Clik here to view.
Winter Prep for your Hives
Remember, now is the time your colony is preparing for winter. The bees reared in September and early October are the young bees the colony needs to survive winter. If they are not completely healthy,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dealing with a Weak Hive
We are often asked by new potential beekeepers if they should start with one or two hives. We recommend that beekeepers start with at least two hives if possible. This is not a ploy to try to have you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Helping Your Bee Hives in the Winter
Your hives are prepared for winter and you are ready to relax by the fire and enjoy a nice hot biscuit with some drizzled honey on top. Now that there is nothing else you can do to help your hives for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Frames and Foundation for your Hive
As we begin prepping for the year to come, beekeepers begin purchasing frames and foundation for their hives. Beekeepers always wonder what frames will work the best for their hives and what type of...
View ArticleInstalling Your NUC
For those who have purchased a NUC (Nucleus Hive),you are ahead of those who started with a Package. At the start they will have less bees than a standard 3 lb. package; however, because the queen is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Replacing a Queen
In order for a colony to survive they must have a fertile queen. A queen will be replaced in the event that something unexpected happened to her or, more commonly, the queen's fertility and pheromone...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Controlling Your Varroa Mite Counts
Varroa Mites are small, reddish-brown tick like pests that feed off the hemolymph (blood) of the bees. The exposed wound their bites leave make the bees easily susceptible to infections and viruses....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Oxalic Acid FAQs
WHAT IS OXALIC ACID?Oxalic Acid is a naturally occurring acid found in plants. It became popular in Europe & Canada for treating Varroa Mites in a honey bee hive. IS IT A LEGAL VARROA TREATMENT IN...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Honey Bees vs. Orchard Mason Bees
A Honey Bee & Orchard Mason BeeMany beekeepers know the benefit their girls play in pollinating their gardens,but your foraging bees are not the only bees that are there to collect pollen. There...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Setting Up a Hive: 8 Frame or 10 Frame
(This is a sample of one of the many blogs we provide during our Monthly E-Newsletter. In the newsletter we discuss everything from beginner beekeeping to your second year with the hive; product...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Breaking Down a Honey Bee Langstroth Hive
When you start out in beekeeping it can seem pretty daunting how many different setups and how many varieties of tools there are available. Here at Brushy Mountain Bee Farm we try to not only to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Bee Informed Partnership Survey: Help Fight Colony Loss
Why you matter: Please take the survey today!It is not often that a solitary beekeeper, endeavoring to help nature, the environment and provide teachable moments to family, neighbors and coworkers, can...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Maintaining a Healthy Queen in your Bee Hive
(This is a sample of one of the many blogs you will find in our Monthly E-Newsletter. In the newsletter we discuss everything from beginner beekeeping to your second year with the hive; product...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Time to Collect Honey, Part 1: Harvesting & Uncapping
Colonies that survived through winter grown enough in population going into the nectar flow to store an excess amount of honey in late spring/early summer. Those fortunate beekeepers will be able to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Time to Collect Honey, Part 2: Extracting
Read the 1st part of the blog, covering harvesting honey tips, here.Let's talk about extractors. Extracting your honey frames is exciting but poses many questions. Do I need an extractor? What size...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What is a Resource Hive?
Introduced to Brushy Mountain Bee Farm's expansive inventory last year, the Resource Hive has become a very popular resource for beekeepers. The Resource Hive consists of a 10-Frame size hive body that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What Makes Winter Honey Bee's so Special?
Have you ever wondered why winter bees live longer?The Answer: Vitellogenin.Next question; what is Vitellogenin?Vitellogenin is classified as a glycolipoprotein as it has properties of sugar, fat and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wintering Bees Cluster: What's going on?
A common question that non beekeepers constantly ask is how bees survive through cold winter temperatures. “They create a cluster and use vibration to keep the cluster warm” is the typical response...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Preparing for your New Bees
A beekeeper can’t be a beekeeper without bees. Packages and Nucleus Hives (NUCs) are the simplest way of finding new honey bees. If you have not pre-ordered your Package or NUC yet, we still have some...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Absconding: Why is my Hive Empty?
Your hive is empty? What the heck happened? Beekeeping always has an element of chance when it comes to success. For every successful hive, there is always the chance that a hive will abscond....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Beekeeping in the Summer: Maintaining a Hive in the Warm Weather
A few bees getting a drink of water from a nearby stream.Summertime is here and your hives should be buzzing! With summer in full swing there are a couple things you should keep an eye on. You want to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Propolis: It Binds the Hive Together...Literally
We've all been there; pushing with all our might on the hive tool just to pry the frames out of the hive, after which, we have this gooey resin stuck to our gloves or suit. Propolis is a nuisance for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Benefits of Digital Hive Tracking
Collecting Data from our Broodminder ScaleAs the craft of beekeeping continues to expand, so to do the tools and technologies beekeepers have at their disposal to better understand the health of their...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Using a Digital Hive Scale
A year ago, I would have told you a hive scale was just a toy for rich beekeepers. After all, I have been getting by without one for many years, using the tried and true method of lifting the back of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Managing Moisture in the Hive
Beekeepers interpret winter as the time to leave the bees alone and hope they make it through to Spring. This is not entirely true. A deadly threat beekeepers should be conscious of is moisture build...
View Article
