Tag Archives: Karen Bean

Cutting Grass in Bee Yards

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Bean

As spring moves into summer here in northwest Washington, the grass grows – with authority. What looked like a tidy-ish bee yard one week can be a jungle two weeks later. So armed with my trusty power scythe, I headed … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm Bee Yards | Tagged bee, beekeeper, Brookfield Farm, cutting, grass, Karen Bean, Maple Falls, scythe, Washington, yards | Leave a comment

Dressing For Winter Markets

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Bean

My bees and I live in the northwest corner of Washington state. To the west is Puget Sound (also known as the Salish Sea). The Cascade Mountains rise to Mount Baker’s 10,781 foot summit (3,286 meters), 58 road miles inland. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Business, Marketing | Tagged beekeeper, Brookfield Farm, clothes, Karen Bean, layers, Maple Falls, Markets, Washington, Winter, wool | 2 Comments

Paria River Canyon Hike – One Bee Story

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Bean

After supering my hives in April, I jumped in my truck, drove to southern Utah and hiked the 39 miles of Paria Canyon. This is a brief story of that amazing trip – and one wonderful story about some feral … Continue reading →

Posted in Wilderness Walking | Tagged 2013, Arizona, Canyon, hike, Karen Bean, Paria, photographer, River, Utah | Leave a comment

Our First Bear Fence for Bee Hive Protection

Posted on November 14, 2012 by bean

I built my first bear fence earlier this fall. Interestingly, it is not in any of my bee yards that are in heavy black bear territory. But the farmer was worried about a bear seen in the area, and wanted … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged bear, bee, beekeeper, Beekeeping, Brookfield Farm, build, Fence, hives, how to, Karen Bean, make, Maple Falls, Washington | 4 Comments

Preparing Bees For Winter Part 3: Nucleus Hives in Winter

Posted on November 6, 2012 by bean

My nucs are given the same 3 weeks of feed and are treated for mites, just like the strong hives. But after that, their lives take a different turn. Reminder: I prep the hives for winter starting in the third … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged Beekeeping, bees, Brookfield Farm, hives, Karen Bean, Maple Falls, nucleus, over, Washington, Winter | Leave a comment

Preparing Bees for Winter at Brookfield Farm Part Two: Physical Preparation

Posted on October 29, 2012 by bean

Ready For Rain I was going on about winter stores, feeding, and mite treatment in the last blog post. This posting is about the more physical aspects of winter preparation at Brookfield Farm Bees And Honey, here in the land … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged Brookfield Farm, covers, hive, insulation, Karen Bean, Maple Falls, preparation, rain, tie downs, Washington, Winter, wrapping | 2 Comments

Bee Houses – from eastern Europe to Oak Harbor, WA

Posted on February 23, 2012 by bean

I am fascinated by eastern European Bee Houses. I do not know much about them, so if you do, please share your wisdom. The mobile ones seem like such a wonderful elegant solution to moving small numbers of bees around: … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping | Tagged bee, bees, Brookfield, Designs, Eastern, European, exterior, Farm, honey, Houses, images, interior, Karen Bean, links, Maple Falls, Washington | 2 Comments

An Idea for Practicing Grafting Honeybee Larvae

Posted on July 27, 2011 by bean

A recap of our group’s queen bee grafting endeavors, and an idea on how to practice grafting honeybee larvae without a cell builder to test one’s grafts Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Queen Rearing : Honeybees | Tagged bee, Beekeeping, bees, Brookfield, Brookfield Farm, cells, Farm, graft, grafting, hives, honeybees, how to, ideas, Karen Bean, larvae, Maple Falls, Mt. Vernon, nucleus, nucs, Pat Ray, practice, queens, Washington | 1 Comment

Grafting Honeybee Larvae to Make Queen Cells

Posted on July 19, 2011 by bean

Grafting honeybee larvae to create queen cells. Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Queen Rearing : Honeybees | Tagged bee, Beekeeping, bees, board, Brookfield, Brookfield Farm, cells, cloake, cloake board, cloke, Farm, graft, grafting, hives, honeybees, how to, Karen Bean, larva, larvae, Maple Falls, Pat Ray, queen, Queen cells, queen rearing, queens, rearing, Sue Cobey, Washington | 4 Comments

Workers and Queen Cells Unite! Adventures in Queen Rearing, Part 2

Posted on July 10, 2011 by bean

Our group puts the gathered nurse honeybees and a queen cell into mini-mating nuclei (nucs) to allow the queen bee to emerge and begin to lay eggs. Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Queen Rearing : Honeybees | Tagged Bean, bee, Beekeeping, bees, Brookfield, Brookfield Farm, Farm, honeybee, honeybees, how to, images, Karen, Karen Bean, Maple Falls, mating, nucleus, nucs, pictures, queen bee, queens, Washington | 2 Comments