Cloverfield Apiary

Did you know that during a single collection trip, a honey bee will visit anywhere from 50 to 100 flowers? Spring is on the horizon and if you're thinking of planting flowers to save the bees, here are a few historical suggestions that will grow here in New England: Bee Balm, Coneflower (Echinacea), Black-eyed Susans, Joe-pye W**d, and Goldenrod. If you have Dandelions or Clover in your backyard, these are the first nectar producing flowers for the buzzers. Let them grow! , , , , 🐝

Primitive beehives were made from woven straw covered with mud. Known as a skep, this older style of beekeeping is almost history. Very few keepers practice this ancient method. Why? Honey and Wax harvests are disruptive and often diminish or destroy the colony. There have been advancements since then that balance preserving the tradition and managing the colony. We love the idea of striking a compromise between the past and sustainability.

On January 19, 1810, New England experienced a rash of wild weather that was lethal for many. The day before had been mild for winter. Temperatures reached 67 degrees! The warm air was actually a front for a storm. It caught many off guard. Over the next 24 hours, the thermostat dropped 100 degrees as winds whipped up and snow fell. The minus 33 degree chill was among the coldest days on record. It was tough on bees. They overwinter and keep their hives at a constant in the 90 degree range. Keepers now insulate but the hives of the day certainly would have struggled. More next week on some historic bee facts as we look into how bees were kept, then and now!

Sometimes we open our hives and we can see that honey production has dipped. It can be a real head-scratcher. Did we wax the frames enough? Maybe there are not enough flowers. A new study by Penn State University hitting the headlines this month suggests that climate change may be the culprit. We believe it! We've seen our ancient maple trees react to warmer temperatures because they are sensitive. Imagine what is happening to our pollinating buddies? You can read more about by heading over to the article on Study Finds https://studyfinds.org/climate-change-honey-bees/ , , ,

50 years of research reveals why bees are producing less honey Climate change is emerging as the leading cause of why bees are making less honey in the United States.