Gardening for Honey Bees: Bulbs for Honey BeesBulbs are a favorite of many gardeners because they are easy and showy. Who can resist the first snowdrops or crocuses? Honey bees like to visit the blossoms for nectar and pollen, so I'm busy adding more bulbs to my garden just for them and for me. .
Honey Bee CastesLike all organisms that live in a social culture, honey bees have different types of members. For honey bees it's a queen, drones and workers. Let's take a look at each group and see what makes them important to the survival of their colony.
Gardening for Honey BeesMost gardeners I know garden for birds or butterflies, but not me. I garden for honey bees and have learned a lot about honey bees and flowers in the process.
June Plants for Honey BeesSummer is coming, with longer days and hotter temperatures. June is still a great month for honey bees, but they may not produce as much honey as the days get hotter.
May Plants for Honey BeesMay is the month when late spring blooms are going strong and early summer blooms are getting ready to show off. The living is good for honey bees.
April Plants for Honey BeesApril is here and beekeepers will be kept busy trying to keep up with their bees' need for extra room to store the bounty collected from the blossoms they visited. April also marks the start of swarm season, so beekeepers will be keeping an eye out for swarms to catch; or they'll be trying to keep them from swarming by making splits.
March Plants for Honey BeesIt's March, the month spring officially arrives according to the calendar. Mother Nature might have different plans, but plants are bursting forth with renewed growth and the cool weather plants are blooming, bringing joy to everyone. Honey bees have built up their numbers and are busy taking advantage of the bountiful supply of food.
February Plants for Honey BeesFebruary is here! Hopefully the old groundhog didn't see his shadow and spring will be here sooner than later. Longer days and warmer temperatures will have the honey bees buzzing everywhere looking for food to feed their hungry babies.
January Plants for Honey BeesIt's January, which usually means winter in most places. Winter evokes visions of gloomy days of cold and snow, but in some areas the sun shines and the temperature is warm enough for honey bees to be out and about. What's blooming in January to tempt honey bees to leave their hives and forage for food?
Honey Bees in the Garden: The Winter ClusterAt the end of summer honey bees begin getting ready for winter survival. The drones are killed, either by stinging or they are herded out to perish in the cold, cruel world. Brood production stops when winter bees have been hatched to get the colony through winter, and honey stores are built up to feed them during the coming months.
Honey as MedicineEveryone is familiar with honey's value in easing the effects of a cold. It is added to hot tea or warm water with lemon to help soothe sore throats and to calm coughs. It has also been used to treat minor wounds and burns.
Thanks for Honey BeesThanksgiving is a time to give thanks for all the blessings we have received. Did you ever stop to wonder how much of your Thanksgiving dinner is possible because of honey bees?
Honey Bees in the Garden: Royal Jelly a.k.a. Bee MilkRoyal jelly is another product of the honey bees. It is the stuff that makes a worker bee turn into a queen. You may have heard of the various medical claims made about royal jelly. Is it really a miracle substance or just hype? Let’s take a closer look at royal jelly.
Setting Up a Bee Yard: Getting the BeesThe last step in setting up your bee yard is getting your bees. There are several varieties of honey bees and you need to choose which one is right for your climate and you.
Beekeeping Equipment: The Basic ToolsBefore you get your bees you need to have their hive set up and some basic tools to work with. Beekeeping supply catalogs show you all kinds of tools, but which ones do you really need to get started? Come and find out.
Setting Up Your Bee Yard - Setting Up the HiveNow that you have selected the location for your bee yard it’s time to select your hive and set it up. A hive can be considered to be a manufactured home for bees. Early hives were crude shelters made of any material easily procured in the beekeeper’s locale.
Setting Up Your Bee Yard: Choosing the LocationYou have decided to become a beekeeper. Congratulations and welcome to a fascinating hobby. Your next step is to decide where to put your bee yard. Let's take a look at choosing a location.
Startup Costs of Becoming a BeekeeperBecoming a beekeeper doesn't require a great outlay of cash or time. After that initial investment in the hive and equipment, it's a pretty cheap hobby. Let's take a look at the basic equipment you need to get started.
Honey Bees in the Garden - SeptemberSeptember brings us Labor Day and cooler temperatures. Gardeners will be keeping an eye out for frost. Honey bees will continue to store winter food supplies as long as the temperature remains above 50ºF.
Honey Bees in the Garden: BeeswaxDid you know that candles and cosmetics are made with beeswax? Beeswax has many more little known uses; let's take a look at this important gift from the tiny honey bee.
Honey Bees in the Garden... AugustAugust is another hot month for both gardeners and honey bees. Water for plants and honey bees remains a top priority. You may also find the honey bees you encounter are more aggressive than they have been since spring. That's because they are anxious to store enough food to last the colony through the coming winter. Be careful when you bend to sniff a flower, a honey bee might be there and will think you are trying to get the nectar for yourself.
Honey Bees in the Garden: Propolis aka Bee GluePropolis is another wonderful product of the honey bee. Beekeepers call it bee glue because the honey bees use it for gluing their hive parts together. Let's learn more about this substance.
Honey Bees in the Garden: JulyIndependence Day and the beginning of the hottest days of summer, the Dog Days, are the major events in July. Gardeners and honey bees are trying to keep cool and harvesting food.
Honey Bees in the Garden: JuneJune brings the end of school, Father's Day and summer. Summer brings hot weather and plants may need extra water. Honey bees will also need extra water to keep the hive cool.
Honey Bees in the Garden: Honey -- How Sweet It Is and Isn'tWhen people think of honey they think of sweetness. Some plants produce honey that isn't sweet at all. In fact, it can taste pretty bitter. Come and learn a little bit about honey.
Honey Bees in the Garden: MayMay is a month that showcases flowers for special days. Flowers for May Day, flowers for Mother's Day, flowers for Memorial Day and flowers for the honey bees.
Honey Bees in the Garden: AprilApril showers bring May flowers, which means plenty of food for honey bees. Gardeners will soon be busy setting out the plants they bought or grew from seeds. And now that the number of honey bees has increased, the honey supers are being filled with surplus honey.
Honey Bees in the Garden: Pollen, a Rainbow of NutritionIt's officially spring and also pollen season. For allergy sufferers pollen is something to hate but for honey bees it's the main source of nutrition. And it comes in all colors just like the food we eat.
Honey Bees in the Garden: MarchMarch is here with its abundance of sprouting bulbs, swelling buds, and early blossoms. The temperatures are warmer and gardeners are busy getting early crops and flowers planted. Honey bees are zipping to and fro from the hives, searching out the earliest blossoms for the collection of nectar and pollen.
Honey Bees in the Garden: FebruaryFebruary's warmer days find gardeners outside hoping to get their soil ready for new seeds and plants. Honey bees will soon be out checking for fresh food as well.
Honey Bees in the Garden: JanuaryHoney bees have been living on stored honey since the killing frosts in autumn took the flowers away. They will be eager for fresh food as soon as it's warm enough for them to fly.
