Recent content by Bee View Farm

I use a old steam knife for uncapping my honey, but for uneven combs or new foundstion i use this capping scratcher. Some beekeepers use this scratcher to uncap all of the frame. It works but, you get a lot of wax in the honey and it makes a mess in the extractor.

Do you still use double walled hives? I can't remember using them, but we had them years ago.

Average snowfall ranges from about 40 inches in the southern part of the state, to over 100 inches in favored snow belt regions near Superior. The winters can be quite long as well, with snow in May in some parts. For the first time in my life, bees brought pollen into their hive in March 2012

40 degree is the best temp. Bees can move around in the hive

We did the samething when we left hives outside for winter. It can get down to -20 here sometime, but ours winter have been warmer then years ago. The bee basement can hold around 80 hives. Years ago when we had 150 to 175 hive here at the home yard we had to heve a lot of hives outside as you...

This is a photo of the inner cover. The hole in to is called the bee escape hole. Some beekeepers get the bees out of a honey super be useing a bee escape. We always take the telescoping cover off for ventilation in winter. You can see the sugar candy that i feed. These are 10 frame hives. I...

I have not beem a member of the Wisconsin honey producers in years. Our county beekeepers club is starting back up after almost 20 years of not having any county club. I have my hives inside, with only the inner clover on them with the hole open, so i know they are dry.

Does all of the world have junk? We can't buy anything good in the USA

Yes and the experience has been about the same.

My direct experience with bees and honey has been life time. 51 years. My grandpa always told me and so have other beekeepers that bees need a queen even in winter. I know that in the past, we had hives die in winter that had all the feed needed for winter. The queens of the package bees from...

I have my hives inside it's around 30 to 35 degrees. I'm feeding sugar candy to then. I found dead bees right by the sugar candy. YES they need a queen. Queens will lay eggs in winter.

I have Italions. Are Carniolan better? I know a beekeeper who has Russians, he really likes them.

I'm have a hard time understanding why my hives that over wintered good last year are also doing fine this year.

I do not treat my colonies for Varroa at all. Maybe treat them would help, but last year my hives were fine. he hives i lost this year are 2012 packages. Unlike 4 years ago, these bees died in the hive like some did years ago before we had mite in the USA. This is why i feel it's poor queens...