Beekeeping

Robbing is just one of the ways that bees try to collect honey

We share our experience with queen-less hives, combining hives, and honey bee foraging options in Seattle, WA.

Local honey makes a meaningful holiday gift — and this December we are hosting a small honey and craft sale to help Seattle shoppers find something truly local. Join us for conversation, coffee, and a chance to do some genuinely local Christmas shopping. Everything here was made in Seattle. Honey, Jewelry, and Soap from Seattle We are selling Seattle Urban Honey alongside handmade jewelry and...

We tested different varroa mite treatments on our hives in Seattle and share the results of our experiments.

Her Majesty was not deposed. The throne remains in the hands — or rather, the wings — of the nasty grumpy queen. The honey bee queen replacement effort continues. Searching Six Boxes for the Queen We hunted through the entire hive — all 6 boxes and 60 frames of angry, buzzing bees — trying to find the queen. We went from the bottom up, then...

I am not happy today. The result of three bee stings to the face through my veil: I am puffed up like a chipmunk. I understand that this goes with the beekeeping territory. However, I wish I did not respond to bee venom quite so spectacularly. Dealing with an Aggressive Honey Bee Hive We have a grumpy hive. Aggressive behavior in honey bees is usually...

Yes — we have honey! After a cold, slow spring and early summer in Seattle, the honey bee harvest is finally here. It has been such an unusual season that I genuinely was not sure we would get surplus honey this year. As it turned out, the bees were simply waiting for the right weather window and then packed it in fast. First Seattle Honey...

Honey bees foraging in an urban garden means working a wider variety of plants than any agricultural setting — leeks gone to flower, garden herbs, ornamental blooms, and wild plants along fence lines. This Seattle summer has been frustrating for beekeeping: cool, overcast day after cool, overcast day, limiting how much time the bees can forage. When Is Honey Ready to Harvest? We are seeing...

These seven beehives at the Urban Horticulture Center on the University of Washington campus represent the heart of our University District apiary. The UW UWCUH site has become one of our most productive locations in Seattle — diverse foraging plants, a fenced area, and relatively calm bees. Managing a Queenless Hive After a Swarm The hive on the far left of our current photo is...

Seattle Urban Honey beekeeper dispatches: our hives are hungry. The blackberry bushes are just about to bloom, as are the locust trees, but they are waiting for a warm day before they open. The maple and chestnut are finished. With cool, cloudy, rainy weather still dominant, the bees are stuck at home and running low on stores. Emergency Feeding and the Risk of Starvation We...