Well... it has been a work in progress. Almost 4 years to be exact. But as of today, I am the newest Master Beekeeper in the great state of Texas. And as far as I know, I am the only Master Beekeeper in the wide open spaces of West Texas.
This may be the busiest time of year for a beekeeper. Honey is being harvested, mites are being tested, fall feeding and winter prep shift into high gear. Which means there are a number of activities all taking place at once. As it turns out, I ended up doing 3
It's harvest time... time... time! And no, that's not a silly attempt to create interest. That actually describes the harvest this year. As most beekeepers in our area will tell you, this has been a challenging year. The honey harvest is late and is happening in
I want to invite you to go on an adventure... and here's what you can expect. The path will always be straight. There will be no unexpected turns or even the slightest undulation. There will be no change in elevation and the scenery will be consistent and predictable
My wife and I have a Mini Goldendoodle named Bristol. Her Golden Retriever traits make her eager to please. In fact, I'm convinced her goal in life is to make us happy. The Poodle part of her DNA makes her wicked smart, including her astonishing emotional intelligence. If
Did you know bees can talk? Sure they can! In far more fascinating ways than you might ever imagine. It was Karl Von Frisch, in the early 1900s, who first recognized one of the honey bee's most famous techniques know as "the waggle dance." I have
Let's play a math game! Since my wife is a math teacher, this will make her very proud. But also a little nervous, because I'm not very good at math. But let's play anyway! When a honeybee builds comb on a Langstroth deep frame,
My year in beekeeping has already begun with growing pains and lessons learned along the way. Having too many hives at my home apiary, I moved 3 of my colonies to a new location about 6 miles away. A fellow beekeeper gave me permission to share some space in a
Meet my friend Bob (not his real name). I met Bob at a beekeeping meeting over a year ago. He was just getting into beekeeping and needed an extra hand. I told Bob I was glad to help. Because truth be known, I actually enjoy helping other beekeepers more than
Today was a beautiful spring day in the middle of February. The bees were bouncing around in flight to show their excitement as well . The cold winter days kept them clustered inside. But today was a day when they could spread their wings and fly! It was also a good
Well... the bee season has officially begun! I moved three of my colonies to a new location on Sunday while it was cold and the bees remained clustered inside the hive. I did so, because I had too many hives in my apiary at home and I felt like the
As I sit here writing, I'm receiving texts and alerts of a winter storm warning. We are expecting snow, ice, and sub-zero wind chills. As a result, the grocery store parking lots are full and every food basket in town is apparently in use. People preparing for
What do beekeepers do in the winter? (Other than press their ear next to the hive box and listen for the steady hum of bees staying warm inside.) They clean, they build, they wait. Now I'll admit, cleaning is not my favorite thing (says every male on the
I remember my first year of beekeeping. I could not have been more excited... and nervous! I spent early spring getting all my gear together. I bought my first hive boxes that I assembled myself. I bought my first bee suit, hive tools and smoker. I had all the gear
I'm often asked: "How did you get into beekeeping?" And my immediate response is, "Well, I love honey." Which is true! I have always enjoyed to multilayered sweetness of honey that drips straight from the honeycomb. In fact, I vividly remember an experience I