New Honey Bees were moved into the observation hives last week!
Beekeeping has been a struggle the last few years on the farm due to the Colony Collapse Disorder that has affected bee hives the world over. With so many local commercial bee keepers leaving the business we had no bees at all in 2009.
Farmer Donnie decided to try again himself this spring. He took an online beekeeping class from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm! He could get everything he needed from Brushy Mountain’s website, his bee suit, comb starter, bee starter food, and even the bees! Spring rolled around and it was time to go pick up the bees a couple of weeks ago. Farmer Ryan began preparing the observation hives while Farmer Donnie traveled to Pennsylvania to pick up the bees. While Farmer Ian recorded the event, Donnie and Ryan transferred the bees into their new home. Everything went smoothly, and the bees are safe and happy in their new hives. The bee suits are hot to wear, but no one even got stung once!
See all the action on Youtube and choose “Like” Belvedere on Facebook to see updates on the bees!
A week and a half later, the bees are busy making wax comb and have already begun to make the first cells of honey. Soon the queen in each hive will emerge from her cage and begin to lay eggs to expand her colony. While it is an encouraging start, we’ll have to be vigilant to help keep the new hives healthy so you can enjoy watching them this fall.
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