Beekeeping

A honey bee only has the ability to produce about an 1/8 teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.

February 16, 2023 by friendshillapiary

As you read documentation about honey being found unspoiled in King Tut’s tomb as well as findings from other Egyptian archaeological excavations that verifies the honey as being from 5,500 years ago, you can’t help but have a sense of awe. Hieroglyphics show honey being used even long before then.

Honey is known as the super food and it’s really no surprise as to why it is touted as so, to a Beekeeper. We get to see the amazing things that honey bees do, up close and personal. What a privilege it is and it shall never be taken for granted!

This photo is close to what one-eighth of a teaspoon of honey looks like. It looks like a lot in the large picture, but in reality it’s only a few drops. Check your kitchen utensil drawer for your measuring spoons and see what it really looks like. Not likely can you find a set of measuring spoons with an eighth tsp. option. Most start with only one-quarter teaspoon.

Here are a few links to great interesting articles on the subject:

Save the Bees

Smithsoniun Magazine

Planet Bee Foundation

National Library of Medicine

Feeding the Bees in the Winter

February 9, 2023 by friendshillapiary

As we are getting another short round of winter-like weather today, I wanted to share a quick post with an activity that is relevant to our honey bee’s winter survival. In the photos above, notice how there are a lot of bees up top. There are even some on the inner cover and there are some inside the zip-lock bag as well where we have provided sugar patties inside the bag. There is a slit cut into the bag from the underside to give the bees access to the sugar. Instinctively, bees will continue to move upward as they eat their way through their food stores inside the two deep boxes. It is typical to have all of the bees in the top box by the end of winter and none in the bottom deep box. We will reverse the boxes in warmer weather as the nectar begins to flow. For more about our seasonal activities, here’s a link to our Seasons page.

Tootles, the little Sapphire Gem is a favorite on our homestead. She likes to help with the bees.

Valentines Day 2020

February 14, 2020 by friendshillapiary

We’re hoping this is the last week of bitter cold, that we have to worry about. How are the bees surviving through this winter? We’ve had so many warm days and the bees were able to get out and about and then it turns around and dips down below 0 degrees. Do they still have any honey stores, and are they able to get back into a warm cluster? We know the days are getting longer but we’re still feeling a little anxious for Springtime and for those longer sunny days.