Category Archives: top bar hive

Definitely Dead

Posted on March 26, 2014 by

The Carny hive, suspected of demise (and then a spark of hope), is now, finally, dead. Here is what I found: Of 23 top bars drawn out with comb, bars 13-19 were heavy with honey. Dead bees littered the floor … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, spring, top bar hive | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Hive Alive!

Posted on February 27, 2014 by

It’s still too chilly out to do a full hive inspection, but experienced beekeepers are easing our fears of calamitous collapse in our Carniolan hive. Last week when I wrote to Christine, our neighbourhood beek captain, she immediately assuaged my … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, honeybees, top bar hive, winter | Tagged | Leave a comment

A cry for honeybee help

Posted on February 13, 2014 by

What do you do with dead bees? I don’t mean the steady trickle of bees who have lived out their useful lives. I mean couches of bees in fungal shrouds. The ‘uh-oh, my bees are dying’ kind of dead bees. … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, Fungi, honeybees, rain, top bar hive, winter | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Buzz-Kill at the Bee Hive: The importance of hive inspection

Posted on December 12, 2013 by

After inspecting our hives weekly during May and then monthly into mid-summer, we left the bees to their own bees-ness during the remainder of summer and fall. This was in part because they appeared to be doing well, in part … Continue reading →

Posted in bees, top bar hive, winter | 1 Comment