Every spring beekeepers have to take stock of their bee hives. Which ones are strong and which ones are weak. The strong have amazing build up of population, because the queen is laying like crazy, and the weak have a queen that is really just walking around the combs not doing anything! So that's where re-queening comes in. You have to remove the queen who is not doing anything and introduce a new one.  This sounds easy, but does not always go the way you think it should!  Yesterday, I opened a few queen cages that had been in their new hives and most f them just walked out and were accepted by the hive. But one decided this was...

As we practice social distancing, it may be comforting to think about the social behavior of honey bees. They cooperate as a society: forming a hive together, sharing food, and caring for the offspring of the queen.  They have a complex division of labor system, so every bee has its own responsibility to keep the hive running smoothly. To thrive, they rely on communication, usually by pheromones (smells) and dancing.   Let's follow hive rules and work together.