Bitler Farms Apiary

05/25/2026

Each Memorial Day weekend, I place flags at the Robeson Township Memorial at Gibraltar Playground in remembrance of and in reverence to the countless heroes who have given their last full measure of devotion in service to our great country and the countless families who have been left to mourn the loss of a loved one. In my family tree, two brothers, Thomas and James Bitler, were both killed in the waning days of the Civil War, Thomas in the Battle of the Wilderness in 1864 and James at Hatchers Run, Virginia mere months before the end of the war in 1865.

Today and every day, we honor those who gave their lives to keep the ideals of the Declaration of Independence alive from the birth of our nation and the shot heard 'round the world to today. I hope that the families of our fallen heroes find some small comfort knowing that a grateful nation stands with them, prays for them, and owes them a debt that we can never repay.

To further honor our country and those who made the ultimate sacrifice defending the liberty she guarantees, please join me, Robeson Township Parks and Recreation, and Troop 543 for a Flag Retirement Ceremony at Gibraltar Playground on July 4th, 2026, at 10:00am.

05/25/2026

05/17/2026

The 2 swarms we caught at Allegheny Church of Christ probably came from the hive that is inside the stone wall on the second floor level. This video was taken from the tree where the swarms landed.

05/17/2026

This swarm sure seemed to like the new hive we gave them!

05/17/2026

This week, we had two swarm calls from the same location, on the same tree! The first swarm really didn't want to accept the new accommodations we provided them (and balled up on the outside of it) until we did a late night swarm "dump" into their new hive.

The second swarm ran into their new home but absconded or merged with the other newly-hived swarm within 24 hours.

Thank you Allegheny Church of Christ for calling us about the swarm!

🐝 🏠🐝✝️⛪🪦

05/10/2026

Happy Mother's Day to all the Queen Bees out there! 😁 🐝 👑 🎉

05/07/2026

We made a split of an overwintered hive on April 4, 2026.

30 days later, the bees had successfully raised a new queen and the queen successfully mated!

All it took was one frame of honey, three frames of eggs, larva, and capped brood, and leaving the bees alone to do their thing!

We confirmed that the queen was laying eggs and successfully marked the queen with white paint to show her birth year and make her easier to spot.

🪓 🐝 🍯 🥚 👑 🐝 🎨 🔭

04/19/2026

Imagine having to carry your groceries home from the store strapped to your legs. That's what worker bees do with their pollen baskets!

Every worker bee's body is covered in hair the picks up pollen when she land on a flower. The worker then pushes the pollen down into her pollen basket mid-flight either in between flowers or on her way home.

This worker below has her pollen baskets full of pollen and she's looking for a cell to store it in. The other workers will use the pollen as a source of protein and it will stimulate brood growth. Brood growth = more bees = more honey!

🌺 🧺 🦵 🐝 🍯