Feeding
When does supplemental feeding cross from stewardship into life support? The chemistry, the mechanics, the calendar — and the question we keep circling.
- feeding
- management
- philosophy
- nutrition
- seasonal-management
The Journal
Notes from the hives, fields, and seasons of Loudoun County.
Journal entries
What We Got Wrong
Two years of beekeeping mistakes — inspecting too often, missing a queenless hive, underestimating varroa, and losing our first colony to winter.
- mistakes
- management
- varroa
- winter
- beginnings
Three Gallons of Water
Every winter, a colony exhales three gallons of water into its hive. Where that water goes determines whether the bees live or die.
- winter
- moisture
- management
- engineering
- research
The Insurance Adjuster
What happens when you try to insure six beehives in a residential backyard. Virginia code, liability law, and the forms that have no box for bees.
- legal
- insurance
- management
- virginia
- beginnings
The Mentor Problem
Beekeeping advice contradicts itself at every turn. How do you learn a craft where the experts disagree about almost everything?
- learning
- philosophy
- beekeeping-practice
- community
Two Hives Down
A warm February afternoon, two dead-outs, and the math of going into winter with too few bees.
- winter
- losses
- dead-out
- management
What the Bees Cost
A full accounting of two years of beekeeping expenses. The real number, not the one in the starter guide.
- economics
- management
- beginnings
- equipment
- honey
The Top Bar Question
We researched top bar hives from three angles. Here's what held up, what didn't, and what we plan to measure.
- top-bar
- hives
- research
- philosophy
- management
Tulip Poplar Honey
The tree most people walk under without noticing produces one of the most distinctive honeys in the eastern United States.
- honey
- tulip-poplar
- forage
- harvest
Our First Six Hives
Six hives, six personalities. A look at the current state of our apiary heading into the growing season.
- hives
- spring
- inspection