Radical Apiculturalist Michael Thiele

...a word that suggests living with bees rather than keeping them. Feral honeybees as well as the bees of natural apiculturalists, after all, keep themselves and seem to be doing better without all the intervention. The same goes for the word “worker.” Thiele suggested that when we use this kind of 19th century industrial language we’re thinking more of our own desires than the true nature and health of the bees. The bien Thiele wants us to think of...

Read…

Boozing Bees

...try to rob other hives? About a week ago, a man who has three colonies of bees, told me that some strange bees were completely robbing one of his colonies. Today very probably the same bees were robbing one of mine, and I only have three. I stopt up the entrances, and that helped some, for my bees are quite strong. I was told that when bees were fed whiskey in honey it makes them bold to rob other people’s bee. What is your opinion? ILLINOIS. In...

Read…

What is and is not a “Swarm” of Bees

...sects are honeybees (Apis mellifera). There are also wasps, hornets, bumblebees and 4,000 species of native bees in the United States alone. These are often mistaken for honeybees, but their habits are very different. Collectively the evolutionary family tree that includes these insects are known as Hymenoptera. The 150,000 known Hymenoptera have a beneficial roll to play in the web of life. In addition to gathering pollen and nectar many Hymenopt...

Read…

How to Remove Bees From a Tree

...io. I knew that the job wouldn’t’ be too difficult. Here’s how I moved the bees from her tree to my apiary: 1. First I told her that when I was done removing the bees she needed to contact a certified arborist. A cavity is often a sign of a disease that could suddenly and unexpectedly cause a huge limb to break off. 2. Back in my workshop I made a simple one-way exit cone out of 1/8 inch hardware cloth. 3. I called up my beekeeping friends Max and...

Read…