Adding Supers!

Hi Folks, I am adding my supers a bit early this season for three reasons:
1) Raspberries and fireweed have bloomed early this year and are prolific.
2) When checking my hives yesterday I discovered multiple honey frames in the top box already.
3) My queens need more space as most frames have eggs, larvae, pupae, or honey in them.

This is promising to be a great honey season despite all the smoke!

Help for the Bees During the Heat

One way to help the bees keep their hives cooler is to place a 10-penny nail diagonally across the two front corners of the hive. I have done several hive checks in the past week and found that people haven't placed an entrance in their inner cover. This causes poor ventilation and doesn't allow the bees to enter and exit the hive from the top, cutting down on productivity.

Bee Space!!

This week I found my own hives as well as several others I looked at packed with bees so I added more space by putting a super on. My hunch is that the honey flow will be early this year as some plants are flowering sooner than usual such as the raspberries.

Slow Brood Process During Colder Weather

Several new beekeepers have emailed or called stating they have noticed a decrease of brood activity in their colonies. This is very highly likely because of the cooler weather we've had. Queens slow down in cooler weather. If anyone needs a new queen you can call Monte at  (907)490-3126. I am out of queens for the season. Another option is to go to: http://www.koehnen.com/
You can order a queen and have it express mailed up to Alaska. This company comes highly recommended by Steve Victors. I'm looking forward to warmer weather and blue skies next week.

Summer Camps 2015

Summer Camps 2015

Each camp is Monday through Friday. Students need to bring a sack lunch, rain gear and a light summer jacket. Two healthy snacks will be provided each day (one in the morning and one in the afternoon).

Cost: $350 - All materials are included!

2nd-4th Grades:

June 1^st – 5^th, 2015: Botany, Bugs, and Birds (9 am-5pm)

(one space available)

Students will enjoy a full day of music, literature-based art, and explorations through math and science. Curiosity will abound as we bring the classroom into the outdoors.

5th - 6th Grades:

June 8^th-12^th, 2015: Backyard Science (9 am-5pm)

(four spaces available)

Fifth and sixth graders will become expert junior scientists as they use the scientific method to explore and experiment with scientific phenomenon.

7th - 12th Grades:

June 15^th – 19^th, 2015: Creative Writing Photography (9 am-5pm)

(five spaces available)

Junior High and High School Students will be inspired in creative writing and take photos to create art from their own photographs. This week will be full of creative writing, photography tips, and fine art.

2nd-4th Grades: 

June 22nd –26th, 2015: Botany, Bugs, and Birds (9 am-5pm)
(This camp is now full. Students registered after 11AM on 5/14/15 will be placed on a wait list)

Students will enjoy five full days of music, literature-based art, and explorations through math and science. Curiosity will abound as we bring the classroom into the outdoors.

Registration Form

No More Sugar Water!

I have pulled all of my feeders and replaced them with brood frames. This will give my queens more space for laying eggs. I don't want my bees to be lazy and avoid foraging for nectar. Anyone who feeds their bees sugar water after this point will have honey made from refined sugar rather than local nectars.

First 30 Days of a Honeybee's Life

This is the first 30 days of a bee's life in a 60 second video! Thanks to Ginny Kinney for this!!

http://twistedsifter.com/videos/first-21-days-of-bees-life-condensed-into-60-seconds/

White House Announces a National Strategy to Promote Pollinator Health

https://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/neo/launch?.rand=2gkaqnd3r182t#6063931042