Brookfield Farm Beekeeper Karen Bean
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Category Archives: Diseases and Pests
Making Essential Oil Bee Patties Making Essential Oil Bee Patties
Twice a year my bees get some essential oils in their diets. The aim is for general health, to strengthen their immune systems and to combat varroa mites, from the inside. Before I go any further, let me say there … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests
Tagged bee, Brookfield Farm, Essential, honeybees, how to, making, Maple Falls, oil, patties, recipe, Washington
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Harvesting Honey, Treating Hives
Harvesting Honey, Treating Hives Posted on September 13, 2014 by brookfieldfarmhoney I have been pulling honey and putting thymol on the hives this last week. This blog’s been silent for quite a few weeks. July and August simply got out of … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm Bee Yards, Diseases and Pests, Farm
Tagged Beekeeping, bees, Brookfield Farm, harvest, honey, honeybees, how to, Maple Falls, Mount Baker, natural, pack goats, treatments, Washington
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Mites That Might Eat Mites
Last July, I heard though the grapevine that Stratiolaelaps scimitus, a predatory mite formally known as Hypoaspis, were available locally. These little darlings eat mites, potentially varroa mites. (A side note: links to photograph sources are in text under the … Continue reading
Do Natural Treatments Work (on my hives)?
Do you ever wonder if the things we do to help the bees survive our climates and manipulations really work? I certainly do. I learn things from other beekeepers and through reading, then try out the ideas – sometimes they … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm Bee Yards, Diseases and Pests, Feeding Bees
Tagged bee, Brookfield Farm, health, honeybees, Maple Falls, natural, results, survey, tests, treatments, Washington
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Winter Hive Preparation : First Steps
Our Brookfield Farm honey’s pulled, extracted, and on our market tables now. The honey table at our market booth Now the work begins to prepare the bees for winter. Which arrived here suddenly.We went from a lovely warm summer to … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests, Feeding Bees
Tagged Brookfield Farm, honeybees, Maple Falls, mite away quick strips, nosema, nozevit, preparation, varroa, Washington, Winter
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Busy August At Brookfield Farm
It’s been busy. No time to head for the library (WiFi land) and spend time on the Internet. Thus this posting is a hodge-podge of what has been happening from making bee gear and creating new bee yards to participating … Continue reading
Participating in a Bee Health Survey
THE SURVEY I have the good fortune of being able to participate in the bee health survey being conducted in the U.S. by BeeInformed.org. The survey is following 8 hives in 25 apiaries from June to November. Bees suspended in alcohol … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm Bee Yards, Diseases and Pests
Tagged bee, beeinformed.org, Beekeeping, diseases, health, honeybees, Maple Falls, survey, Washington
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Phages That Attack American Foul Brood – Field Test
It must have been the first time that three people ever stood around a beehive and said “American Foul Brood. Great!” No, we’re not mad, nor gluttons for punishment. Professor Penny Amy, a microbiologist, and researcher Diane Yost, an environmental … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests
Tagged AFB, American Foul Brood, bacteriophages, Brookfield Farm, disease, field test, Maple Falls, phage, phages, treatment, Washington
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American Foulbrood Researchers – The Few, The Committed
If you’ve been reading this blog for a bit, you know that I’ve had run-ins with American Foulbrood (AFB) for two years in a row. I run naturally treated, antibiotic-free hives, in which I eliminate with the elimination of all … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests
Tagged American Foulbrood, bees, honeybees, research
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