Tag Archives: Bruce Bowen

Queen Rearing – A Sequence of Events – Part 1: Shaking Bees

Posted on July 1, 2011 by bean

Gathering nurse bees using a honeybee shaker box – part 1 of a series on our on-going queen rearing project at Bruce Bowen Bees in Mt. Vernon, Washington Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged bee, Beekeeping, bees, box, boxes, brood, Bruce Bowen, collect, honeybees, how to, Mt. Vernon, nurse bees, queen rearing, queens, shaker, shaker box, Washington | 4 Comments

Over-night beehive splits – what a difference a day makes this spring

Posted on May 2, 2011 by bean

Weather changes during the making of over-night splits at Brookfield Farm in Maple Falls. Shots of splits being made in the sun at one of Bruce Bowen’s bee yards. How over-night splits are created to make new nucs at Brookfield Farm Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged Beekeeping, bees, Brookfield, Brookfield Farm, Bruce Bowen, Farm, hives, honeybees, how to, Maple Falls, nucs, over-night, overnight, splits, Washington, weather | 1 Comment

Loading Honeybees for Almond Pollination

Posted on February 8, 2011 by bean

Loading 818 honeybee hives onto three trucks which then transported the bees to the California almonds for pollination. Bruce Bowen’s bees, Mount Vernon, Washington. Photos by Karen E. Bean, Brookfield Farm, Maple Falls, Washington. More photos than words on this posting. Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged almonds, bee net, bee trucks, Beekeeping, bees, Brookfield, Brookfield Farm, Bruce Bowen, California, Farm, hives, honeybees, loading, Maple Falls, net, Pat Ray, pollination, trucks, Washington | 4 Comments

Preparing Honeybees to pollinate California almonds

Posted on December 23, 2010 by bean

Beekeeper Karen Bean helps Bruce Bowen and Pat Ray prepare honeybees which will go to California for almond pollination. How hives are moved, by forklift and hand dolly; how honey bound hives are corrected; how pallets are cleaned; and just how much wool Bean can get under a bee suit are covered. Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged almonds, bees, bound, Bruce Bowen, California, cleaning, hive pallets, hives, honey, honey bound, Karen Bean, pallets, Pat Ray, pollination, Prepare | 4 Comments

Feeding Honeybees in the Fall – 2 different apiaries

Posted on October 31, 2010 by bean

Feeding honeybees at two different beekeepers operations: a 40 hive farm and a 1000 hive operation. Karen Bean, of Brookfield Farm, Maple Falls, Washington with 40 hives feeds by hand. Bruce Bowen with 1000 hives uses pumps. Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged bees, Brookfield, Brookfield Farm, Bruce Bowen, Bruce Bowen's Bees, cane, Essential, essential oils, fall, Farm, feeding, honey bees, honeybees, Karen Bean, Mt. Vernon, Oils, Pacific Northwest, sugar, syrup | Leave a comment

Supering at a 1000 hive operation

Posted on July 22, 2010 by bean

Putting honey supers on bee hives in Bruce Bowen’s 1000 hive operation in Skagit County, Washington. Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged Bean, bee boxes, bee hives, bee keepers, beekeepers, Bowen, Brookfield, Bruce, Bruce Bowen, Farm, forklift, hives, honey, Karen, Pat, Pat Ray, Ray, Skagit, super, supering, truck, Washington | Leave a comment

Preparing for Nucs at a 700 Colony Operation

Posted on April 20, 2010 by bean

Sorting out waxed, plastic honeybee foundation and preparing nucleus (nuc) boxes with Bruce Bowen, of Bruce Bowen’s Bees, in Mt. Vernon, Washington. Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged bees, Bruce Bowen, comb, drawn, drawn comb, foundation, honeybees, Mount Vernon, Mt. Vernon, nucleus, nucs, pallets, plastic, queens, Washington | 4 Comments