Top Bar Hive: Back Friendly, Harvest Limited
Most people meet the top bar hive through a back. Someone in a club mentions that they cannot lift a …
Ultra Breeze Bee Suit Reviewed by a Backyard Keeper
Ask which ventilated suit to buy in any backyard beekeeping group and the Ultra Breeze comes up within the first …
Sugar Syrup for Bees: One to One or Two to One
Two numbers cover almost everything a backyard beekeeper needs to know about syrup: one to one and two to one. …
J Hook Hive Tool: Why Most Keepers Switch
Most beekeepers start with a standard flat hive tool because that is what comes in the starter kit, and most …
How to Start Beekeeping in Your Backyard
Starting beekeeping is less about learning bees and more about getting a sequence right. The gear is easy to buy, …
Queen Excluder: Use It, Skip It or Time It
Ask ten beekeepers whether they use a queen excluder and you will get four yes answers, four no answers and …
Oz Armour Bee Suit: Which Model and Which Veil
Oz Armour is the brand most often suggested when a beekeeper wants ventilated mesh without the premium outlay, and the …
Pollen Patties: When They Help and When They Backfire
Sugar syrup is carbohydrate. It fuels flight and wax and keeps a colony from starving, and it does nothing at …
Lighting a Bee Smoker That Stays Lit
There is a particular kind of frustration that only beekeepers know: the smoker that looked fine on the tailgate, produced …
Flowers for Bees: What to Plant Near the Hives
New beekeepers plant flowers for their bees with the best intentions and slightly wrong expectations. A honey bee colony forages …
Nuc Box Guide: Cardboard, Plastic or Wood
A nuc box is the most useful piece of equipment nobody buys until their second season. It is a small …
Nitrile Gloves for Beekeeping: Thin but Sting Resistant?
Watch an experienced backyard keeper open a hive and there is a good chance their hands are in blue nitrile …