Honey bees sting to defend their hive against intruders, whether human, animal, or insect. At times, they will sting you if they think you are a threat. This is perhaps most common during a honey harvest – which is why many beekeepers use smoke before opening a hive, as it […]
Can Bees Sting Through Clothes?
Many species of insects escape the cold temperatures of winter by migrating or hibernating. But what about honey bees? You don’t see them very often, if at all, when it’s cold. So where do they go, and what do they do, in winter? Or do they just die off? In
Sugar water (or syrup) is a combination of white cane sugar and water fed to bees as a short-term replacement for honey. The sugar is mixed with the water and gradually heated until the sugar is completely dissolved. When cool, the sugar water or syrup can be fed to a
How To Feed Your Bees Sugar Water Or Syrup
Queen honeybees are fascinating insects. If you’ve ever had to replace or introduce a queen into one of your colonies, you probably already know how this can be a delicate task. Bees are very protective of their hive, and they will reject a queen bee that is not familiar to
Why Do Bees Reject A Queen Bee?
Bees and wasps look similar, but they’re not the same. Wasps are larger and tend to be more aggressive. In fact, they sometimes prey on bees! Many types of wasp (including yellowjackets) attack and kill honey bees as a source of food for their young. This most commonly occurs during
Premature queen loss is one of the most common reasons for colony failure noted by beekeepers in both the United States and Europe. The queen honeybee has an essential role in the colony. She is the only member that can lay fertilized eggs to produce more worker bees. As the
What Happens If You Kill A Queen Bee?
Sugar water (or syrup) is made up of white cane sugar that is dissolved in water and given to honeybees as a reliable substitute for the nectar they usually collect. White cane sugar is used because it doesn’t contain additives which may be harmful to bees. It is also readily available
When To Stop Feeding Bees Sugar Water
Removing honey supers is an essential component of preparing your beehive for winter. Supers that aren’t required by your bees should be removed when temperatures cool in mid to late fall. Supers should be removed because in winter bees have formed a cluster, grouping together to conserve heat. Honeybees have
When To Remove Honey Supers For Winter
A new queen honeybee is born from an egg laid by an existing queen. The egg hatches into a larva, which is then fed a special diet by nurse bees in order to become sexually mature. Thirteen days after the egg hatches into a larva, a new queen bee emerges.
For the vast majority of their existence, honey bee colonies only have one queen bee. However, there are some occasions – during supersedure, emergency queen rearing, and at the conclusion of swarming – when the colony raises multiple queens. During these times, it is possible for there to be two
How Many Queen Bees Are In Each Hive?
