Not a lot going on in this group as of late, but figured I'd wish everyone good luck with their hives this fall/winter. One of the things I enjoy doing in the off season is making Beeswax candles.

Two things I had never seen before today.....a newly mated queen displaying "mating sign", which is the drone's phallus still attached to her....and a queen flying off a frame while I was looking at it I'll go back in a couple of days and make sure she made it back home.

I don't go out of my way to go find swarms any more, but I won't pass up bees that come to me. I caught this swarm in a trap in my front yard.

Its looking like this is going to be my best year ever. We're only into the beginning of May and I already have more capped supers than I did at the end of last season. The Apimaye hives continue to outperform.

Black locust coming in heavy! Our big flow hasn't even started yet and I've already added 2nd supers to a couple of my hives. Setting up to be a big year for us.

I love seeing the bees come out of winter ready to produce. For me, the next two months are the toughest of the year...but also the most exciting. Love my Apimaye hives.

I love seeing early Spring buildup. They'll be ready to split in a couple of weeks.

Its a Spring like day here and the bees are out flying. Seeing all the hives alive and thriving is a pretty good Christmas present. Hope everyone's bees are doing well so far this winter.

I had a pollen analysis done on our summer honey. Was pretty surprised by the results. Tulip poplar is our primary nectar source, so no big surprise there, but seeing Oak check in at #2 was. The chart was pretty popular with our customers, as a lot of them wanted to see what pollens they would be exposed to.

Got my hives set for the winter. My 3 wood hives have quilt boxes, while my 5 apimayes are set up as Condensing Hives as I continue to experiment to see what works best for me. Good luck to everyone this winter!

A several weeks long drought has been rough on the bees but a couple days of much needed rain has them back out and working the Goldenrod and Ironweed.

Honey supers off and its time to start prepping for winter. Trying out ApiLifeVar for the first time. Supposed to be less harsh on the bees than Apiguard and also doesn't require a spacer between the frames and the top cover. Fingers crossed for a good mite kill.

Had been a little disappointed with my season so far but I pulled about 70lbs of this super dark honey off my hives this morning.

Apimaye hives are slowly taking over my apiary. 4 years ago I started with 2, I liked them so much I added 2 more the next year, then so on... The upfront cost is steep, but there's a lot to like about these hives.

It's easy to post wins, but its good to post my fails too. It helps keep me grounded. Anyways, here's what happens when you: 1) Don't use an excluder 2) Don't inspect like you should (I have been out of town for two weeks).

This will be my first time using bee escapes on my supers. I added them last night and plan on harvesting tomorrow. I've always used repellents like Bee Quick and Honey Bandit, but the last few times it seemed like it pissed the bees off more than anything.

Mid June is my favorite time of year as a Beekeeper. The swarming issues are largely settled and the weather is nice, making inspections easier, the flow is on so the bees are productive and I know honey will be harvested soon.

Another little investment paying off. I planted these grapes last Spring. Its the first fruit on our little homestead.

It's been a challenging Spring here with swarms and rain but its nice to see the hard work paying off, even if on a smaller scale than I originally hoped for.

Anyone else have a "Bee Chair" in their Apiary? I work through the week, but its nice to sit in the sun in the mornings on the weekends and watch the hives come to life. Its been my busiest spring ever but the rewards will be worth it.