Bringing home your first colony of bees is pretty exciting! Honestly, bringing home your 100th colony is still pretty cool, too.
The first experience with your bees can be a little intimidating if you don’t know what to expect. Here’s a short video and some basic instructions that we hope will help!
Read MoreFor first time beekeepers! Here’s some information that should help you get ready for your new bees. We’ll show you what basic equipment you’ll want to have on hand, and how to set it up.
Read MoreAs soon as the weather warms up, we all want to get out there and see what’s going on in our hives. Here’s a list of the most frequently asked questions that we hope will help you decide what to do when you see your bee friend flying!
Read MoreA mild winter like we've had so far actually presents a challenge to the bees. Warmer temperatures mean more activity in the hive, and more activity means more food consumption to support that activity.
Read MoreSwarm season comes on fast in our northern climate, and it helps us beekeepers if we understand why the bees swarm. Knowing what to look out for can help us to stay ahead of the swarm, or simply to recognize the beauty in it and let it go!
Read MoreBears in the apiary are bad news. If you live in an area that sees even semi-frequent bear activity, you’ll want to be aware of the options available for keeping them away from your bees.
Read MorePicking up your first colony of honeybees can be a little intimidating! We want to help you make it a fun, easy experience. Read through our basic procedure for the day of pickup.
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If you're a new beekeeper, it can seem like there are an overwhelming number of decisions to be made when setting up your first apiary. Do I need a bee suit or just a jacket? Plastic frames or wax foundations? Carniolan or Italian bees? There's no right or wrong answer to any of these questions, just like there's no right answer to give when new beekeepers ask us if they should order a nuc or a package.
Here's how we like to explain the difference, and our recommendations for when each is appropriate:
"Nuc" is short for nucleus colony, and it is easiest to think of it as a small version of a working hive.
We get to talk to a LOT of people about bees and beekeeping, so we thought it would be helpful to compile a list of the questions we get asked the most often.
Read MoreIt can be challenging to figure out which pieces you need and what goes where when purchasing and setting up your first hive. We hope this will help!
Read MorePlant some pops of color for the bees!
Read MoreWestern New York’s largest specialty garden center
