We are Adi and Sony. We keep bees in Texas, sell the honey at markets, and write down what we learn the hard way. These are the longer pieces: the questions a quick guide can't settle, worked through with our own notes, the extension research, and what actually happened in our hives.
New post every other Tuesday. Everything here is general information from one family's apiary, not legal, tax or veterinary advice.
All posts · 6
A Texas beekeeping calendar from a summer clinic: why warm winters are dangerous, the February starvation window, swarm season, dearth and the fall combine.
By Adi & SonyReadHeavy syrup, a target weight, a temperature that ends the season, and the switch to solid sugar. What the extension services agree on, and the one date they do not.
By Adi & SonyReadThe handful of inspection facts that change what you do next time, the ones you can safely skip, and why the test is naming the decision.
By Adi & SonyReadMites per 100 bees and mites per day are different measurements. What each of the four counting methods really tells you, and where the thresholds come from.
By Adi & SonyReadNo eggs and no queen sighting is not proof. Read the brood nest as a clock, and use dates rather than eyesight to decide requeen, combine or wait.
By Adi & SonyReadA month-by-month first year with bees as it normally goes: feeding a package, no honey to take, a high mite count, and what to write down.
By Adi & SonyRead