Honeybees eat honey, right? Well, yes, but that’s just part of the story. Bees need Carbohydrates (from nectar or honey), Protein, Fats, Minerals (from pollen), Salts, and Water. If you look at a frame of bees you will see that it has a pattern to it. There will be honey…
Arizona Beekeeping
Honeybee Facts for Beekeepers
Did you know that there are more than 20,000 species of bees in the world? Not all of them produce honey. In fact, depending on which scientists you talk with, there have only been about 7-11 species of honeybees in existence. Today there are about 7 or 8 surviving species…
Where to put your backyard hive
Where to place your hive is one of the first things to consider when deciding to get bees. This has certainly crossed your mind a few times by now. You can get pretty creative if you are desperate to get bees, and some of you may find that you are…
How to prepare for your first beehive
How exciting! You are getting bees! If you’ve never kept bees before then you are probably a little nervous. That is totally understandable. For most of us one bee flying around the house can cause a panic attack, so knowing that you are going to be caring for tens of…
Butterfly Wonderland Honeybees
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…
How many bees are in a hive?
Nearly every time I do a bee relocation the homeowner asks me how many bees are in the hive I removed. I’ve never felt completely comfortable in my estimates so I decided to do a little tangible research of my own. I remembered one of the activities I created for the…
Feeding Bees, Should You or Shouldn’t You?
There are reasons and seasons for feeding bees here in Arizona. Our goal as beekeepers is to keep strong healthy colonies that can thrive in every season. A big part of our role in that is to make sure that the bees have adequate food supplies and adequate numbers. If…
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…