Findlay Creek Apiary

This is a Queen bee. She is outside of her hive because she has been superseded. When Queens fail to lay enough eggs ( 1000’s per day) the hive will have her replaced by a daughter and push her out of the hive to die. These girls probably still have 100000 eggs left in them. So when we find old Queens, we give them a small hive box to populate. This way we maximize the local bee population and give an old girl a home that appreciates her.

A few more weeks and wraps can come off.

Lots of buzzing today.

I am finally getting into this instagram thing. I will be wearing my many hats through a single account. Follow me for Beekeeping news and updates, Local wrestling info, and of course Ottawa Real Estate. https://www.instagram.com/derek_kossatz/

They made it!,......so far, anyway. First inspection of the year. So far 90% are still with us. Most keepers average a 60% survival rate but we still arent done with winter yet. Today was for a quick hive count and to check the bees food stores. Now that the bees will be more active on warmer days, they will need to eat more. There is currently no pollen or nectar avaiable so if they run out of food they will die of hunger, not winter. So we inspect and feed if necessary until the trees start to bud.

Spent the day clearing the snow from around the hives. This will give easier access in early spring for when it is actually time to get into the hives. Ever tried to snowblow 30 inches of snow with a 20 inch deep snowblower? Takes a few passes.

More January action. I often get asked how my bees are doing. The truth is, I dont know. Late summer preparation and wait is all we can do. The hives are wrapped and the snow acts as an insulator so we leave them covered. On warmer days near 0 celsius some bees might come out for a cleansing flight (poop) and quickly return. If we were to open a hive and check on them they might freeze and die. So for now , we wait. Around May, when temperatures are consistently above 0 Celsius, the bees will start to fly and thats when we will know if they made it through winter.

Mid winter action!

Wishing all our Honey lovers and Beekeepers all the best in 2021!Wishing all our Honey lovers and Beekeepers all the best in 2021!

It is Not local honey!

We are always looking for ways to improve our order process and delivery system. Can anybody recommend an App? Must be Apple compatible over multiple devices. Delivery routes, Customer relationship management, Inventory, Billing, etc... Let me know.

Final prep. Tucked away just intime for the snow.

Tell it to the Bees! We do!

More FAKE news, this time from the BBC Reality: there were only 2 queens found, not 200 ! https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54910098

Autumn Honey Specials: The taste of August wildflower Honey Try it with Waffles, pancakes, toast, tea and coffee. Free delivery! Order here: https://findlaycreekapiary.ca/place-orders-here