved in the basic social biology of honey bees and not just affecting their health, Vernier said. The microbiome is involved in how the colony as a whole functions, and how they are able to maintain nest defenses, rather than just immune defense within an individual. Until recently, most scientists thought that honey be...es identified nestmates by picking up on a homogenized scent that they recognize from members of their own colony a kind of hive B.O., For bees, some of the most complex aspects of their social behavior basically depends on bacteria more than anything else! Ben-Shahar said.

Nourish that queen! Check out the trophallaxis happening here between a worker bee and the queen. Isn’t trophallaxis a fun word? It’s the mutual exchange of regurgitated liquids between social insects. Yum! Worker bees constantly attend to the queen to not only provide her with food and grooming but to also sense and transfer pheromones to communicate to the rest of the colony that the queen is there, healthy and still laying eggs.