This article was first published in American Bee Journal, Volume 163 No. 5, in May 2023; a few minor edits have been made to the version here. Introduction This article is a continuation of part one which appeared in last April 2023’s American Bee Journal and was published last month on the blog; refer to…
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Concepts and Methods for the First-time Queen Rearer, Part 1: Concepts
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Queen rearing can sound intimidating — many beekeepers find it easier and safer to shell out $40-60 every time a new queen is needed. But if you live in an area without widespread Apis mellifera scutellata (Africanized) genes, there is a lot of value in creating a self-sustainable bee operation by learning how to rear…
... continue reading.Zombees: What if your dead-out isn’t a dead-out?
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I recently wrote about the hive autopsy I performed on New Years Eve 2020, when I determined that my colony didn’t make it because they were just too small to generate the heat required to make it through our winter nights; their small size likely caused by a rough year as well as varroa problems.…
... continue reading.How to Perform a Hive Autopsy on a Dead-out
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It’s a sad fact that bees don’t always make it through the winter. Varroa mites are the root cause more often than not, but there are a lot of things that can go wrong: The colony could be too small to keep warm, have diseases, be overrun with varroa, or not have enough stores. Sometimes,…
... continue reading.How to Drive with 10,000 Bees in your Car: Tips for Your First Time Picking Up a Nuc or Package
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Does it make you a little nervous thinking about driving home from picking up your nuc or package… with thousands of bees in your car? Are the nights leading up to your first nuc or package pickup full of nightmares of bees loose in your car? Although it’s certainly a bit nerve-wracking the first time…
... continue reading.How to Set Up a Backyard Beehive Part 1: Location
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As winter draws to a close, it’s time to start thinking about where the bee nucs, packages, and/or splits that are coming this spring (or swarms that you’ll be lucky enough to catch!) should be placed. There are several key things to consider when deciding where you want to set your apiary up – whether…
... continue reading.Welcome!
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Welcome to Zen and the Art of Beeing and thank you for landing here! My name is MiKayla and you can read all about my boyfriend Peter and me and the background behind Zen and the Art of Beeing, over on the About page. I’m very excited to finally launch this site, as it’s been…
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