Seattle beekeeping in winter means checking on hives during the few warm days that allow us to pull lids. We found the marker commemorating the 200th anniversary of Lorenzo L. Langstroth (b. Dec. 25, 1810) on a trip to Philadelphia — Langstroth developed the modern movable-frame beehive that all of us use today. Winter Hive Checks and Losses The darkest part of the year is...

A honey bee documentary film worth watching: Colony. My husband and I saw it at the tiny Northwest Film Forum on Capitol Hill in Seattle — a 49-seat theater with old-fashioned movie seats and a pre-film crowd of local beekeepers, including a host of two of our own hives. There was lively bee talk before the screening started. What Colony is About Colony follows three...

Winter beekeeping in Seattle means less hive activity but no less to do. The bees barely fly when temperatures drop below 52°F, and right now freezing temperatures are in the forecast. However, the hives still need attention — feeding, monitoring, and preparing for the cold months ahead. Feeding Bees for Winter We are using a gallon-capacity feeder that sits on top of the inner cover...

Seattle urban beekeeping at Seattle Urban Honey means keeping hives across 8 backyards in the north end of Seattle. This log entry marks the end of our 2010 season — the supers have come off, the bees are being fed sugar water, and the last of the honey has been extracted. End of the 2010 Seattle Honey Season This season was a poor one due...

Honey might ferment if the water percentage is higher than 18.5%. We invested in honey refractometer and a dehumidifier.

Our honey is in front of one of our bee hives. Seattle has looked pretty gray all summer long. It is a bad year for bees in Seattle. If you are a new beekeeper, I hope that you have not become discouraged. I can’t imagine facing some of the problems that we have had this year as a beginner. The worst thing over the last...