Tag: michiganbees

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June in the Hive

 

Summer is here! Bees will be building up their populations through June 21, which should have been a turning point for your bee hives. Your queen will be starting to take cues from the sun and slow down bee production. This is around the time you should anticipate the main honey flow.

The timing for adding and removing the honeycombs is very important: Removing the honeycombs too early might risk having honey that has too much water in it, which could lead to fermentation. Removing them too late may lead to overcrowding in the hive, which may trigger swarming – for tips on managing a swarm, check out one of our previous blogs about swarms.

Generally, the best time to remove the honeycomb is when it is at least 3/4 full. There are a few methods to check if the honey is ripe: Observe if bees are actively fanning at the hive entrance, which indicates they are still reducing moisture in the honey. Harvest only when fanning activity decreases significantly. When you have confirmed that the bees are no longer fanning the hive entrance, you can take the frame, shake it, and if the honey does not drip, it means it is ready to be removed. However, if the weather is warm enough, using the shake method it may be hard to differentiate if the honey has too much water or is just too warm.

Another way to tell is to harvest your honey only when at least 80-90% of the honeycomb cells are capped with wax by the bees. Capped honey typically has a water content of 16-17% or lower, as bees reduce moisture through fanning before sealing. You can also measure the water content directly with a calibrated refractometer. Take small samples from multiple frames to ensure consistency. A reading of 17% or below indicates the honey is ready for extraction.

By combining these methods, particularly waiting for capping and using a refractometer, beekeepers can reliably ensure honey is below 17% water content before pulling it from the hives.

June will be filled with tons of activity from your bees! By paying close attention and listening to the natural rhythms of your hives, you’ll be sure to enjoy a successful harvest.

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May in the Hive

Great Lakes Bee Company - May in the Hive graphic

 

Welcome back to bee season! Your bees should be settling into their hives, and they may even be in a good mood if they have access to plenty of flowers and greenery. For tips on gardening catered to your bees, check out our recent gardening blog! Bees can be easier to work with in environments they like!

There’s no need to frequent hive check-ups this month. You can still monitor your bees, but excessive interference can disrupt their natural activities and reduce productivity. Checking on the hive sparingly will help maintain the bees’ productivity and won’t interrupt their natural rhythm.

We loved seeing all of your faces for Bee Nuc Pickup Day earlier this month! Photos from the event are below. We also posted additional photos on our Instagram and Facebook channels, where you can always hear the latest buzz about upcoming events, promotions, and news.

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Tips for a Bee-friendly garden!

 

Spring has sprung! Now that bees will soon be getting to work in their hives, you can put in some extra work for them too! Many beekeepers are natural garden tenders. But you can support our buzzing pollinators even without a green thumb. Just purchase wildflower seeds for easy planting, or follow the suggestions below for a more in-depth look at your garden!

  • The most important detail for maintaining a bee-friendly garden is avoiding chemicals. That means no pesticides or herbicides, which are toxic to bees and can negatively effect plants and other beneficial insects.
  • To encourage bees and other pollinators to visit your garden, you can provide bird baths, a dripping hose, sugar water, or any shallow water source.
  • We suggest planting flowers with steady blooms from spring until fall to keep your bees in the garden across seasons. Some of these include:
    • Black-eyed Susan
    • Coneflower
    • Shasta daisy
    • English lavender
    • Threadleaf coreopsis
    • Catmint
  • Reducing weeding will also provide a very important food source for your bees, which includes dandelions, clovers, and milkweed. These are not only tasty for honeybees, but they protect your soil and benefit the microorganisms that live there. Like they always say, “bountiful life below means plentiful life above.”
  • If you’d like to focus on seasonal specific planting, these are some of your best options that are favored by bees:
    • Spring season (April-late May): bluebell, pussy willow, dandelion viburnum, dicentra, crocus, lungwort
    • Early summer (early June through late July): poppy, campanula, globe thistle, comfrey, allium, thyme, borage, hollyhock, sweet pea
    • Late summer (late July through early September): honeysuckle, Echinacea, sedum, buddleia, cornflower, foxglove, nasturtium, ivy
  • Flowers are not the only beneficial plant to keep in your garden. Fruits, vegetables, and herbs can also be pollinated by bees, which in turn will increase your chances for an excellent harvest. Flowering produce include:
    • Pumpkin
    • Broccoli
    • Squash
    • Cucumber
    • Tomato
    • Watermelon
    • Strawberries
    • Blueberries
    • Basil
    • Sage
    • Thyme
  • Lastly, shrubs and trees can also be grown to help your bees. Consider including black cherry and red maple trees, as well as elderberry, blackhaw, and buttonbushes in your garden for diversity in your greenery.

According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, as of 2020 there are more than 70 species of pollinators currently listed as endangered or threatened. Providing flowers and vegetation for the bees in your hive as well as local wild pollinators will benefit not only your garden but also nature at large!

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April in the Hive

 

Good friend of the Great Lakes Bee Company Larry Hasselman once told us “the hardest part of beekeeping is lighting the smoker!” Beekeeping novices and veterans alike may find themselves needing to refamiliarize themselves with their beekeeping equipment as spring rolls around.

Let’s walk through the basic and most essential equipment to help you get started!

Hive Tool

  • Hive tools are an essential and versatile piece in your beekeeping toolkit. When bees glue everything in the hive together, the hive tool allows you to detach the combs from the sides of the hive, cut and scrape propolis, and even remove nails or take apart boxes.

Smokers and fuel

  • Bees are naturally aggressive creatures, which is why beekeepers use smokers to make their bees docile. Smokers mask the pheromones let out by guard bees, which minimizes the defensive reaction from the colony, allowing for effective and safe hive inspections.

Queen clip

  • Queen clips are used to pick up or hold a queen bee. The clip acts as a cage that contains the queen, but the bars still permit worker bees to pass through and attend to the queen’s needs. The clip helps protect the queen during any work that needs to be done inside the hive.

Feeders

  • Feeders are convenient for feeding bees and checking on your sugar syrup levels without needing to open your beehive. Typical entrance feeders have a jar filled with syrup that drips onto a tray, which is inserted to the front of the hive.

Protective gear

  • The most important equipment in your arsenal will be your protective gear. Veils and gloves protect your head and face from any arrant aggressive bees, and prevent stings.

All of this equipment and more is available in our online store!

AND … If you’re looking to purchase bees, we still have 5 Frame Nucs and Mated Queens available for purchase online!

Our 2025 Spring Bee Pick-Ups dates are:

  • Packages & Queens: Tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 19
  • Nucs: Confirmed for Saturday, May 10
  • Location: Great Lakes Bee Company, 5973 S. Warner Avenue, Fremont, MI 49412
  • More info: https://bit.ly/2025_GLBC_BeePickups
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Paint and show off your hives!

 

Now that the weather in West Michigan is slowly but surely getting warmer and sunnier, you may be eager to get out of your house and into your hives! Though it’s not quite time to get bees into their boxes yet, you should still be preparing your equipment and hives for when that day comes.

Painting your boxes can be a fun and beneficial project this time of year. Many people have found that painting their hives helps them weather the elements and may make the hives last longer. Some even use paint as a way to camouflage their colonies in the environment. However, you must take care during certain parts of the process so you don’t damage the hives or endanger your bees.

Start by coating the exterior of the hive in primer. Oil-based exterior primer works best for weather protection, but any house primer should get the job done. Primer is important to seal and protect the wood, and will help final coats of paint adhere to the surface better. Make sure you’re only painting the outside pieces of the hives, and allow ample time for the primer to dry before you move onto the final painting process.

It’s also important to consider what type of paint you’re using. In general, look for water-based paints that are rated for their exterior use, or eco stains. You can find information on volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which are chemicals that evaporate out of the paint as it dries. To prevent chemicals from affecting your bees and their pheromones, look for paints with VOCs under 100. We recommend ECOS paints, which are zero-VOC with good coverage, adhesion, and mildew resistance.

Now it’s time to paint! Unless you’re opting to camouflage your boxes, feel free to get creative. One thing to consider when choosing colors is that darker paints may cause the hive to get too hot in the summer sun. However, this may be to your benefit if you live in a cooler area. Lighter, reflective colors will be beneficial for those in warmer climates as they tend to keep the hives cool. Depending on the design, you may be able to get a good mix of both. This may be a good opportunity for you to get together with your community of local bee keepers! Work on building new hives or preparing your old ones by hosting a painting party. This can also be a great activity for children, who may come up with their own unique designs.

Have you painted your hive boxes before, or are planning a painting party? Send photos to our Facebook, or tag us in your posts! We’d love to feature your work on our social pages.

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March in the Hive

 

It’s time to think spring! March is all about getting your apiary ready. Depending on the climate in your area, you can perform regular checks on the hives. On the warmest days, you can clean out your hives and inspect the status of the bees; check out January and February in the hive for last minute tips. There is still a chance that your bees are alive, but may not make it much longer if the temperatures continue to fluctuate. Don’t be discouraged if your bees didn’t overwinter! Michigan winters can be unpredictable. Instead, look forward to the new season, and decide what you’d like to change or do differently.

This is a great time to restock your supplies, or look into upgraded equipment. Before your supplies run out, order early to ensure you get them in time. You can also check out our options for bee packages. They will be available at GLBC in early to mid-April, with nucs coming early in May. If you’re wondering what kind of bees to get this year, check out our “No Bad Bees” blog, where we discuss the options available in our store and their pros and cons.

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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.