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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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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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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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September in the Hive

 

This September is extra sweet … not only is it National Honey Month, but we’re also celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hasselman’s Honey!

Initiated by the National Honey Board in the U.S. in 1989, National Honey Month is a time to celebrate bees, honey, and beekeepers – just in time for harvest. People throughout the world depend on honey bees and their role in pollinating the ecosystem. Did you know about one-third of the average person’s diet in the United States is derived from insect-pollinated plants, and honey bees are responsible for about 80 percent of that process? It’s true! Without honey bees, we wouldn’t have apples, cabbage, lemons, onions, or watermelon, and other fresh crops.

Because of beekeepers, honey production continues to thrive. Rounding out the harvest season this September, there’s plenty for beekeepers to pay attention to in their hives, and some might start thinking ahead to the winter months.

If you’re harvesting honey, we recommend extracting your supers as soon as possible to avoid wax moth and small hive beetle larva, which can damage your hives. Beekeepers should also monitor for extra space in your supers, as any that are light with nectar will create more space for wax moths and small hive beetles to invade. Getting your supers extracted also lets you set them up back outside as a community feeder to both let bees build their stores, and get your combs cleaned out for winter storage. You should put these far away from the hives, or freeze them to reintroduce to the hives when needed.

Enjoy the last few weeks of summer with your bees! Thanks to you and your bees, beekeepers help make the world a sweeter place. Join us during Fremont’s Harvest Festival Parade on Sept. 26 as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hasselman’s Honey and Fremont’s OG Beekeeper, Larry Hasselman!

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August in the Hive

 

August is a big month for your bees! As the summer grows hotter, asters and other wildflowers create an abundance of pollen and nectar for the colony. This will help the bees as they start to prepare for winter, and you can support them in this process too!

This time of year, beekeepers should be checking hives for mites and other pests. Varroa mite populations increase in hives during the summer and hit a peak just as honeybee colonies are laying eggs and raising brood for the winter. To fight back against a mite population in your beehive, take precaution and follow the Honey Bee Health Coalition’s Varroa Management Decision Tool.

The most important thing we recommend for beekeepers in late summer is to help keep your bees cool. During the hot summer months, keep water available at all times, such as in bird baths, tubs, or other shallow containers. Even a simple bowl of water with rocks and sticks can be extremely helpful for those busy bees!

If your bees are happy, the keeper is happy!

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We MOVED! Come see us at our new location on Warner Avenue in Fremont

 

Have you heard the news … WE’VE MOVED!! We’re now located in the Old Rink Plaza, 5973 S. Warner Ave., just down the road from Fremont High School! We are currently only open for in-person shopping by appointment at this time until we get fully settled.

As always, we are open online 24/7 at www.GreatLakesBeeCo.com (Any orders placed online, can be picked up without having to make an appointment).

To schedule an appointment, email: info@greatlakesbeeco.com

Here’s a sneak peek inside our new space!

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New Edition to the Hive: Melissa, GM

Meet GLBC’s newest edition to the hive, Melissa! We’re so excited to have Melissa on board as our General Manager. Melissa joined us last month after an in-depth hiring search across West Michigan. Melissa describes herself as a “Jane of all trades and master of few,” which you’ll learn after reading about her history, home life, hobbies, and volunteering. As GLBC continues to expand, we’re so grateful to be able to have Melissa join us and continue showing everyone what all the buzz is about at GLBC.

Continue reading New Edition to the Hive: Melissa, GM

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GLBC Press in The Michigan Farmer

Farm Progress, an agricultural and farming publication with a local Michigan focused publication called Michigan Farmerwrote a story about GLBC. The article gives a brief background on Genji’s story, the importance of pollinators in the agricultural business, details about buying bees, and information on how to get started beekeeping.

Continue reading GLBC Press in The Michigan Farmer