Stories from the yard — setups, mistakes, good days with the girls, and everything I am still learning in Brazoria County.
November’s American Bee Journal asks why some capped comb comes out bright white and some looks damp and dark. A few thoughts from a Brazoria County backyard on comb honey and saving cappings.
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November’s American Bee Journal looks at honey as a gift around the world, from Madhu Purnima to Rosh Hashanah. A few thoughts from a Brazoria County backyard on sharing this year’s jars, after the bees keep theirs.
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The October American Bee Journal reports a $10,000 grant for research on Tropilaelaps, a parasitic mite that can kill a colony in weeks and is spreading toward Europe. Why a Brazoria County backyard beekeeper should keep an eye on it.
Read moreThe October American Bee Journal says the Chinese tallow flow along the Gulf Coast came in short this year, local honey prices are already rising, and new tariffs are pushing up the cost of imports. What that means for a Brazoria County backyard yard.
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UC Riverside researchers used machine learning to find scents that steer honey bees away, and seven held up with free-flying bees in the field. Hopeful news for keeping foragers off sprayed crops, with a couple of caveats from the Brazoria County yard.
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Tara Chapman’s October ABJ piece on winter prep in Central Texas hits close to home: no insulation needed, but mild days that send bees flying with little blooming can drain stores. Here’s my October list for the Brazoria County yard.
Read moreABJ’s September Classroom flags Australian research on spider venom peptides that kill Varroa without harming bees. Cool science — not a feed-store bottle yet. Here’s what it means from a Brazoria County yard.
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First light, a bee in the air, and a hive on an IBC tote cage. The truck crane is there because Gulf Coast supers are not a job for your back.
Read moreWhen supers fill and the bees ease off bringing in nectar, the main honey flow is ending in Brazoria County. That is when I pull capped frames and extract.
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I moved a set of yard photos and an early nucs video onto the site. To avoid the same pictures showing up in every post, the full set lives in one place. See all twenty photos on the Photo Gallery — first nucs, inspections, elevated stands, honey jar, swarm day, and more. Related: Honey supers, […]
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Start here New to Gramps Bees? This is the short path through the yard journal. 1. Why I keep bees — browse the About page for the short story. 2. First colonies — My First Two Nucs and My First Two Hives — Setup. 3. Equipment that survives the coast — Beehive Stands That Last […]
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Going to Coy’s Bees in Miss. couple weeks. Picking up a truck full o bees.
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My first bee yard entrance. Very cool to go in there quiet and work with the bees!
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My first time working with the bees. The Brazoria County Beekeepers group came together to make nucs (will explain nucs later). Great Day!
Read moreMost of the bees in a hive are girl bees. Drones (boy bees) only get to come around when the queen needs them then they get kicked out on their butts.
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These were the first stands. They were from some crates. Brazoria county weather with the humidity, rain, and sun, destroyed these in a about 3 seasons. One of those beeboxes can easily weigh 40lbs. There are 3 and the honey boxes are not even on which can weigh 30lbs apiece easily placing 3 during the […]
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Keeping your hives elevated off the ground — like on those sturdy pallets with the wire cages around them — is one of the smartest moves in beekeeping, especially in a humid, buggy place like coastal Texas. Here are the main reasons it matters so much: Moisture control — Ground contact is the enemy of […]
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Purchased 2 Italian nucs. I purchased all used equipment. I used mild bleach and a heat gun on the inside. I never purchased used equipment again. Not worth the possiblity of problems. This setup was already hard $$ @ about 400.00. So beekeeping is a shock instantly $$. This was in 2017.
Read moreA “nuc” (short for nucleus colony) in beekeeping is a small but complete and functional honey bee colony. It’s essentially a mini-hive designed to start a new colony quickly and successfully.What typically comes in a nuc?A standard nuc (most commonly a 5-frame nuc) usually includes: These are housed in a smaller box (nuc box) that’s […]
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The top 2 white boxes are honey boxes. The green box below is a modified Lazutin beehive. I will discuss different boxes later.
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What is propolis?Propolis is a natural resin collected by bees to protect their hives from bacteria and fungi. At Gramps Bees, we carefully extract propolis into tincture form, preserving its beneficial compounds while keeping the process simple and transparent. 🐝⚗️It’s hive science, done right.
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