Cranky Bees. They are one of the worst nightmares of a beekeeper. Cranky bees are not enjoyable to keep. They have aggressive tendencies and are overprotective of the hive. Often when you have cranky bees, you will be unable to get near the hive or you will get stung. Sometimes these bees chase you for just […]

If you live in an area with the invasive Argentine ants, chances are you have issues with them getting into your hives. These non-native pests have colonized most of California and the southern parts of the U.S. Their massive super-colonies make them difficult to control, especially in the bee yard. These ants can easily overwhelm […]

When colony collapse disorder (CCD) hits a colony, the bees literally disappear. You open the hive, and no one is home. No dead bees. No signs of disease. Just nothingness. And its scale is shocking. Some commercial beekeepers have lost thousands of hives in the blink of an eye. The losses have been dramatic enough […]

There are generally two ways in which you can raise mason bees. You can go at it with a hands-off approach and let nature take its course or you can take some quick and easy additional steps to ensure a healthier mason bee population. Any help really that you’re willing to provide will be appreciated […]

I’ve had a terrible time with mites in my beehives this year and not just varroa but tracheal mites as well. I do not use medications or chemicals in my beehives at all so I searched far and wide for a more natural way to help them out. I know many beekeepers who use and […]

We all know that bees can sting. Perhaps, after making honey and pollination, stinging might be what bees are most known for. It may seem obvious that bees protect themselves by using their stinger, but in reality, the sting is a bee’s last resort.   When a bee stings, it kills the bee. The stinger […]

Moving from Beetle Blasters to Beetle Jails: Small Hive Beetle Management Small hive beetles are a pest and a terrible nuisance, but as we learned oh so painfully, they can destroy a weakened hive if they become established and do as they are wont to do:  reproduce prolifically.  I’ve never had a sadder (or more disgusting) […]

Learn about three different varieties of pests in the beehive and how to deal with them effectively.

Late summer is yellow jacket season. Learn how to keep these hungry wasps from bothering—or demolishing—your hives.

If hive robbing was going on in your bee yard would you know? What can you do if hive robbing happens at your bee yard? First thing? Reduce that entrance!

If you live in a generally warmer climate, you may run into small hive beetles.  These pests are NOT indigenous to North America or Europe, and the European honey bees have some difficulty managing to keep their numbers under control in the hive.  Hive beetles left unchecked will either cause your colony to abscond, or […]

We’ve had our new package of bees for over a month now and they’re doing wonderful! We gave them a headstart by leaving the comb from the old hive in tact on the frames, so all they had to do was clean things up a bit and start capping honey.           […]

Ants are a common and frustrating pest in the bee yard. Here, I share a few methods which I use for ant control.

A great post by brand new Keeping Backyard Bees writer, Nancy Buffington. Read her easy steps toward eliminating this nasty pest.

Bees are in danger. Honey bees are responsible for about a third of the food we consume. Apples, sunflowers, cherries, melons, squash – you name it, they pollinate it.