Blogs
All the Bees are Gone! . . . Winter Break 2019
Our last truckload of bees indeed made it to California safely. I was most worried about the sn...
Last Load Out! 2019
Yesterday we sent out the last truckload of hives for this year. They embarked on their trip to...
One More Load of Bees 2019
Andrew came out to weave in and out among the hives while we got them stacked for the last truck...
Pella Bees Away!
The central Iowa bees were all gathered at our Pella location and loaded for California last wee...
Bees on the Road 2019
We got our first truckload of bees on the road last week. We are getting better at handling the...
The Great Bee Roundup 2019
The bee roundup has involved forging through early snow. The forecast proved extremely accurate...
Autumn Sunset and Snowfalls
Last night we had one of the prettiest sunsets of the year. The Iowa skies have proven exceptio...
Fall Updates 2019
The bees are still shaping up well for fall 2019. It looks like primary caretaking should be fi...
Autumn Chill and Indoor Action 2019
This week we spent a couple of days organizing our indoor bee life. The intro image shows the ...
Fall Feeding 2019
Fall feeding requirements have been inconsistent from yard to yard. We have a good number of hi...
The Mite Fright (and Fight).
The image above is the last yard we harvested in 2019, and we always give a mite treatment on th...
A Froggy Friend and the Harvest Finale Nears. . . .
We had another "first" during the honey harvest this year! We encountered several tree frogs han...
Sweet September (so far)!
The weather has been extremely kind for the past few weeks as we continue with the honey harvest...
Harvest Progress and Oddities!
Yesterday we went on a mite treatment blitz to make the most of a Saturday afternoon. At the la...
Crunch Time in Honey Land 2019
It's great to see the honey barrels counting up as harvest continues. Now is also the time to p...
Loads O' Honey 2019
We are now focused on getting the 2019 crop into barrels and the bees treated for parasites. I ...
Harvest Away! 2019
The main honey harvest month is upon us. Until several years ago, we waited until later in Augu...
It's Not Over Yet! Honey Flow 2019 (and a kayak!)
We left the honey flow scene for a bit and escaped to visit family out in Colorado. It turns ou...
A Real Honey Crop? We're getting closer!
The clover bloom has held up quite well with the combination of moisture and heat. We've steam...
Peak Bloom 2019
We are within several days of the most diverse collection of quality honey flowers that we will ...
June Nucs in the Pro Nuc
I have to wonder how many people google "nucs" and end up really confused about winding up at a ...
Bees, Honey, and Nature Rules
We are getting back into the swing of moving bees. A lot of hives got stuck in my hayfield for ...
Goodbye Packages, Hello Supering!
Today I sold the last three packages for 2019. There are usually a few that look for an owner d...
Our Grant Wood Bees!
Back in 2018 we were fortunate to be invited to place bees up in the Viola and Stone City area. ...
Package Bees 2019
We distributed most of the package bees that were preordered for 2019 this weekend. What an adv...
Splitting Season 2019
The part of the year when we split parent hives to repopulate the deadouts is upon us, and that ...
Spring 2019!!! The Bees are Coming Back!
The past couple of weeks have not lacked for excitement. Package bee supplies are short in nort...
The Late Almond Bloom and the Question of Nutlets 2019
The almond bloom is exceptionally late this year due to the cool wet weather. The central and s...
Andrew's Latest Adventures!
This morning I told Andrew that I needed to fill up a few buckets of honey before preschool. Na...
Iowa the Winter Wonderland 2019
For the last couple of weeks, the snow just keeps hitting the Midwest! We haven't had this much ...
Adios California!!!
It felt fitting to snap a farewell shot of the driveway into the almond orchard where I've been ...
Brrr--Polar Vortex 2019!
An image from along the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, IA. January 2019
Hello Almond Pollination 2019!
A Pollination Holding Yard -- Three truckloads from another Iowa beekeeper!
AHPA Convention 2019 in Arizona
Alex and I have been living the beekeeper's working vacation in Phoenix at the AHPA meeting. Thi...