Western NY, I have built two top bar hives. The first one has three entrance/exit holes horizontally aligned like I have seen on most YouTube videos.

What about two at top of hive and two below? Two heights and two landing platforms. I Am thinking for ventilation but still allowing them to clean out the hive from a bottom hole.

Thoughts?

I also use corks to close holes when necessary.

I can't decide which will come first....A letter from city zoning, or rain.

I removed my honey supers today and now there is a 8 frame deep and two mediums. Bees are pouring out everywhere! Also bearding (it’s hot today). They look so crowded. Is it okay to leave them like this going in to winter. Also I have to treat for mites. Can I use the strips now or is it too late? I am in Michigan. I am a second summer beekeeper. This is my first year harvesting honey

Ahoy folks, I'm located in Nova Scotia, Canada, and am wondering what the 'zone' map looks like for determining what BK Zone you're in?

I've seen folks referencing "6B" in Northern Ontario, but when I look at a Honey Bee Forage map from NASA, they show that as being either Region 9 or Region 14. I'm theoretically region 13 according to this site:

Honey Bee Forage Map

What map and zone should I actually bee in?

Thanks,

NS

---Update---

Got some feedback - looks like I'm Zone 6b, and the is based on the Plant Hardiness Zones Map.

Thanks!

Hello,

Just wondering for other beekeepers in northern part of zone 6a Ontario or others who have hives in similar/same climates when do you finally take your supers off for the winter?

It's rained quite a bit for the last 2 weeks so there's been only minimal progress done on the most recent super I put on but I'm thinking it's time to pull and harvest.

It's not a math question and I'm not a beekeper, but I really need the answer (I'm also not stealing beehives). What size of car trailer, without hiring a truck?

Sc, first year. Two hives. Sorry if this was already recently discussed.

This was the outcome that I built this weekend. Forgot to snap som pictures of the isolated top and thermofoil on the inside... unfortunately.

The mistake i think I made was using to thin planks, I used 22×70 mm and the box sides measure about 45 mm. The thermofoil goes out to the edges of the lower side box. Afterwards I should of used 45×70..

I wonder if the sides planks are to thin?

Norrbotten sweden

Small time beekeeper in the Northern California. Just released a swarm queen with brood into a queenless hive. I'm just amazed when I watch the swarm march into the hive to join their queen. Also the teamwork to move the leaf down the ramp and out of the way!

While watching a bee keeper do some hive checks today, he mentioned that one “had a distinct smell” and said that the brood is probably unhealthy (paraphrased I can’t quite remember the way he worded it). This hive definitely has a high mite level and clear cases of bees with DWV.

This got me thinking….
What kind of smells can you identify in your hives? What do they smell like and what do they mean?

Hello Friends…. I just had an unplanned math lesson with my budding little second grader.

I don't really know why i got into beekeeping but i have enjoyed the last two years, the ladies working hard in the hive, the community we have here in Howard county Maryland (and here online) and something that i didn't know would happen-my daughters interest in the hobby. Tonight we were talking about selling our honey for the first time at a community garage sale next weeknd. We only got about 20lbs this year and we’ve given away most of it as gifts to our neighbors and friends/family. We did all the things, bottled, made labels, etc….. We played everything out…her paying for the bottle, for the top, for the label…. And then she sold the bottle to her mom….and came back. She got good practice in adding and subtracting money and learning a bit about how net profit works. I'll wait a few years before we work in the cost of all the work and supplies in the bee yard….

Just glad to be here and constantly surprised at all the little way the bees help me and my daughter grow.

Would you? How? I don’t have much drawn brood comb so I’m worried they have enough time to get new comb drawn out. I’m also worried about keeping the internal temp warm enough for the brood. Nighttime temps have been dipping down into the upper 50’s. Does this colony have a better chance of surviving the winter by staying put? Or by me managing them? Goldenrod is past peak so they won’t have much to forage on, so I’ll start feeding and probably provide a pollen patty.

Maybe we can share tips for our problems. I'll start: keeping my tools reachable whenever I'm working in a hive.