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Brookfield Farm Beekeeper Karen Bean
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Author Archives: Bean
Beeswax Chews : (or the Big Bits Floating On Top Of Honey)
I started selling “beeswax chews” at Seattle’s Ballard Farmers’ Market. After explaining what they were to customers, I thought – “hey, a new blog topic”. Now “Beeswax Chews” are what I’ve always called the big bits of wax that float … Continue reading
Posted in Honey
Tagged beeswax, Brookfield Farm, Chews, Maple Falls, Washington, What are they
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Honey Paw Uncapper – my new uncapper
Last year I finally purchased and used a Honey Paw Uncapper. It works quite well, but it was a pain to buy. Nothing like sending 200 EUROS (about $215 at this time, I think the exchange made it higher when … Continue reading
Posted in Honey Extraction
Tagged Brookfield Farm, honey paw, how to, Maple Falls, Washington, what is it
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Honey Foam : The White Stuff On Top
Honey foam may be one of the most surprising things about the appearance of raw honey. It is often greeted with the words: “What’s that white stuff on top?” Regardless of the raw honey’s form, runny or crystallized, it may … Continue reading
Posted in Honey, Honey Extraction
Tagged Brookfield Farm, Foam, honey, Maple Falls, On Top, Washington, White Stuff
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Storing Bee Hive Frames in Winter
I search continuously for easy, efficient, nontoxic ways to deal with bee equipment. Storing frames for winter has been an evolving technique. I am pretty happy with my new set up: stacking frames in boxes set on their sides. When … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Hive Components
Tagged bee, Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm, frames, hive, hives, how to, Maple Falls, store, Washington, Winter
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New Honey Pump at Brookfield Farm
I love my new honey pump from Kelley Beekeeping. But like all love affairs, there are ups and downs, issues to deal with, questions to ask before everything works smoothly. Pump with inflow and outflow She (all wondrous machines are … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Honey Extraction
Tagged Assemble, Beekeeping, bees, Brookfield Farm, Geared, honey, how to, Kelley Beekeeping, Maple Falls, Pump, Washington
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Bee Year 2015 Overview – Brookfield Farm
The Brookfield Farm Bees And Honey blog went quiet for a while – ok, for quite a while. But it’s back. Bee work, honey work, festivals, Farmers Markets, a bit of fun in the backcountry and some rather massive family … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm Bee Yards, Hive Components, Honey Extraction
Tagged 2015, Beekeeping, bees, Brookfield Farm, equipment, extraction, Maple Falls, overview, tools, Washington
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Making Beehive Bottom Screens 2015
I keep mentioning that I’m “making equipment like crazy” this year, due to good weather and bee hive expansion. One of the things that we make here at Brookfield Farm are our own bottom screens. I don’t use bottom boards … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Hive Components
Tagged beehive, Beekeeping, bees, bottom screen, Brookfield Farm, how to make, Maple Falls, Washington
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Walk-Away Beehive Splits
It has been an absolutely busy time in the bee yards. The weather has been lovely, the bees have been out, and it did not pour rain in the middle of the Maple and Cascara flows. Looks like good weather … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm Bee Yards, Hive Components
Tagged away, beehive, Beekeeping, bees, Brookfield Farm, how to, Maple Falls, splits, walk, Washington
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Splitting and Supering Hives
I’m a bit behind in my posts. About 3 weeks ago I went through all my hives, again. The intention was to either split or super the ones that were getting crowded to keep them from swarming. It quickly became … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm Bee Yards, Queen Rearing : Honeybees
Tagged bee, Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm, hive, honeybees, how to, Maple Falls, nuc, queen excluder, split, Washington
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Spring Supers For Bee Hives
Spring arrived early here this year. So I’ve supered the strong hives, many of which were packed with brood, and fed honey to those that had eaten nearly all their stores. Bees On Brood This is a spring … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Hive Components
Tagged bee, Brookfield Farm, foundation, hives, how to, Maple Falls, super, supers, Washington
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