09/21/2026
In the spring we got extremely blessed and caught 3 wild swarms that came from a old maple with a big hole from a lightning strike it looks like! The land owner said that the hive in that maple has been active for over 23 years. We know for sure that All 3 came from that tree because the land owner watched them swarm and land on our swarm catchers we put up there. Here's the best part of it all.. all 3 hives show excellent hygienic treats and the removal of varroa mites. I've watched on more than one occasion bees uncapping and total removal of pups with mites on them. There is also signs of recapping of cells as well. The sad part of all this is I didn't get the videos and documentation that I was hoping for because I got extremely sick and wasn't able to work or document my bees the way I should of. I'm going to try and correct that as we get ready to close them up for the winter.. as of right now the "the famous 3" have done all the tricks that us beekeepers are looking for in honey bee's. They manage there varroa mites and hive beatle, the queens are mad layers and they produce as much honey as the fancy out of state bees make. Our goal is to see if we can't keep these genetics and traits going so we can produce healthy and hearty Michigan mutts that can manage the varroa mite and hive Beatles, queens that are great layer , workers bees that produce a lot of honey and lastly live over winter and ramp up fast in the spring. Fingers crossed
