How to Make a Bee Skep

...oneycomb, skeps are “bounced” over an empty skep to remove the bees. These bees are then combined with weaker hives and overwintered. It’s easy to see, from the hard work and level of skill required, why the modern and much easier to manipulate Langstroth style hive boxes replaced the skep. And skeps are technically illegal in the US as state bee inspectors require hives with moveable frames that can be easily inspected. There are some, however, w...

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Saturday Linkages: Crimean Ovens, Ikea Distillery and Pallet Wood

...abinets http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/pallet-wood-kitchen-cabinets/ … Bees in Danger: California DFA Plans Pesticide Application in Carpinteria, Summerland http://www.noozhawk.com/article/bees_in_danger_california_dfa_plans_pesticide_application_20140303#.UxdqUKHYm88.twitter … How Dangerous Streets Limit People’s Experience of Their Neighborhood http://streetsblog.net/2014/02/28/how-dangerous-streets-limit-peoples-experience-of-their-neighbor...

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Print and Internet Resources for Natural, No-Treatment Beekeeping

...” to describe systems like beehives that benefit from adversity. Challenge bees with an invasive parasite such as Varoa mites and they’ll eventually figure out a strategy to deal with them. That is, unless we humans decide to prop up weak colonies with misguided interventions. Taleb says, Crucially, if antifragility is the property of all those natural (and complex) systems that have survived, depriving these systems of volatility, randomness, and...

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Asking the Right Questions

...eed to ask about the many subjects covered on this blog. Take for instance bees. Mainstream beekeepers ask, “How can I get more honey?” when they should be asking the same question Parsifal asks, “What ails thee?” That is, “What is in the long term interest of the bee’s health?” This is the question Michael Thiele and Kirk Anderson both ask. It’s a wise one to ask, since our health is inextricably entwined with that of the bees. Or think about ais...

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All Natural No-Treatment Beekeeping Class at the Ecology Center

...r and enjoy a healthy garden full of pollinators. Understand the basics of bees, all natural beekeeping methods, tools, materials, and techniques to get you started. It’s said that beekeeping, or apiculture, began with the Egyptians whom used logs, boxes, and pottery vessels to make their own bee hives. Today, the practice of beekeeping lives on. Help save a dying species, encourage pollination in your garden, and enjoy raw, organic honey! In this...

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