Brookfield Farm Beekeeper Karen Bean
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Category Archives: Beekeeping
Beekeeping After Hip Replacement Surgery
In June of this year, I had my left hip replaced. I like to think of it as a rebuilt: my truck is on its second engine, I’m on my second hip. Now I can think of it with pleasure, … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping
Tagged Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm, hip replacemet, Maple Falls, Washington
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Spring Beehive Tidy And Preparation 2016
Spring has arrived in Whatcom County Washington (the northwest corner of Washington state). It has arrived two weeks earlier than last year, which was early as well. The sun and flowers emerge fast on the heels of a very web … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm Bee Yards, Hive Components
Tagged Beekeeping, bees, boxes, Brookfield Farm, flipping, hive, how to, manipulation, Maple Falls, spring, Washington
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Post-Winter Hive Check 2016
We had some clear weather at the end of February, and I took advantage of it to check the hives. For the record, Brookfield Farm Bees And Honey had a 13% loss of beehives from September to March. I’m … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm Bee Yards, Feeding Bees
Tagged bee, Beekeeping, bees, brood, Brookfield Farm, check up, dead outs, hive, honeybees, Maple Falls, pollen, post winter, Washington
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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
2 Comments
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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