How to Test for Varroa Destructor Mite – Silver Creeks Bees
The University of Guelph has a fantastic YouTube channel designed to help new beekeepers get started. Their alcohol wash method is almost exactly what I do. To keep results consistent, Suzanne is the only one who does washes in our apiary. There are several ways to test for Varroa Destructor Mite. The most common, and the […]
Varroa Destructor Virus and Natural Treatments for New Beekeepers
Varroa Destructor Virus for New Beekeepers I remember being totally bewildered as a new beekeeper. I tried to learn about Varroa Destructor Virus , and no one had an answer. When it comes to mentoring new beekeepers there is a cloud of secrecy. I remember being afraid to open my mouth, have an opinion, or […]
Overwintering Honey Bee Colonies – Silver Creeks Bees
There are a few experiments we have done over the years to test overwintering colonies. Some of them are fairly basic, and some of them are myths or misunderstood, or we could not figure them out. It’s All About The Heat The bees need to stay warm to survive. They stay warm by vibrating to […]
Importing Queens – The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Importing queen Bees comes with a lot of benefits, and a lot of risk. We had a good year. We purchased 20 from Italy. Of those, 17 went right through April and May, and swarmed but the F1 queens were excellent. Of the original, we had 3. Each of these queens are worth their weight […]
Overwintering Bees in Warm Places
Explore effective strategies for overwintering bees in warm areas. Our site offers valuable insights to help you maintain a thriving bee population during winter. I went to Propolis etc in Guelph to pick up some queen-rearing supplies and was pleasantly surprised to see Erica from Protecta BEE giving a talk. There was also a talk […]
Our Journey as Beekeepers – Silver Creeks Bees
A Beekeepers Journey The learning curve may be a steady increase, but the results are flexible until you start experimenting and keeping data so that you can find out a solid, repeatable, method that produces the same results. Join us on our Journey as Beekeepers as we share valuable insights, tips, and stories about the […]
What We Have learned About Buying Bees – Silver Creeks Bees
“I just wanted bees. I needed bees as early in the year as possible”, John. We had this conversation just recently while discussing some of the mistakes we made early in our beekeeping career while buying bees. We did some things right. We did some things wrong. Our biggest mistake was not paying attention to […]
To Feed or Not To Feed – Silver Creeks Bees
Feed Your Bees There might have been a time when the environment supplied everything a bee needed from minerals to probiotics, the right balance of protein and carbohydrates. If we looked at an arial map of North America from a pollinator’s point of view we would see vast deserts with narrow strips of foraging between […]