Recent content by Michael Palmer

Yeah, I know. Just trying to put out there that when done right, it really doesn't have to be so stressful.

Well, I've moved many thousands of hives into apples or amongst my apiaries. I like to move in the early morning after they have cooled off overnight. Early on, I took over-the-top precautions to confine the bees to their hive so I could "safely" move them. I found rather soon that once you...

I think trying to make a living with honey bees is most certainly getting more difficult. When I started 50 years ago, the worst thing that could happen was AFB. Very little of that ever. No real issue burning a few hives. Now, I never see the disease. Of course Acarine and Varroa changed...

I would requeen them with hygienic stock. I'm not sure if anything like that is available to you. Are there any UK queen breeders who are using the frozen brood assay for identifying hygienic stock? Believe it when I say, at one time my operation was stinky, rotten with chalkbrood. 800-1000...

Practice makes perfect. My help brings me the comb with the new queen. I catch, mark, cage, and add attendants. One thing...it's easier to pick up attendants from a flat surface...such as a comb of bees flat down. Or...I dump bees from mating nuc combs onto my table. The bees wings are always...

Finished unwrapping hives today. The bees are looking good. Lots with 8-12 frames of bees. Maple almost finished. Pussy Willow in full bloom. Daffodils just opening. Getting through a very wet mud season...the fifth season of the year.

I trap a hundred pounds of pollen every year, using it to feed cell builders. The pollen is stored in the freezer until used. I expect it will remain good for a year or more

What is Pete's variation?

Watch my presentation at the National Honey Show. "Seasonal Management of Double Nuclei" I hope this video answers your questions. If not, ask...

I've split honey bee colonies many thousands of times. I have always left the parent queen in her hive, and removed enough brood and bees to create a strong nuc and discourage them from beginning swarm preps. I think some do remove the old queen to the nuc, but that's once the bees have already...

I prefer the lime flow for my comb honey. Excellent flavour and slow to crystallize.

As much as I want to go out to the apiaries today, I guess it's another day in the shop. Getting an April snowstorm. Looks like we're going to get 8-12 inches. Maybe next week...after the total eclipse which passes directly over our house. I plan on being in an apiary to video the bees'...

I use the Seresto collar on my dog and our cat that spends most of his time outdoors. We have a serious Lyme problem here. With no protection the animals come home covered with engorged ticks. The collar remains active for 6-8 months. The collar's active ingredients are imidacloprid and...

Have you ever had your dog die from Lyme disease? Not nice.

In 2017, I was a member of the Vermont Pollinator Protection Committee. Our final decision about neonics was to ban outdoor homeowner use, regulate agricultural use using an IPM approach. Pet flea and tick treatments were approved. The homeowner ban became law and those products are no longer...