Beekeeping Articles

Best Management Practices for Beekeeping The following is an original January 2010 publication. It has been updated for 2020. Acknowledgements The Barnstable County Beekeeper’s Association would like to thank the Connecticut Backyard Beekeepers Association, the Maine State Beekeepers, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in particular, and the many other keeping associations and agricultural organizations while work and effort formed the foundation of t

Here on Cape Cod, did you know that the queen begins to "awaken" and lay eggs in the hive sometimes as early as February? Those baby bees need a food sources and at the end of their winterization, often food supplies have greatly dwindled. We continue to encourage our beekeepers to check on the food sources all through the winter and replenish with sugar via the Mountain Camp Method, candy boards or fondant. But as weather turns warmer, it is time to switch from a solid fee

If you really do not want to kill 300 bees this spring, here is a quick and effective way to test for Varroa Mites Supplies: • Very dry powdered (convectionary) sugar • Screened mason jar • 1⁄2 cup measure • White pan • Water spritzer – spray bottle • Timer/cellphone Directions: 1. Use only a new box of sugar, best sifted (I bake my sifted sugar in 150 deg oven for 15 minutes) 2. Find a frame of bees with OPEN brood – these nurse bees most apt to have varroa ready to jump in