Bees on a hot roof in NYC can be a problem in the middle of summer. I built a DIY hive top vent board to keep the hives a bit cooler. This also helps cure the honey in the supers, by the way. On ...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/diy-hive-top-vent-board-keeps-the-hive-cooler-in-summer/
Apisoir is a word coined by Michael Alberty to promote the local terrior of honey. Being a wine writer, Michael had words to describe different wines, so why not honey? Erik of the Root Simple po...
Helping your bees survive winter is one of the hardest parts of beekeeping. I have several videos about winter bee survival and feeding. A reader asked: It’s been in the 20’s and 30’s for...
Its honey harvest time again. I've talked about the uncapping roller before, video here, but you combine this tool with putting 9 frames in a 10 frame honey super and you've made your life much e...
I wanted to pull some of the honey off our bigger hive. Early in the year I had stacked two honey supers on that hive, hoping to catch an early nectar flow, which I managed to do despite a swarm....
It's the first really hot day of the year. You climb up on the roof, and the new hive - a bee package we installed this spring - has tons of bees all over it. There's a liquid sugar feeder on the...
Make these quick swarm traps when you have some spare beekeeping parts on the shelf. The parts are just sitting there, so we might as well use them, right? Here's how I build a swarm box using th...
"Eric, what do you think of the Flow™ Hive?" I get this question every week, so I thought I'd write out a post to refer people to for more information. The short answer is this: It is a great s...
Honey harvesting has always been labor intensive, but with a honey uncapping roller, its a lot easier. This is the second harvest we've done with the comb roller, and its much easier to use than ...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/honey-harvesting-made-easy-with-honey-uncapping-roller/
These are the two best beginning beekeeping books, and I've bought more than my fair share of beekeeping books. Kim Flottum's The Backyard Beekeeper, I think, is one of the best books. This is ac...
Getting honeybees ready for winter, aka winter beekeeping preparation, is one of those things that can fall off the list for beekeepers, probably not a good thing. I believe if you just leave you...
I had been using this empty hive as a bait hive, hoping to catch a swarm from - no luck there - and I had just left this outside the garage. I had meant to put it inside the garage, but you know ...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/bear-varmint-takes-apart-empty-hive/
Pollen is the topic of this post. In this image you can see quite a bit of it in the comb. It is of various colors and what I've seen them bringing in, at least the day of this hive inspection, i...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/inside-the-hive-views-from-a-first-year-beekeeper-scene-23/
Here I've got a photo from my recent hive inspection of hive #2. As you can see, the bees don't all look alike. Oh, sure they have wings and are about the same size but their coloration varies....
https://www.gardenfork.tv/inside-the-hive-views-from-a-first-year-beekeeper-scene-22/
Propolis - that sticky, gooey substance that honeybees make from plant resins - is strong stuff. Anyone who has tried to separate one super from the one below it can testify to the holding power ...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/inside-the-hive-views-from-a-first-year-beekeeper-scene-21/
Varoa Destructor! Ominous sounding name, huh? This little sucker (literally) is one of the many pests which can affect the health and well being of a hive. Varoa is a mite which latches onto...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/inside-the-hive-views-from-a-first-year-beekeeper-scene-20/
This year has been the year I've had to requeen 4 hives. Not sure why, but wanted to show one way how to requeen a beehive. This beehive was doing fine, I pulled some honey off the hive, and then...
What are the best flowers for honeybees? What kind of flowers do bees like? How do i attract honeybees to my garden? Being a beekeeper, I pay a lot of attention to what flowers honeybees are attr...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/best-flowers-for-honeybees-woodland-asters/
After eight days in the wonderful state of Maine on a much needed vacation, I did a quick "hey howya doin'" on the hives this afternoon. As a first year beekeeper, I've resigned myself to the fac...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/inside-the-hive-views-from-a-first-year-beekeeper-scene-19/
The last half of June and the first week of July 2012 have been HOT here in Virginia. I live in the Piedmont region and... Stop. Geography Time! I'm doing the MC Hammer shuffle dance right now. I...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/inside-the-hive-views-from-a-first-year-beekeeper-scene-18/
Having the right tool for the job makes all the difference. You can try to drive a nail into the wall with your shoe to hang that picture and it might work but even a crappy dollar store hammer ...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/inside-the-hive-views-from-a-first-year-beekeeper-scene-17/
When folks talk about beehives - average, non-beekeeping folks, that is - they'll probably mention honey, honey comb, the queen bee, maybe pollen. Those are things most folks would know. Today I ...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/inside-the-hive-views-from-a-first-year-beekeeper-scene-16/
The bees in hive #2 (the hive formerly known as "the nuc hive") have been very productive. Three weeks ago we put a medium super with new foundation atop this hive and when we checked it on Fathe...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/inside-the-hive-views-from-a-first-year-beekeeper-scene-15/
It was a Father's Day hive inspection. Dad (that's me) and son checking out our two hives. Beautiful day. 78 degrees Fahrenheit and just a light breeze. Quite a few things to say and show about t...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/inside-the-hive-views-from-a-first-year-beekeeper-scene-14-2/
Need Swarm Box or Bait Hive plans? Check out this honeybee bait hive made from those corrugated plastic lawn signs you see for politicians and yard sales. I've been making swarm boxes from old ho...
https://www.gardenfork.tv/swarm-box-bait-hive-from-political-signs/