Chubak Method for Laying Workers – 2015

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Some have asked about how we solve a laying working problem in a beehive. This can be a costly problem, and a fatal issue which can end your beekeeping season. Eco Bee Box Mini Urban Beehive. What happens: When a colony goes queen-less for a period of time, about 20 days, a number of worker bees (unfertilized females) begin to lay eggs. These eggs are raised and become drones. Drones do little to aid a colony and consume lots. Quickly the frames are changed to drone cells which look like popping eyes. Slowly the worker bees diminish and all you […]

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Solving Beekeeping Problems is Like Trying to Put Plugs in a Sponge to Stop Water – ABF Quarterly 2019

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Originally published in the American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) Quarterly Vol. 77 No. 2  pg. 28-29. 2019 A challenge in beekeeping many can relate to…which hole to stop first?  “If it isn’t one thing it is another” is the adage that some say with regard to how to keep honey bees alive.  Honey bees are “livestock” and as such, there is an unseen and visible world threatening them daily.  Each year lessons are sadly learned as a result of mistakes, both intentional and unintentional.  These lessons vary from apiary to apiary, hive to hive, and beekeeper to beekeeper.  One apiary may […]

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Duties of the Beekeeper – Etiquette in Learning and Reading a Frame – ABF Quarterly 2018

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Originally published in the American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) Quarterly Vol. 76 No. pg. 36-37. 2018 With any hobby, the goal of why a particular hobby was chosen over others can be quite diverse.  Enjoyment, filling a void, supporting another interest like gardening, can be for learning and demystifying a world previously unknown, there is a social attraction for those wanting friends or just want to meet others of similar mind, and yes it can be for producing the golden sweet honey.  Farmers-markets, classes, socials, conferences, workshops, hiving, inspections, harvest, give an almost constant series of activities to enjoy on a […]

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The Honor of Being a Mentor – 2019 ABF Quarterly

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Originally published in the American Beekeeping Federation (ABF) Quarterly Vol. 77 No. 1 pg. 30-31. 2019 A teacher’s relationship with a student remains for a lifetime.  An English teacher in high school seeing a low-level reading desire in a student gifted him a non-typical book, “Reilly’s Luck” by Louis Lamour on the condition once the book was read it was to be returned.  This student hid the book and took it to his car and there it stayed.  Later that night the novel was rediscovered and the result, the novel was returned the next day to the insightful teacher.  To […]

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Evolution of the Bee Sanctuary Hive – 2019

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Several years ago, in 2012, a new beekeeper and friend confessed to buying several hive styles because he wanted to see what the differences were and which was the best “for him”.  The insightful question was asked, “what did you find?” This is where the evolution began for the Sanctuary Long-box hive.  As he explained what his needs were, it was clear the standard Langstroth Deep System was not ideal for him in most respects.  One of the hives he tested was a top-bar hive with copper and a few “bells and whistles”.  Some of his findings were: Due to […]

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Eco Bee Box Created the Utah Hive – 2013

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This video shows the new box being used for Queen Rearing, but comb honey is maybe another great possibility. This box was initially created to produce comb honey and is intended to be a low effort for the beekeeper. Here is the reasoning: To prepare the honey for bottles, you need to rent or buy an extractor, uncapping tool, buckets, strainers, filters, and bottles.  In the end, the consumer doesn’t know if you modified the honey and essentially you get little for your messy, high effort – honey. Comb honey is in demand by the consumer and essentially is untouched […]

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Build Your Own Observation Hive – 2014

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An observation hive is one of the most interesting and rewarding types of beehives.  Up until now, observation hives were limited to a single frame or a number of single frames exposed through a large front window. Eco Bee Box had a goal of making an observation hive out of standard beekeeping equipment, the reason being the beekeeper knows how to use this box and had frames all ready to fit.  The beekeeper could build up the colony to survive the winter, whereas most single frame observation hives die due to lack of resources and difficult clustering space during winter. […]

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Sustainable Beekeeping – Queens, Honeycomb, and Pollination – 2015

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Two conflicting problems are seen in beekeeping: 80% of beekeepers lose their bees the first year. Beekeepers are told not to expect honey the first year. This poses an incredible challenge. Honey won’t magically appear if there are no bees or forage for them to produce it. The next problem beekeepers face is: most beekeepers do not know how to raise a queen. If the queen fails, dies, leaves, or any number of additional reasons, the beekeeper is left to try to find another queen, or wait until next year to get back into beekeeping. Eco Bee Box promotes a […]

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Missing Link for Beekeepers – The Mini Urban Beehive – 2014

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How many beekeepers were a part of the USDA study the last few years where they randomly testing hives all across the country for chemicals and diseases? This year the study concluded that chemicals found in the hives at toxic levels were added by the beekeeper!  Sad revelation really. In testing beekeepers a few questions can be asked: 1)  How much honey do you harvest yearly? 2)  Do you know how to raise your own queens? 3)  Do you medicate your colonies? The answer to these questions says a lot about the beekeeper.  Most beekeepers even beginners have a focus […]

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