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For those interested in data, and bee losses (and instant gratification), I've started a very preliminary analysis of the FLBC Overwintering Survey data. Some of the data is already graphed on the...

Thanks -- I'll have to decide the best way to update the info. I do want the data to be publicly available; let folks take it and run, and correlate to their hearts' content!

I just ran this on the overwintering survey that the Finger Lakes Beekeepers Club started. Someone entered "Southern Ontario" into the survey field for "Zip Code" and the map plotted it perfectly...

A local project for the Finger Lakes Beekeepers Club -- to compare our overwintering success rates with treatment practices -- evolved into a survey that other bee clubs may like to participate in. ...

Finger Lakes (NY) area beekeepers are welcome to attend the Finger Lakes Beekeepers Club meetings on the third Sunday of the month. In the winter (generally November - April), we meet at the Cornell...

The Finger Lakes Beekeepers Club is offering a full-day workshop on Saturday, February 23 to teach about bee health. Topics include:


Major honeybee pests and their life cycles
What is this...

If you have bears in your area, you might think about an electric fence and how to power it. It would be heartbreaking to do all of this work just to feed Ursa.

I'm in my third year, with 8 hives (4 new this year). It takes me between 1-2 hours to go through my apiary and do an inspection (check brood pattern, look for eggs, measure stores, evaluate...

I have a nine-frame radial, and I run 8-frame equipment. I find that it's easier to balance things out based on the weight of my frames. I always have frames that are heavier or lighter. I will...

If you have a dehydrator, that works well to recrystallize small amounts of honey. Just set the temp at 100 and let it go.

I just bottled my second batch of maple wine (acerglyn). I have trees, so this was from my own sap boiled down, no sugars added. (I did add yeast nutrient for the ferment.) It has its own unique...

My go-to for mead will now and forever be the cotes de blanc. I've tried the D-47, but the best meads I've done have been from the cotes. I tend towards sweet meads (16ish lbs of honey for a...

Yep, the paper ones. I only wish I'd thought of them for my smoker problems!

For what it's worth, my goldenrod flow started the week of August 23 last year, so I'm eyeing a mid-August goldenrod flow this year if everything tracks similarly. It seems like everything will be...

I'm just up north near Ithaca; my honey goldenrod is starting to emerge, which is probably two to three weeks early.

Try pressing the sawdust into the cups of a paper egg carton, then pour the beeswax on top of that. Very neat, easy to store/cart and you can easily cut off one cup at a time for a firestarter. ...

I throw them into a 5-gallon tub, wash them, remove the cappings, then add even more honey to make mead. Not quite the traditional sense, but it have been very handy for my brewing projects.

The Finger Lakes Beekeepers Club will offer its annual beekeeping workshop on Saturday, February 11 from 9am to 3pm at the Cayuga Nature Center. Preregistration ends on Friday, February 3. We have...

Here's some notes from someone with only 4 hives (and likely to stay that way for a while).

It's sloooooooow. Frustrating to use since it takes so long for my entries to update. I'm used to a...

I use Sluggo on my garden, and it works fantastically. I get mine at Agway. Lasts through a rain or two, as well.

I just goatskin gloves that extend way up to my elbows. I've never been stung through them, and they allow a fair amount of dexterity when I'm working the hives.

I've also used nitrile (twice),...

See, this is why I reach out to experts - in my mind, I'd tied "poor queens" to low layers. There are far more characteristics than I suspected!

Thank you all for your replies - keep them coming...

I'm working on an article about queens for my next Examiner column. Specifically, I'm writing in relation to the recent USDA/AIA prelim survey results and at the same time giving the readers a basic...

A week ago, Mike Johnston in Eaton NY still had queens available. http://www.johnstonshoneybeefarm.com/

I love the stenciling, and her expression. It looks like she had fun!