Are you a newbie beekeeper needing more info about how to start beekeeping? I know that there’s a lot to learn at the beginning, and it can seem kind of overwhelming.
Or perhaps you just have a general question about honey bees. You know – one of those “I’ve always wondered about …” kind of questions.
Whatever your question, as long as it’s related to honey bees or beekeeping, feel free to ask it here. I’ll do my best to answer.
Now, I don’t want to present myself as an expert. I don’t have a degree in entomology or biology.
I’m just someone who’s been fascinated with honey bees for many years, and have had lots of fun being a beekeeper. Hopefully I’ve picked up a tidbit or two of knowledge along the way.
So if I can answer your question, I will. If I don’t know the answer and can’t find it, I’ll tell you that, too. Maybe one of our many website visitors will know the answer.
And don’t worry – no question is too basic or too simple.
Remember the wise old saying: The only stupid question is the one that you don’t ask.
But please – do scroll through the list of questions below. Maybe your question has already been asked, and the answer is just waiting for you.
Are you a beekeeping newbie with a question? Or maybe you have one of those "I always wondered about..." questions about honey bees.
Ask it! I'll answer your question if I can.
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
hive death





This was my first year with bees and at mid July - the hive was jumping with two deeps full of bees and i added a shallow which was partially drawn out....
OK to share honey among hives?





I have two hives-one is stronger than the other. There were two frames of honey stored in a third super above the strong hive. Since it is close to winter,...
summer starvation





not so good. went to check the hive and the goal was to check the bottom deep. both sets of deeps look very depleted in terms of honey with little to ...
Can the bee hive get too hot?





At the start of summer I saw the bees milling about on the front of the hive. Now they are more then one layer deep hanging out on the entire front of ...
I'm confused about my bees behavior...





On all three of my bee hives, I find that the bees are sitting on the entrance boards. They are new hives (queen and three pounds of bees). One hive is ...
What do you think about this location?





I was finally able to get a photo of where I'd like to set up my apiary. What do you think (see pic)? As you can see, I don’t really have to worry about ...
How do Bees Store Sugar Syrup?





When bees store sugar syrup in the Fall for winter is that capped or does it just appear as white in the cells?
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Good question.
When ...
Where to buy beeswax




On the doctor show they said beeswax is good to use on darkened elbows. Where do I buy this kind of wax? Thank you for any info.
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Hi Barbara,
That'...
Bees in trees



I live in a woods where there are many den trees. We used to have many wood ducks nesting in these dens but now most are full of bees. I don't want to ...
hive splits
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Hello..I am 3rd year beek--so now I need to start advancing some of my techniques beyond prayer and trying to keep the bees alive thru winter...soooo I ...
Wintertime Hive Activity
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I have two bee hives. The temperature was in the fifties. The one hive had hundreds flying around. The other have had only three or four bees. Do you think ...
Pet dogs and bees
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I am ready to buy a nuc - I'm a beginning bee person. I have a quarter acre for my backyard but I have 3 dogs
If I start out with two hives, do I need ...
Jellied Honey?
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I have several frames of honey in which a large part of the frame is filled with what looks and behaves like honey jelly!
It is clear, not crystallized ...
Do bee hives reduce the number of bees among your flowering plants
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A neighbor installed a bee hive close to our back yard. In the past, we have had many bees among our flowering plants.
Why have the number of bees declined?...
More hive assembly problems
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Hi, Thanks for helping me with my problem.
I forgot to ask, when I put the hives together they are fairly square but when I put them on top of each ...
Hive assembly problems
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Hi,
I am assembling Langstroth pre-cut bee hives and supers from the WALTER T. KELLEY CO.
I put the hives together and they are fairly square. But ...
Hive Died
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My bees were alive in late March, dead in mid-May. I took the hive apart, cleaned it, found the queen (also dead).
I reassembled everything, left all ...
Bee Colors
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Hi, I was watching about 20+ bees on a plant on the back garden and discovered that several were one color and some were other colors. Are they all from ...
Supplementing Weak Hive With Brood From Stronger Hive
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I have been told to take full base frames from a strong hive and place into weaker hive to give it a boost of eggs and larvae. The strong hive is 100% Italians ...
Crooked comb...sigh....
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Hi,
First I am really grateful for your site. Second, it has been crazy weather in Missouri - but today it was sunny AND not raining and I got the ...
When to add a brood chamber and when to harvest honey
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I installed package bees on April 7, 2011. They have filled six frames with honey and are working on frames seven and eight. When should I add another ...
Medications For Bees
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I am installing 2 hives today I just received from you. My question is what types of medications will I need throughout the year, if any?
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Hi,...
Finding a Flower Patch & Communicating Location
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How do the scouts communicate the distance & direction from the hive where they have a found a good food source, so more foragers can go and collect food....
Home owner - distance required between hives and house
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I ONLY HAVE A SMALL LOT. I HAVE HEARD
THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE HIVES A
CERTAIN DISTANCE FROM DWELLING HOUSES.
IS THIS CORRECT?
THANKS....
Honey lover went honey hunting but found no honey
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I found a bee hive in an old building in the wall. I took out part of the wall to get to the honey, but the bottom of the comb was empty. No eggs, no larvae,...
Question About Honey Bee Hive That Swarmed
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I think my bees swarmed 1 week ago yesterday last Friday. I boxed them in another hive, and today I was checking the old hive and there are no eggs in ...
OK to use equipment from a dead hive?
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Help! I had a weak colony given to me last year, inspected them yesterday and found them dead and gone... I am not planning on giving up... I will order ...
Can two packages of bees be combined?
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Can two packages of bees be combined to get a head start on honey production? If so, how would it best be done?
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Hi Janet,
Interesting question!...
Will I be able to harvest honey off of a hive started from a package
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Will I be able to harvest honey off of a new hive started from a package this year?
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Hi Janet,
The answer is maybe - but I wouldn't get my ...
Springtime and Extra Honey
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Do I need to remove leftover winter honey in my hives?
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Hi Mary,
If you're referring to honey that your bees stored in combs last season, and ...
Microwave Oven & Melting Beeswax?
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Hi! I have about 10 frames worth of honeycomb. I want to melt it, but I don't have a solar wax melter. How do you feel about a microwave oven? Would I ...
Bees Nesting in the Ground
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I have small holes all over my lawn, each hole is home to a small type of bee. What are they, and is it safe for children to play on my lawn.
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Hi ...
How to Tell Which Hive Has Swarmed
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Me and my friend have a bee hive each but they are like 10-15 meters away from each other but now one of the bee hive family has grow bigger and they done ...
Feeding Bees in a Top Bar Hive
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How do you feed bees in a top bar hive? I'm about to embark on a new journey here and cannot find this little bit of info.
Thanks!
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Hi, Glad ...
Queen Excluder Question
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Hello. If your hive has a queen excluder and an upper entrance and your hive supersedes can the new queen get out?
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If you have a queen excluder ...
Can I call it an Apiary when I have only one hive?
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Good day,
I am new at beekeeping, and I am planning to sell my honey, according to the label requirements I need a name and address. Must the address ...
Melting Beeswax
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I have some beeswax from when I had bees years ago. I am now interested in cleaning and using this for making a lotion. I read somewhere to use only ...
Beehive Distance From People
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Hi again! I need some more expert advice if you don't mind. Some of my family members are a bit cautious about the distance between the beehive and themselves....
Beehive Rooftop
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Hello, I am new to beekeeping. I live in a suburb with a backyard with little privacy. I have a large rooftop with some great privacy, and I was wondering ...
How Safe is Raw Honey?
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I have been checking into raw honey, and I have found some sources that say it is not safe to eat due to some form of toxin in it. Is this true? I have ...
Question On Medications
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Haven't had bee hives for at least six years now and much has changed regarding meds.
We have pkg. bees from BeeWeaver coming in April. Should we use ...
"Raw" Honey Consistency
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Is all "raw" honey milky looking? If not, can you tell if it is "raw" by looking at it?
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No Rich, not all raw honey has that appearance.
The ...
Bears and Bees
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Hi, great info. I want to start raising bees this spring, and live in Northern Wisconsin with black bears visiting my yard all summer long. I am concerned ...