Tricked or Treat: Epic Fail of the Sugar Shake
The unreliability of sticky boards and the dead bee effect of an alcohol wash has beekeepers doing the sugar shake. It works by tossing a...
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Peter Somers
- Dec 1, 2016
Ventilation Nation
Ask ten beekeepers how to ventilate the hive in winter, get one answer. Something’s not right. Does adding ventilation holes at the top...
Peter Somers
- Nov 8, 2016
Insulation Pontification
Some wrap their hives for winter, some don’t. Bees can survive either way, but there may be a difference in honey consumed, brood reared...
Peter Somers
- Oct 28, 2016
N x .0022 = Honey in the Bank
How much honey does your colony need to survive winter? This question is asked often, and the answer typically falls in the range of...
Peter Somers
- Sep 16, 2016
Win in Winter
Not surprisingly, the bees that carry the colony to spring are “winter” bees. Their increased longevity is the result of changes in their...
Peter Somers
- Aug 12, 2016
Super in the Sun: To Shade, Touche
It’s the middle of summer, and if your bees aren’t filling the honey super, it’s probably not because they hate plastic or prefer yellow...
Peter Somers
- Dec 25, 2015
Effect of Outside Temperature on Honey Consumption
Some of my hives got a late start last season, and some of them I started late. Despite fall feeding, many were a little light going into...
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