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February in the Hive

 

We’re not over the hump of winter just yet! It’s best for bee keepers to hold off on getting back into their hives until March, or whenever warm weather settles in for the season. Once the temperature has risen to around 50 degrees and you’ve seen bees taking flight, you can begin checks; try to keep them brief, 30 seconds or less, so as not to disturb the bees as they begin to properly wake up.

Honey stores should be at their lowest at this point in the season. The easy way to find out about the honey stores is to go to the rear of the hive and slide your hand under the bottom board and lift gently. If it’s really heavy, then the hive has honey stores remaining in the hive. If it’s light, then you should provide food immediately; you can use dry sugar, fondant, or a candy board, or replace empty combs with combs of capped honey.

It won’t be much longer before spring is in full swing! If you’re preparing to order new batches of bees this upcoming season, make sure you check out our previous blog post about the bee varieties we have to offer!

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No Bad Bees

 

Even though the blustery winter weather is upon us, it’s not too early to think spring. And with spring, comes bees!  If you’re thinking about purchasing a new batch of bees, Great Lakes Bee Company offers different types of honey bees to choose from, each with their own unique benefits. Let’s go through the types of bees we offer, and you can decide which is right for you!

Italian Honeybee

  • These are some of the most widely used race of honey bees. They are known for their prolific brood cycles and production, gentle nature, and their reluctance to swarm. They are also excellent foragers and are known for being strong comb builders. However, this Italian breed consume resources at a rapid pace due to their long brood cycles, and they are notorious for robbing the reserves of weaker or neighboring hives. Italian honey bees also tend to have more difficulty with pests and are more prone to collapse because of this. Despite that, the Italian honeybee is still used by both novice and experienced beekeepers alike.

Carniolan Bee

  • Another popular bee among novices, the Carniolan bee is favored for their docile nature. Carniolan bees are also renowned for their long tongues, which help them pollinate crops like clover, meaning they have more sources of nutrition for the colony than the traditional strain of honey bee stock, and because of their origin in central and Eastern Europe, Carniolan bees are best at foraging in colder climates. Carniolan honeybees are also some of the most efficient workers, due to their ability to adjust worker population relative to nectar availability, creating periods of high nectar with high worker population. This creates large quantities of honey and pollen during those periods.

Saskatraz Honeybee

  • Saskatraz bees are a newer addition to the beekeeping world, a recently developed breed where scientists aimed to create a honeybee breed with strong resistance to pests and diseases. More recently, Saskatraz honeybees have undergone more selective breeding processes to try and increase stability of the varroa tolerant trait. Due to their highly selective breeding process, Saskatraz bees are harder to acquire than other breeds of honeybee. The specificity of their foraging behaviors may affect their honey production in certain environments, meaning supplemental feeding may be necessary. You can read more about this new breed on OHBees!

Golden West Honeybee

  • The Golden West Bees originated in the California foothills, where a family of beekeepers began to selectively breed their bees when they noticed one of their hives were able to completely avoid mite infestation. From this breeding, Golden West queens have become notable for colonies that are very gentle and healthy, exhibited above average honey production, and proved strong for almond pollination, on top of their increased mite resistance.

Now that you know a little more about the different honeybees we offer, head on over to our online shop to explore your options for the upcoming season! Keep in mind that there are no bad bees, and a flexible beekeeper who has careful consideration of their hives will often have the best results!

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January in the Hive

 

Entering the new year with even colder temperatures can be nerve-wracking for any beekeeper. Here are some tips for checking on your bees without too much disturbance to the hive:

  • If there is snow on the ground, check the areas around your hive. There may be brown spots signaling that the bees have recently had the strength to fly outside and relieve themselves. There may be visible dead bees outside, particularly in areas with heavy snowfall, but this should not be cause for alarm.
  • The easiest way to check on your bees from outside the hive is to listen to them. Stand, or kneel, at the corner of a hive. Set your shoulder against one surface and bend your neck so your ear is flat against the hive body, just around the corner. Other keepers have found success listening through the walls of their hive with a stethoscope. You should be able to hear the familiar buzzing of your bees. Even a faint whisper is a good sign of life.
  • If you discover that your bees did not survive over winter, don’t be discouraged! Over wintering bees in cold climate is challenging, especially with temperature fluctuations and length of the winter temperatures. When warmer weather comes, take time to inspect the hive to determine what caused the colony to die; Beekeeping Made Simple’s Hive Autopsy may help figure this out. Take steps to clean equipment, learn, treat neighboring hives if needed, etc.
  • Some dead bees may have piled up by the entrance. This is normal for the wintertime as morgue bees may not risk venturing outside to dispose of the dead. You can help them by using a long, flat stick or metal rod to sweep out the dead bodies from the entrance and from along the sides and corners of the hives.
  • You can also check the weight of your colony. In January, it should still feel heavy compared to their fall weight, because bees do not use up much of their honey in the early winter. If your hive feels too light, you can provide extra food for your bees, like loose sugar or fondant. However, once you start feeding you may encourage the bees to move upwards, prematurely leaving some stores behind. If you provide supplemental feed, keep doing it regularly until the bees can forage again.

 

 

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December in the Hive

 

Winter should be a quiet time for your bees. Take a look at our November In The Hive blog for any last-minute preparation you may be doing to prepare your bees for cold weather. You should avoid disturbing the beehive too much during this time, but occasional checks can help you identify issues early.

Keep your eyes out for signs of disease, pests or deceased bees in or around the hives entrance. If you can hear a quiet hum outside of your hive, that is a good sign that your bees are actively maintaining their temperature.

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DIY Beeswax Holiday Ornaments

 

As you get ready for the holiday season, you’re probably spending less time with your hives, which means more time decorating! Handmade beeswax ornaments can save you some expenses this year, and use up any extra beeswax you might have lying around. They also make for a great children’s craft!

To make beeswax ornaments, start by melting your beeswax over low heat on the stove. You can add essential oil or fragrances for extra holiday flair. If you have silicone molds, you can prep them with vegetable spray and pour the wax directly into the molds and leave to harden. You can also pour cold water onto a plate, place cookie cutters, and distribute the wax evenly. Then poke holes into the wax and add ornament holders, twine, fishing line, or ribbon to hang your ornaments on your Christmas tree or holiday garlands.

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Sweeten up your thanksgiving with these honey recipes!

 

Thanksgiving is one of the biggest days in the kitchen every year. Whether you’re cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the first time or looking to experiment with classic Thanksgiving recipes, this honey glazed turkey and honey pumpkin pie are sure to be crowd pleasers.

 Honey Glazed Turkey:

  • Turkey
  • 1/2 cup Honey
  • 1/2 cup dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Tie the turkey’s drumsticks together and tuck the wings underneath. Place turkey in roasting pan breast side up and bake at 325 F for two hours. Mix honey, dijon mustard, dried rosemary, onion powder, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a bowl and brush over turkey after first two hours of baking. Return to oven and continue to baste turkey with pan drippings until thermometer reads 180 F about two hours. Remove turkey and cover with tin foil for up to 15 minutes before carving. Serve with stuffing and gravy.

 Honey Pumpkin Pie:

  • 2 cups pumpkin puree
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream (half n half or whole milk will work in a pinch)
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 unbaked pie crust

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Mix the puree, honey, vanilla, salt, and spice together. Mix in the cream, then gently beat in the eggs. Carefully pour the mixture into the pie shell. Cover the edges of the crust with a pie shield or foil, and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the shield/foil, and bake for another 20-30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. Let cool, and serve with a generous dollop of real whipped cream.

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November in the Hive

 

You should already be preparing your hives for colder weather by providing plenty of food for your bees and insulating the hive, but November means your bees may be entering dormancy.

A strong hive won’t need much help feeding during the winter. To know how much assistance your bees may need to keep their nutrition up, look at their stores of honey. If the honey has been recently depleted or the bees have simply not produced enough, it may be time to add sugar, fondant, or liquid feed to the mix before it gets too cold.

You can also prepare for the cold by providing wind-breaks, such as hay bales or scrap metal, to protect your hives from harsh wind. But be careful not to shade the hive, as the bees will be needing as much warmth and sunlight as they can get.

Now is the time to start preparing for next year! Take stock of what kind of equipment you’ll need, such as more hives, new foundations, or more specialized tools. We have a variety of bee equipment and hive tools available for purchase online at Great Lakes Bee Co.! You can also spend the extra time this winter not tending to your bees by studying up on bees and beekeeping. Check out this selection of books recommended by the Best Bees Company!

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October in the Hive

 

As we near the end of October, there are several things you should be keeping in mind as the weather continues to get colder.

Now is a great time to be checking on your queen bee. If she is no longer present in the hive, don’t wait to find a replacement. It’s best to find a new queen bee sooner rather than later so she will have time to settle into the hive and lay eggs. This would also be a good time to consolidate hives if you have multiple weak ones. Any hives with empty space should be restructured to allow enough room for the strongest bees.

Another aspect of preparing your hives for the colder winter months involves hives insulation. To insulate your hive, wrap it in black tar paper to absorb heat from the sun, remembering to leave the hive entrance and upper ventilation holes uncovered. You can also utilize a hive stand to protect your bees from the cold while preventing moisture problems. Moisture is one of the biggest things to look out for, as too much moisture could potentially freeze your bees. Wood chips or burlap in a quilt box can help keep condensation out of the hive.

Lastly, make sure your bees have enough food before winter. If you were keeping them healthy throughout the summer and early fall, ensuring they had a productive queen, you shouldn’t have to worry much. But if your hive doesn’t have 60 to 100 pounds of stored honey, October will be your last chance to feed them with liquid feed. You can also use fondant or sugar bricks. Pollen and pollen substitute is not recommended at this time, as the reduction in pollen flow signals the bees to finish rearing winter bees as they prepare for winter.

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A Brief History of Beekeeping

 

In honor of National Honey Month, let’s take a look back on the history of beekeeping, and how honey harvesting has evolved!

Beekeepers have played an essential role in honey production for at least 10,000 years! All around the world, archaeologists have found ancient methods for beekeeping and honey production, including hives made of straw and unbaked clay. Ancient Egyptians were some of the earliest pioneers of beekeeping, where honey was not just a delicacy, but a symbol of wealth and power. In fact, when King Tut’s tomb was discovered, pots of honey, often used to coat and cure berries, were alongside the ancient Egyptian pharaoh’s mummy. Even thousands of years later, the honey and berries remained preserved, reportedly still holding onto their sweet scent.

In medieval times, beekeeping was most often performed by the church and aristocracy. Beeswax served as an important aspect in producing candles, while fermented honey was a key ingredient in mead, a popular drink in regions where grapes could not be grown for wine.

Using varying methods including hollowed-out trees and skeps (a similar practice to the Egyptians, using baskets woven from twigs and straw, coated in mud), monks and clergy-members were in charge of tending to bees and their hives. For many of these religious beekeepers, their bees came to be seen as role models. For instance, monks often imagined a “chastity” in their worker bees that they took upon themselves to devote themselves fully to the good of the community.

During the 18th century, beekeeping transitioned into a science methodology. European natural philosophers, including an entomologist who specialized in honey bees named François Huber, were among the first to observe bees within their habitat. Although he developed blindness in his early adulthood, Huber continued studying bee colonies with the help of his wife, Marie, and assistant François Burnens. With his companions, Huber was an early creator of what we now recognize as a bee hive: building a box where each comb had glass sides to observe the bees at work. Some of Huber’s most famous scientific studies include confirming that a colony consists of one queen who is the mother of all workers and drones in the hive, and proving that bees use their antennae to communicate. Huber is widely regarded as “the father of modern bee science,” and his publication, “New Observations on Bees,” contains many of the basic scientific truths of the biology of honeybees.

Our bees may be the reason we have honey, but it’s because of beekeepers around the world and throughout history that we get to enjoy the sweet savory treat.

For more information on the history of beekeeping, visit:

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Great Lakes Bee Co. celebrates grand opening and 50th anniversary of Hasselman’s Honey

 

On Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, Great Lakes Bee Company hosted a grand opening at its new storefront in Old Rink Plaza in Fremont in celebration of Honey Harvest Month this September and the 50th anniversary of Hasselman’s Honey.

In recent years, backyard beekeeping has been on the rise, not just in Michigan, but nationwide. Great Lakes Bee Company in Fremont has been on the forefront of promoting the importance of beekeeping in the region and how it benefits Michigan’s economy and agriculture. Each May, bees from GLBC return home to Fremont, Michigan, after pollinating almond crops in California and rebuilding of hives in Georgia. When they’re back home, they forage on Newaygo County’s basswood, alfalfa, star thistle, and West Michigan flowers to create 150,000 pounds of Michigan’s Hasselman’s Honey.

“For us, it all started in 1974 with Larry Hasselman and his hobby for beekeeping,” said Great Lakes Bee Company owner Genji Leclair. “Larry founded Hasselman’s Honey after growing his passion and curiosity for bees, creating a distinctively delicious tasting honey. Since establishing Great Lakes Bee Company in 2016, it has been my mission to maintain Larry’s honey legacy and preserve the sources and processes that he has used since the 1970s, while also striving to produce only the best honey for our customers.”

During the event, Larry Hasselman shared how his honey business “accidently happened” with a Christmas gift of beekeeping items from his parents and the with bees would come later that spring. That spring Hasselman received two packages of bees and within a a couple months a majority of the bees in his two hives were dead.

“From then on, I called it the hobby that got out of hand,” laughed Hasselman.

From there, Hasselman grew his beekeeping hobby to 500 hives and began shipping “Hasselman’s Honey” throughout Michigan and Chicago.

“I was at the right place at the right time with the right people,” he said.

In addition to honey production, bees from Newaygo County also pollinate various crops including: almonds (January); apricots, sweet cherries, peaches and plums (April); tart cherries, pears, blueberries and apples (May).

“Bees play a significant role in our region’s and nation’s agriculture,” said Leclair. “By pollinating many crops used for animal feed, bees contribute to a third of the world’s food production. They are also essential in helping to maintain biodiversity and preserving our ecosystem that we depend on to survive. At Great Lakes Bee Company, we help educate the public about the irreplaceable value of honey bees to our environment.”

In addition to Hasselman’s Honey and supplying bees to beekeepers, GLBC sells beekeeping equipment and products made from their beeswax including candles and raw wax.

During the grand opening event, GLBC owner Genji Leclair and local representatives from the Fremont Chamber of Commerce and River Country Chamber of Commerce of Newaygo County hosted  a ribbon cutting signifying the opening of the new store. Additionally, Fremont City Manager Todd Blake, presented us with a City Council resolution;  while Kelly Lively from Sen. Gary Peters’ office and District Staff Assistant William Campbell from Congressman John Moolenaar’s office each presented a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition to GLBC and Hasselman’s Honey.  Also in attendance were Jodi Gruner from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, State Rep. Joseph Fox; and Mary Judnich from Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s office.

“September is National Honey Harvest Month so it’s an exciting time for us in the bee business,” said Leclair. “We are excited to welcome the public to our new store, where you can learn more about bees, beekeeping and buy our own beekeeping supplies and honey-related products.”