August 1st Hive Inspection, Getting Ready for Winter!
It is still pushing 100 degrees during the day here in Twin Falls, Kirk walks through a hive inspection and what we should be seeing and doing this time of year! 2 Part video.
Fall Varroa Mite Discussion
Varroa is enemy number one! Kirk discusses the what, why, and when of our successful mite treatment program!
Getting Bees Ready for Fall To Do List
Kirk walks through the biology of what is going on in the fall and what will need to be done in the next few weeks to get bees ready for winter!
Why did my bees die this winter?
This is a great video showing very common causes of bees not making it through the winter in southern Idaho. Many people think that starvation, lack of insulation, or moisture in the hive are the main causes. Kirk shows you that these are usually symptoms of a bigger problem, varroa mites. He walks you through
Why don’t we recommend insulating hives in Southern Idaho?
Why don’t you insulate your hives? If the hive is strong, has low mites, health bees and plenty of food, it’s a non-issue. Insulation works by resisting heat flow. It also works both ways it can prevent a hive from warming naturally on a warm day. The ebb and flow of daytime and nigh time
January 2022 in the Bee Yard
Hi fellow bee enthusiasts, I haven’t posted too much this winter, when its this cold you should be leaving them alone. I know its hard! I do expect winter losses to be high. A warm Oct, Nov and December is hard on overwintering bees, allows lots of mite migration. In the past this type of
Last week of October 2021
Here is a look at what is happening! We are having an abnormally warm October, this isn’t great for the bees!
Fall crowding in bee hives.
It is fall, we’re harvesting honey, pulling honey supers, and taking our bees back down to 2 deep 10 frame boxes. We want them dense and full going into winter. In the spring overcrowding is a problem, if the bees don’t have room they may decide to swarm. In the fall, overcrowding isn’t as bad.
This is what robbing looks like!
Here is a hive in the process of being robbed by strong colonies. You can see the fighting and the frenzy. What to do? Keep strong colonies, if you catch it you can put a sprinkler on top to discourage bees from coming in. Robbing screens and reducing the entrance can help. On this hive
Mites on drone brood, hive too light for early September.
Checking for mites in drone brood is a great way to get a feel for what is coming as far as mite loads. If you have trouble seeing mites, they show up on the white larvae. Ideal is purple eye stage for seeing mites. This hive also has a lot of brood but is going