Butterfly Wonderland in Scottsdale, Arizona has more than just butterflies. In fact, I like to call it Honeybee Wonderland because I get to take care of the two honeybee hives there and it’s super fun. Last year I got to help the former entomologist, Dayna Cooper, do a trapout of…
Arizona Beekeeping
How to Make Pollen Patties
It’s late summer in Phoenix and my bees are hungry. Why pollen patties? Well, I’ve set out pollen substitute and they are rolling around in it like pigs in mud. It’s quite endearing really. I’ve also been feeding them sugar syrup off and on and I’ve noticed that some of…
Real Flow Hive Pros and Cons
Flow Hive pros and cons is something I’ve wanted to write about for some time. “What do you think about the Flow Hive?” is the main question I get whenever I’m talking to would-be beekeepers or when I’m out in the public sharing about bees and beekeeping. The other question…
Why Relocate Bees Instead of Letting them Stay
Everyone knows that honeybee populations around the world are in trouble, and therefore many of you are willing to do anything it takes to help them out. I know it seems like a noble thing to share your home or property with the lucky honeybees who found you, since most…
How to Get Rid of Bees
“Help! How do I get rid of bees in my house (or tree or shed?)” That’s a question we get a lot as beekeepers. In this post I’m going to talk about bee removal for both the one wanting the bees removed and for the beekeeper doing the removal. Points…
The Truth About Africanized Honeybees
Africanized bees are something that, if you are not a beekeeper and don’t live in Arizona, seem like mythological creatures from a horror film. At least that’s how I thought of them when I lived in Seattle. Honestly I thought they were on par with Sharknado. But when I discovered…
Pest Control vs. Bee Relocation
I am often tagged in Facebook posts where someone is asking for advice on bee removals. Sometimes the comments in these can be very volatile. The most recent post I was a part of had comments advising them to call various exterminators and beekeepers (hence the tag). Other comments made…
Creating a Bee-Friendly Low-Desert Garden
One of the great things that happens when you become a beekeeper is that you become acutely aware of what is blooming in your area. This also means you probably also become a gardener or at least a garden consultant to all your neighbors. In the low desert areas of…
Frame Feeder Hack
Beekeeping is a learn-as-you-go experience. Some do a lot of reading and research up front and do a little better than others who jump right in (that’s me by the way.) Either way, you don’t know what you are doing until you do it, month by…
Trap-outs using a Bee Escape
I love learning new ways to remove bees from structures in order to rescue them from extermination. I’ve removed bees from trees with a forced abscond as well as with a cone mesh trap-out. Both of these were very successful, but haven’t been so lucky with block walls because cones…