CactusKilt

Optimizer / Borates (Boric acid) will exterminate your bee colonies.

A quiet look at the bees.

Just a quick walk through the apiary and a little experiment.

I install honey supers, new queen excluders. Talk about beekeeping and the impooof drinking water.

Watch me move a colony of honeybees from a 5 frame nuc to an 8 frame double deep. Something embarrassing happens.

I split my very healthy hive and repopulate a dead hive. Things go wrong and I go to plan-B. We meet a new friend.

I prepare a hive for spring and summer. Remove the winter quilt box and install a top feeder.

I treat my bees and talk about history, biology and chemistry of treatment.

First ever harvest from both my hives. Pretty good considering a drought cut the nectar flow short.

Discovered the heatwave (116°F) caused the wax seals to fail in parts of the Flow frames. Nectar backing up in the harvesting channels and sugar ants have found it.

After discovering brood in comb built in my feeder box, I had to change plans to avoid potentially harming my queen.

Removing feeders and installing Honey Supers on both hives.. potentially bad News changes my plans

I install 2 new colonies after losing all my bees over winter.

Searching my Dead-out hive for resources I can use for my new bees.

The quilt box is a moisture control that also helps insulate so the bees can keep warm and healthy.

Installing a bee escape board to make removing the honey super easier.

How I make my hive parts look nice without paint. Fire and Oil!

Replacing my 2nd brood box with one that matches.. Western Red Cedar. Also, adding a slatted bottom rack.

My Bee Bee Que Special.. where instead of smoking my hive, I smoke a nice beef brisket.

The day I thought my hive was being robbed out.. thankfully, I was mistaken.

The girls have filled the bottom boxes.. time to add the Flow honey super... And maybe explain how it works.

My girls are rapidly expanding the colony and need room. I add a 2nd brood box with natural empty frames and BetterBee frames.

I open and inspect my girls for the first time since installing the colony.

Received and installing my first colony of bees. It's a 5 frame much being placed into an 8 frame brood box.