Lizzy Bees LLC

08/11/2024

Another fun filled Saturday night extracting honey…”oh, behave.”

07/28/2024

Full harvest has started and the honey loooks great! Good things come to those who wait.

06/19/2024

Happy pollinator week! Pollinators are around and some are those you may not even think of: butterflies, of course, but hummingbirds, bats and moths help pollinate the plants we need to survive.

Not everyone can take care of honeybees. Just a small patch of native flowers, a 3 x 3’ square patch of flowers or a flowering tree can help tremendously. One of the biggest problems that pollinators face is lack of foraging. Look into your native plants and plant accordingly. I’d be happy to give suggestions, just let me know where you are and I will send those to you. A local nursery can help as well.

Let your dandelions grow and if you have space, let part of your land grow free. Allow weeds and flowers to grow, either on their own or by planting seeds or plants. Less mowing for you as well as less fossil fuels to waste with gas for your mower. Honeybees are essential for human survival and every little thing you can do to help means so much.

Okay, done with the soap box for now.

05/21/2024

05/09/2024

Did you know, those little bees you see in the evening sitting on flowers are old bees.

Old & sick bees don't return to the hive at the end of their day.

They spend the night on flowers, and if they have the chance to see another sunrise, they resume their activity by bringing pollen or nectar to the colony.

They do this sensing that the end is near.

No bee waits to die in the hive so as not to burden the others.

So, next time you see an old little bee sat upon a flower as the night closes in...
..thank the little bee for her life long service.
~ Sustainable Human

05/04/2024

Another swarm yesterday, late afternoon. When will the madness ever end???? Luckily, though I hate it, it’s chilly and rainy today so they won’t swarm. At least, that’s the theory.

05/04/2024

Just another reminder to those in the Northern Hemisphere that Dandelions are a key source of early nectar to Pollinators, flowering normally begins in a few weeks time but we're already getting reports of Dandelions appearing across the hemisphere, so consider leaving a few plants to flower if you are mowing 🐝

Dandelion (genus Taraxacum) are flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions native to Eurasia and to North America, but the two commonplace species in the wider world, T. officinale and T. erythrospermum, were also introduced from Europe and now propagate as wildflowers in those regions including North America where they are considered introduced. Both species are edible in their entirety. The common name dandelion comes from French "dent-de-lion", meaning "lion's tooth". Like other members of the family Asteraceae, they have very small flowers collected together into a composite flower head. Each single flower in a head is called a floret. In part due to their abundance along with being a generalist species, dandelions are one of the most vital early spring nectar sources for a wide host of pollinators that themselves are critical to pollination of later flowering plants. Although they are appearing earlier, May-June is a peak blooming time critical for Pollinators.

05/02/2024

Another swarm after I came home
Early from work. I had to let a couple go yesterday but it’s all good. Have about 43, what’s a couple less.

04/29/2024

4 more swarms today! These bi***es are killing me…..

04/29/2024

Good to know!
To help the bees during the summer months, there are fewer flowers and other food sources for the bees.
Water is also scarce, and so many bees drown as they try to drink from the pools.
Grate an apple and add some water to a bowl.
The bees will be able to get the sugar from the fruit, drink the water, and not drown as they can stand on the pieces of fruit.
Our bee populations are threatened; let's give them all the support we can.
Thank you for them 🙏🐝

04/28/2024

I’m exhausted. 4 swarms from 10 am to almost 7. And the last 2 still pose a threat of leaving in the morning. They both kept trying to swarm from the netting. One of them I double netted. Keep fingers crossed that they stay. Let them go, you ask? Part of me says I should, but the major part of me can’t bear to let them leave.

04/28/2024

“Just when I thought I was out…they pulled me back in “. Swarm #4.

04/28/2024

My first inclination is to say I’m smarter than the bees, but quickly I changed to outsmarting them today. In no way am I smarter than them! Swarm landed in the forsythia so I cut the branches they were clustered on and put them into a double box. Then, I put a net around them to keep them from leaving again. This should keep them contained until I can move them.

04/28/2024

3rd swarm just doesn’t want to stay. Waiting til they land to try to catch them again.

04/28/2024

Even a small pollinator garden with native flowers in your yard can make a big difference for local wildlife. 🐝🐝

04/28/2024

Plant these to feed the bees! 🐝

04/28/2024

Since I can’t post video and photos together, here are some stills from today. The third swarm is the challenging one…very large one.

04/28/2024

Third time is the charm. I really hope that they are done for today.

04/28/2024

Number 2 for today. Behind me, #3 is in flight.

04/28/2024

Another day, another swarm. If I can keep this one, then I am up to 41 hives at my home. Looks like some girls are heading to Bluemont this week.

04/22/2024

Down at Great Country Farms checking on my hives and one decided to swarm! I’m going to get them all before I leave.

04/15/2024

I was hoping for a nice Sunday where I could finish cleaning my house in preparation for my brother and his wife’s visit the 15th-21st, but the bees had other plans for me. Four swarms today, one that I didn’t catch fully and one that took me several hours to wrangle, one that tried to swarm again before I covered them with a mesh bag to keep them in….I’m smarter than you bi***es…so 3 captured total. Those bi***es wore me out. Now, I have almost no more woodenware for any more. Plus, the first hive I split because there were too many queen cells not make another hive. In total, 29 hives at my house now and 11 in Bluemont. Only going up from here.

04/10/2024

Made a split from the hive from last night…they were certainly full and hot. Approached a few other hives and made a few more splits today. Thanks to one of my co-workers for taking my shift today because I would have lost a few hives today to swarms. I just, hopefully, stopped another one just a few minutes ago. Came out of winter with 14 and now I have 26 at my home yard. Had 6 in Bluemont and now have 11 there….more to come as I have time.

04/10/2024

Came home from work @ 5:30 to this when it was close to 80 today. In a hot day, this could be what’s called bearding. It’s now almost 9 pm, and much cooler, and still this is what I see. Could be a swarm come tomorrow or the hive just needs some ventilation. Hopefully, I’ll catch them either before or during the swarm. This is the only hive of mine doing this, so I’m suspicious of a swarm.

04/09/2024

Went to yard at Bluemont today. Made 5 splits from existing hives. Did have at least 1 dead out. So, 11 hives there at the moment from 6.

04/07/2024

First swarm of the season. It’s gonna be a long spring.

03/27/2024

Wonderful and beautiful birds seen today at Plaza Pet Clinic. An Osprey and a red shouldered hawk.