In addition to supplemental feeding our hives with bee syrup during the winter months, we’ve added dry pollen feeders to our apiary (see above photo). Why separate pollen feeders? The alternative would be to risk getting the bees too cold by opening the hives to add pollen patties. As the afternoon temperatures rise into the
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With temperatures currently in the 20s, windchill in the single digits, and snow forecasted for later this week, winterizing bee hives is a top priority. Fortunately, we didn’t wait until the last minute to take steps to protect our honey bees. To begin with, we chose Apimaye hive boxes for our apiary (see above photo).
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In order to create great Texas wildflower honey, our bees need plenty of sources of pollen and nectar. That’s why we spend time planting wildflowers (both perennials and annuals). Now when you think of flowers, chances are springtime comes to mind. And that’s when most people try to get their seeds. Yet that’s way too
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As our bees prepare for winter, it’s important to make sure they have the resources they need to survive the cold weather. Right now, there are few flowers available for foraging. Because of this, we supplemental feed bee syrup to complement the Texas wildflower honey the bees have created. So that it doesn’t freeze, we
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Yellowjacket wasps are a menace to our honey bees. The photo above shows one of these wasps on top of a ranch bee hive. Yellowjackets will kill honey bees and raid the honey. The wasps are stronger, can sting repeatedly (worker honey bees die after they sting once and drone bees have no stinger at
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The photo above is the view our honey bees see each morning as they start the day foraging among the ranch’s wildflowers. Many people wonder if there’s some secret to where to face beehive entrances. Of course, if you ask 3 beekeepers about it, you might get 5 different answers because there’s no definitive “right”
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Like other livestock, honey bees need drinking water resources in order to survive. In the photo above, you’ll see some of our ranch’s bees landing at our pond’s edge in order to get water. When selecting resources for bee food and drink, it’s important to locate them near the hives so that the bees don’t
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Although we cull dangerous animals (e.g., venomous snakes) to protect our kids and and visitors, under our ranch wildlife management plan, we protect and nurture many other creatures. For example, we have jackrabbits. The photo above was taken of one of our rabbits we discovered while seeding sunflowers last weekend. Because fur serves as camouflage,
Snow on the Prairie did the heavy lifting for providing our bees with pollen and nectar in August and September. As noted before, it’s a throat irritant so we encourage the bees to stockpile it for winter but don’t harvest the honey for human consumption. Now that the Snow on the Prairie is fading away,
As we head into fall in Texas, there are a few things still blooming that our honey bees like. One of these is Wild Blue Sage. Frankly, it’s a little surprising to see it at our ranch because it isn’t ideally suited to the soil here. However, there are nearby prairie grasslands where it’s likely
