Guilfordbeekeepers.org

I use a spare queen-marking pen to make notes on my hive tops. It lasts longer than the sharpies I used to use. And for what it’s worth, it’s also super easy to say, “Hey, Siri, make a note,” and just speak your observations. You can add photos as well by saying “…take a picture,” and not have to re...

Thanks for the advice. I'll give these methods a try. Sharing ideas and technique for this and that is one of the best things about the GCBA. If others have ideas for this process, please feel free to post. Thanks in advance.

Does anyone have a better method for adding wax to plastic foundation? I've been melting wax I've refined then using a large watercolor brush to paint it on the 'pre-waxed' foundation. This isn't working very well. I've used larger brushed (like a small exterior paintbrush) but that didn't go well e...

Welcome to the group, Bee_Interested. :D I am into my eighth year with Langstroth hives so I have no Warre hive experience to offer; but, I'm interested in how it goes for you. I have been thinking of trying Warre hives in the mountains where my family has a little retreat house with a lot of sunlig...

Beth received a call yesterday (4/21/20) from a friend saying there was a large swarm of bees blocking patrons from using the outside mail boxes at Friendly Center. She texted me to come help then hurried over to assess the situation and found another beek named Betsy who just happened to be there o...

Anyone in Guilford County seeing European Hornets this year? I'm hearing about them doing a lot of hive damage in Union County. Does someone know if there traps for these that won't attract or harm honey bees? Thanks in advance for any information and/or advice.

So, how are the new swarm hives? I hived a huge swarm on Monday morning. Everything went perfectly but they took off before I got back to move them around 6:00. We sure hated to lose all those bees in our apiary at Elam Gardens.

I'm just going to have to say how much I appreciate, and how lucky we are as members of GCBA, to have Master Beekeeper Wally Swaim as a member of our club. Thank you, Wally!

I hope you didn't happen to find a 'green' marked queen, did you?

Good information, Bill, thanks for posting. It would be nice if local news outlets would pick up this story. Maybe people wouldn't seem shocked when we ask fair prices for the honey our bees produce and all the equipment, treatments, hard work, pride and care we beekeepers spend to bring it to our l...

I, too, inspected on Monday and found the first drones emerging. The clusters were in the top of the hives close to the sugar blocks and just under the quilt boards. The brood nests seems to be closer to the sugar this year as I found no brood in the lower box(es). Is anyone else finding that this y...

Thanks for the info, Rob. Next question: would you use it?

Can someone shed some light on this. As it is written, this doesn't make sense to me: "EPA expects minimal to no exposure to honey bees and other nontarget organisms because of the method and timing of application. As noted, beekeepers would make a one-time treatment directly to empty honeycomb...

The ladies were coming back with pollen baskets full of bright yellow pollen yesterday in here in Lindley Park, Greensboro.

Ski, is your plant a leatherleaf mahonia?

Good save, Rob! Thanks for keeping those hives out there for the public to observe. It's a great way to engage young (and old) minds by making folks aware that pollinators are worth saving. It's good to know the newly growing population is fending off the SHB infestation. :D Go get ‘em, girls!! Afte...

That's so interesting, Rob! I have found a couple of quartz arrowheads in my backyard that slopes downhill to a spring-fed creek. We GCBA folks live in a very OLD area of Piedmont of NC and America itself! I suggest you take it to the Natural Science Center to learn more about your arrowhead.

Thanks, Wally! I'm going to try to move them into a hive this morning. If the comb they've built contains eggs/larvae I will try and band it to an open frame. If no eggs are present, I will let them have the drawn comb in the new hive and save what they've built to melt. Is that what you would do? W...

Hived another swarm yesterday (4/16/19) at Elam Gardens. This makes two in eight days! It was wrapped around the limb of a peach tree and was the size of a thick loaf of bread. Curiously, there is another "swarm" that's been hanging under the screened bottom board of my tallest hive. I'm a...

I got this swarm the same day (4/8/19) in the lightning and rain just before it became a downpour. It was about a four pound swarm that looked like a little bear cub in a peach tree. I shook it down into my amazing swarm catching box and put them into a hive that was there waiting "just in case...