A Subarctic Beekeeper

It is the end of March and I need to get my bees outside and into the direct sun. October 2024 was their last cleansing flight. The temperatures are still going down to the single digits at night and daytime is still freezing. However, in the direct sun, the temperature is rising to above 50F for an hour or two. I've got to move the snow and ice off the hive pod ASAP.

The bees are still in the bee barn and have at least another two months to go unless I take them out early. The queen typically starts to lay eggs after winter solstice. It tends to happen a little later in the far North. Regardless, the new bees need some protein and fat for their growth and development. A pollen patty does the trick. Also, I go over a couple of projects planned for this spring and summer involving breeding arctic queens and planting high honey yielding plants native to Siberia.

It's been too warm. Daytime temps have been going into the 80s-90s in the direct sun. Bees are out foraging but we've been in a pollen dearth for over a month. They are HUNGRY! Due to planting for them, they've got some blossoms but not enough. Also, we are having some blooms come up that should have been done months ago. So, I've been feeding them dry pollen, pollen patties, fondant and syrup to cover allllll of the bases. Due to requests, I've started making videos on YouTube so people have a visual of the beekeeping practices I'm describing. Thank you so much for following. Come check out the YouTube videos at @ASubarcticBeekeeper. Take care of yourselves, take care of your bees. Ukraine is winning.

Yet more info on varroa mites. Including the long list of the viruses that this creature spreads, and how we help them spread from hive to hive. Who knew the males were white and stayed in the comb? I sure didn’t.  Gotta go drench the bees. For more information on A Subarctic Beekeeper and Happy Creek Farm, visit our Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (yes, Twitter) pages under Happy Creek Farm. Thanks for listening.

A play by play on mid-June hive checks. We’ve had weird rain and thunder squalls that have helped with all that provides natural sources of nectar and pollen in our environment. The bees are doing their things. The red queens are still cranking out the brood. We’re just good stewards who provide them with what they need in order to maximize colony build up before winter. This includes addressing any problems including DWV, mites, nosema etc. For more info on A Subarctic Beekeeper please see our IG an FB pages under Happy Creek Farm. We’re also on Twitter. Thanks for listening.

Spring is not yet here. Almost. Still waiting for green up and pollen explosion. Checking hives that have overwintered from last year. Seeing good results from changes made in temperature of hive pod and feeding.

In early spring our overwintered honeybees are the most vulnerable. Many who overwinter successfully find that they lose their colonies in the spring. In our neighborhood, here’s why and what I do to help. 

Daytime temps getting up to the 40°F range mid afternoon. However, in direct sun they’re getting into the 60°F. Time to pull out the bees and get them in the hive pod for cleansing flights. 

The bees have been in the bee barn since late October 2023. I want to do another round of hive checks and add feed because it could be another month before they can be moved outside. 

It's colder that cold. Had to layer up and check on the bees in the bee barn before our temps drop again. We've already had over a week with temps in the -40F range. The warmest has been -21F and that was today. Wanted to take some updated infrared pic of the hives to check to see which colonies are still kicking and where they are in the hives. Also, took samples for varroa and nosema tests and for an experiment to wake the dead (bees). Video of that is on FB page. Finally, added wool blankets over the poly hives for extra protection as our outside temps continue to hit bottom. Thanks for listening.

It's been awhile since the last podcast. Head injury has jacked up my brain some so that being in the sun, hot temps and being on a screen ( to name some) have been difficult. This is a recap of the summer that has, thankfully, just passed. Winter is good. Everything slows down a little. More to come.

This is Part 1 of an interview with respected subarctic beekeeper, Steven George. Steven has been overwintering his honey bees in our subarctic environment and our harsh climate for many years with great success. Hear how he prepares his bees, encourages late season egg laying, winters his bees and keeps them alive through the spring.

Have to check how the hives are doing. Our winter has been exceptionally warm and we've had some power outages, so I need to make sure they're OK. I haven't been checking on them very often and I want to make sure they still have enough stores. I also want to do some tests for mites and nosema.

Beekeeping in a Subarctic drought. 

North of Fairbanks, Alaska, we went from a long winter into summer. We have to feed our bees pre nectar flow and then again when the nectar dearth arrives in order to prepare them for overwintering. Discussion on what we feed our bees and why.

It's one of the coldest Mays in the past 30 years. We still have snow. There's a bit of pussy willow pollen but no nectar. Feeding the bees is crucial. Upcoming visit from National Honey Bee Survey people.

Many of us lose hives during the winter. Ironically, the time that's the most precarious for overwintered hives in the subarctic is at the end of winter. In this podcast I go over how to do a necropsy on a dead colony to find out why the colony died, so we can make changes to prevent it happening again.

Quick and easy breakdown of thermodynamics and an explanation of how to retain warmth that comes off the cluster. 

On building a small outside structure on deck to shelter hives and keep them warm in freezing temperatures, but still allow for cleaning flights during warm spells.

A Subarctic beekeeper takes the listener along while treating her hives for varroa mites.

A subarctic beekeeper checking split colonies for overall health and preparing to add a new queen.