I decided to take a few frames from the hives. Hive 1, which overwintered has been collecting pollen like crazy, but their honey stores are a little weak, so I did not take anything from them. Hive 2, our package of bees installed in March, are producing honey, though it is not a ton. Their… Continue reading 2026 Honey Harvest

The month of June was busy. Between summer starting, and golf season kicking up, it was hard to check on the bees. I would take my walks to watch the hives. To smell the floral fragrance coming off the boxes, to watch the girls going back and forth with pollen pockets, and to give them… Continue reading June’s Long Days

May in SWVA was pretty dry. Check any Facebook page about beekeeping and the message is clear - there is a drought and bees are struggling for water and nectar. I checked my hives and one was doing a great job finding nectar. Another had a ton of pollen, but not much nectar, and the… Continue reading Summer Start

Another month and another new hive! I found a local beekeeper who was selling nucs (established hives). I got the call while I was on vacation with the family and set-up the pick up for mid-April. The drive to Rural Retreat was nice and meeting with the keeper is always fun. I love his stories… Continue reading Spring Is Here!

It's an overcast Friday here in SWVA, but my heart is happy and sunny! I placed an order for a package of bees earlier this month and they arrived this morning! It was a weird experience. I sent a check, I had a few emails, and then I received a call last evening to be… Continue reading New-bees!!

So it's been a while since I last posted. Since February to be exact. So here's a little catch-up post... February saw snow and cold temperatures. I lost a hive and harvested some honey from that loss. This was to keep the honey from being wasted while also keeping potential insects like small hive beetles… Continue reading Winter re-cap

It's March, ya'll! That means we are inching our way towards spring and I cannot wait. This weekend was BEE-utiful in Southwest VA. The kiddo and I played golf, we did some outside clean-up from the winter, and I moved my hive box around. I checked the upper box earlier in the week and was… Continue reading One Overwintered Hive

On Friday, February 13, 2025, I went to check the hives. The temperature was around 49 degrees and dropping into the evening so I knew my time was limited. I opened Hive 1 and could tell immediately that the colony did not survive. It looked like the bees were frozen in time. And to some… Continue reading One Loss

The NRV area of Virginia has been on a winter lock-down since late January. Schools have been closed since January 23. Even today when we thought our local schools would be in session today, lo-and-behold, Mother Nature decided to leave us an overnight gift which closed schools once again. As you can imagine, this is… Continue reading Geeking out!