How can I help the decline of the honeybee?

Become a Bee Guardian 

What is a Bee Guardian?        
A Bee Guardian is interested, in aiding bees as a species in order to recapture their genetic vitality and diversity. Bee Guardians utilize beekeeping methods that respect the honeybee and oversee the local environment, ensuring it to be safe for the bees.

The Backyard Hive is an Easy Way to Keep Healthy and Productive Bees Without the Need for Special Equipment or Invasive Practices

The Backyard Hive has many advantages to the backyard beekeeper. This hive is easier to use, inexpensive to purchase, and it requires much less equipment and expertise to get into the adventure of bee keeping.

Winterizing Your Top Bar Hive for the Colder Months

Here in Colorado we experience very cold winters. Most of the content in this article is directed toward those who live in cold winter climates. Insulating the beehive, and keeping a full hive of honey is important in areas where you will experience below-freezing temperatures for many days at a time. Obviously, if you live in a very warm climate like Florida it will not be necessary to winterize your hive. Understand that you may need to adjust this information for your specific climate and area.

Because of how the bees use honey over the winter, we have changed our thoughts on when the best time to harvest honey actually is. We find that it is more supportive of the bees to harvest honey in the spring instead of in the fall in colder climates because the bees will need the honey for warmth. Not only do the bees eat the honey, but they also take advantage of the honeys’ incredible heat storing properties as thermal mass. During the day, the honey absorbs warmth from the radiating sun, stores it, and slowly releases that warmth back into the hive throughout the coolness of the evening and night. That being the case, we feel the last honey harvest in the fall should only be to prevent the bees from attaching their comb from the false back. Do not remove more than 1-2 honey combs. Labor Day is a good reference date to keep in mind as around the last time you want to harvest honey.

There are four fall “chores” to prepare your hive for the winter:

1) Move the false back forward

2) Install a feeder cup if your bees don’t have enough honey stored

3) Install the winterizing entrance reducer

4) Insulate the hive

My bee-wrangling journey began very simply, with a call to a bee supply company in a neighboring town. I was looking for a swarm to purchase; the woman I spoke with informed me that they were out of swarms (I called in June, too late in the season), but that she could put me on their “swarm list” if I wanted. (A “swarm list” is a list of people who volunteer to remove bee swarms that show up in people’s yards.) I had no experience with swarms whatsoever—I’ve never even seen one in person—but I had a friend who had told me about catching swarms and who I knew I could call for advice...

I want to share with you a very simple method of harvesting comb from a top bar hive. This should give you an idea of the potential yield and the relative simplicity of working with the top bar hive. The best part of this single comb harvesting method is that it can be done in less than 30 minutes and you will still get to the office on time!  

Are you an accomplished woodworker with some time on your hands?  If so, you may want to build your own topbar hive the BackYardHive way. 

We have just uploaded a downloadable PDF document that provides all of the measurements, specifications, and materials you will need.  Of, course, we can't supply the time, tools, and expertise, but if you are ready to tackle the project, these plans will help.

Download BackYardHive Plans for the Do-It-Yourself Beekeeper
Note: You will need Acrobat Reader to open this file. You can
download Acrobat Reader for free.

This is a short 15 minute DVD that is a great introduction to backyard beekeeping "The Fun, Fascinating, and Healthy Hobby of Beekeeping In Your Backyard". It is intended to inform and educate through video, showing hands-on demonstrations of common beekeeping tasks. We are in full production of a second DVD that will be available in the spring of 2010. We will let you know
when the new DVD is completed!

If you are just starting beekeeping or thinking about starting, then this is the time to
catch the wave to get setup for bee season. The first year of caring for
bees in the top bar hive is a simple setup.

You will need to:

1) Purchase or build a hive
2) Find a resource and order bees
3) Find a location for your hive
4) Purchase protective clothing
5) Coat the top bars with beeswax
6) Install the swarm or package of bees