Category Archives: honeybees

Cleaning out the Combs

Posted on June 12, 2016 by jkmcintyre

In November, we harvested the full honey combs from the hive that died of exposure during a bad fall storm. It was our first experience extracting honey – and from a top bar hive at that.  In all, we crushed … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, harvest, honeybees, top bar hive | Tagged | 3 Comments

That Honey Looks a Little Funny…

Posted on February 15, 2016 by jkmcintyre

So, flash forward several months after the honey harvest, and not only has the honey crystallized to an opaque creamy yellow, but threads of white appear to mar the surface of several jars. I finally ask the Googles about it … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, harvest, honeybees, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Back Door to the Bee Hive

Posted on August 19, 2015 by jkmcintyre

Although I am very proud of my top bar bee hives, I am not a carpenter.  As such, ‘true’ was just an ideal I strove towards when I built them. The result in Hive #1 is an extra entrance to … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, honeybees | Tagged | 4 Comments

Bringing Home the Bees

Posted on April 30, 2015 by jkmcintyre

Old combs will be recycled
Old combs will be recycled

After the swarm moved into the hive we had ready for the new packaged bees, I had one day to scrounge a suitable replacement. Luckily we had the empty hive from the first die-off in 2014. But it needed some love. Continue reading →

Posted in animal behaviour, bees, honeybees, top bar hive | Tagged , , | 4 Comments