D&D Honey

08/07/2026

“If you build it, he will come”. So not quite a field, but a patch of buckwheat and the pollinators are arriving! This is the first season we are trying out buckwheat. A much larger patch at one apiary, this one smaller. It’s a high nectar plant that is quick growing and blooming and easy to grow. If plant enough and they use the nectar for honey, it makes for a richer, darker honey. Main purpose we want to use it for is during “dearth” periods when no native plants are blooming.

08/01/2026

Washboarding! We don’t know exactly why they do it, but likely simply cleaning the outside of the hive. Usually happens when things are slow, around this time of year between nectar flows. (Pick a bee and watch their behavior)

07/25/2026

Regular traffic and orientation flights! The new bees do these figure 8 flights in front of the hive to program their navigation systems.

07/16/2026

The hive previously split about a month ago was a success! Larvae found, so there’s an active queen! You can also see some colorful bee bread (fermenting pollen and honey for the larvae). The bees were a nice, low hum which is also indicative of a hive with a queen. A queenless hive often has a louder “roar” that doesn’t sound so peaceful. These girls have been pretty calm the whole time, so their behavior doesn’t always become more aggressive either way. Douglas Olson

06/26/2026

Right before I left for the week on Monday, the new split appeared to be getting robbed. Didn’t have time to do much, but reduce the entrance. Came back today and inspected. Several dead in the bottom of the hive was evidence of a likely, but unsuccessful robbery. Great news is the girls have realized they don’t have a queen and have made several new queen cells! Next whichever healthy queen hatches first will go and kill any queens still in their cells. If they hatch at the same time, they will fight to the death. Winner will go on her mating flight to return and reign over the hive!(The larger peanut structures are the queens. They basically were floating in and eating royal jelly fed to her by nurse bees from the time they hatched from their egg. Then they capped her cell, she spun her cocoon and now we wait for her to hatch again as an adult, unmated queen.)

06/19/2026

Our newest hive! (Maybe?) I was inspecting the other hive and hit the jackpot and found several frames of larvae and eggs. I took some of those and some frames with resources(uncapped honey, bee bread(pollen) and moved to a new box. Because the new box is so close, I put leaves in front to disorient them. This makes them reset their orientation so they hopefully don’t go back “home”. (I ended up adding more leaves after this pic). Most of the bees I moved were nurse bees, so they won’t be leaving anyways. Now I feed, feed, feed and the hope is they make a new queen and start a new hive! I’ll know in about a month! This is called a “walk away split”. (Zoom in closely to see the little rice shaped white eggs!)

06/16/2026

Hive 4(swarm we caught) has accepted their queen and she’s laying! (White dot)

06/09/2026

I’ve always said every time I’ve been stung it’s my fault. Well, today…was NO exception! 🤦🏼‍♂️ Working in the yard and noticed the bees bunching up at the entrance. Probably too much traffic and too hot/humid. I had my gardening gloves on so I snuck around the side to open their other entrance. Just as I’m reaching I noticed the guard bee and she noticed me and got me right through the back of my glove. Bees will respect you, but respect them and don’t mess with their home!

06/08/2026

06/08/2026

Hive 3(a split from hive 2, possibly swarmed then made a new queen) is doing great! From right to left, this video shows eggs, larvae, capped brood, and of course adults! Waxed 2 frames to give them a boost, but they are close to needing a super for honey storage. Also fed them 1:1 sugar water to help boost them.