Getting The Hives Ready For Spring

Getting The Hives Ready For Spring

As I said in the video if you set up a couple of hives and watch them you’ll see when bees are taking an interest in them. That usually means there’s a swarm out there or one is about to occur. If you then watch where they fly you might very well see where the bee ball is in the tree or bush. If that happens you can go shake them loose move them into a box and ultimately into your own hive. Bees will generally swarm under similar conditions so when you see it starting go check the local parks and road sides.

Honey Bee Democracy by Thomas B Seeley. This is a deep dive into the lives of bees and is quite informative. When I got to the part where the girls ripped the wings off of the males and threw them out of the hive to save on food my world started to make a lot more sense in a terrifying way. He explains the purpose behind swarming and what it does for the strength of the hives.
https://www.amazon.com/Honeybee-Democracy-Thomas-D-Seeley/dp/0691147213/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2KOVRL2F8498R&keywords=honeybee+democracy+by+thomas+d.+seeley&qid=1643575804&sprefix=honey+bee+democracy%2Caps%2C785&sr=8-1

Lemon Grass Oil
https://www.amazon.com/Viva-Doria-Lemongrass-Essential-Undiluted/dp/B08D7WB72H/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3N0DQUMI9HNGH&keywords=lemon+grass+oils+food+grade&qid=1643576036&sprefix=lemon+grass+oil%2Caps%2C380&sr=8-6

Propolis. You want to just get propolis not the zillions of fad items of the day. Dissolve it in some alcohol and leave it in a mason jar. Sometimes you have to heat the ring up to loosen it to open it again, but such is life.
https://www.amazon.com/Stakich-Bee-Propolis-Chunks-Natural/dp/B001LR2CKM/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1MHNVM6S271MY&keywords=propolis+pieces&qid=1643576202&sprefix=propolis+piec%2Caps%2C538&sr=8-4