We have been tapping our maple trees for the last 6 years. It can be a lot of work, but it's worth it! You can tap almost any maple tree - in your urban yard, in the middle of a forest, or in your pasture. It doesn't matter. We started out tapping the 3 sugar … Continue reading Tapping Maple Trees for Syrup
Honey bees are model workers and important pollinators, but are they invasive? Should we be trying to save them or should we be forcing their eviction? As beekeepers, we get asked a zillion questions about bees. Over the years, the most common questions have centered on how to "save the bees." Just recently, that tone … Continue reading Are Honey Bees an Invasive Species
This article is part of our "trees for bees" series where we feature trees/shrubs that are excellent pollinator forage We raise honey bees in the sand prairie of Minnesota. It's a harsh landscape and many of the traditional "bee plants" struggle, so we look to native trees and shrubs to provide a lot of our … Continue reading Gray Dogwood – A Native Shrub For Pollinators and Birds
This is the story of how we went from owning 1 cat to 7 in just three months. Sometimes, the most exciting things are surprises.... We'll start at the very beginning - 8 years ago we adopted our first cat. She is a silver/gray siberian forest cat. Big and hairy. Our children were young and … Continue reading Is there such thing as too many cats?
What are the bare necessities to getting started in beekeeping? What suit should you get? What tools do you need? How much equipment?? We answer this, and more.... Beekeeping can be an expensive venture. There are so many tools, parts, and ideas swirling in honey bee land. If you are just starting out, it can … Continue reading Beginning Beekeeping – What you need to get started!
What is the best way to help out struggling bees and pollinators? If you aren’t a gardener or don’t have a yard, how can you help?? As beekeepers, we have an inside view on the needs of pollinators and we’ve boiled it down to 3 easy things that everyone can do to impact our pollinators. … Continue reading How you can help #savebees
This article is part of our "trees for bees" series where we feature trees/shrubs that are excellent pollinator forage Smooth Sumac and Staghorn Sumac are common "roadside" plants in North America. They are pioneer plants and quickly spread by rhizomes to colonize erosion prone areas. They are unique looking shrubs, grow without maintenance, tolerate drought … Continue reading Staghorn Sumac – A blessing to bees and humans
