They’ve been in their new homes at Lemoine Point Farm for exactly a week, and boy have they ever moved in! In case you’re not aware, a nucleus hive (or nuc) is the preferred method for selling colonies in Ontario. It’s a box with four, normally deep, frames: 2 or three frames of brood and a frame of nectar or honey. …
The Russians are here!
We visited the bustling metropolis of Moose Creek, ON, this morning to pick up 6 nucs of Russian bees this morning. We’ve heard good things about them and Jurg Zurcher was able to confirm most of them and discounted and important one: yes, they build up quickly; they can be swarmy, but make sure they have space to build and …
“It is said that smoke calms honeybees”
We don’t use smoke when we tend our hives. We never have and I don’t see any reason to start now. It disrupts the hive and can mask all kinds of odours that a beekeeper can use to figure out what’s happening in a hive. It appears that part of our justification for being smoke-free is also inacurrate: “The perception …