When it comes to beekeeping, two is better than one. Or is it? Does it ever make sense to have only one colony? Attend any bee club meeting or read any honey bee books, and you'll come across the recommendation to start with at least 2 hives. There are solid reasons for this advice! Two … Continue reading Does it Make Sense to Start with Only ONE Honey Bee Colony?
Restoring our native prairie has been one of the most exhausting and frustrating experiences. Read on to see what's happened in the past 3 years and where we are headed next. We chose to restore the 12 acres of tilled field to native prairie in order to restore the land. Our farm has been cropped … Continue reading Native Prairie Restoration Years 1-3
Ohio spiderwort is an edible prairie plant, important to pollinators, that can grow in harsh conditions. Minnesota is tough place to live! It's even tougher for plants. Long cold winters are the hallmark of our state, but most people are unaware that the middle strip of Minnesota is a sand plain - characterized by brutal … Continue reading Ohio Spiderwort – Edible, Hardy, and Beautiful
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?
From the very first day we walked the land, I have been looking for bees. And they were scarce. I would occasionally see a bumble bee and I did see a honey bee or two - but not very many. Any flowers at the property were usually devoid of life. Maybe it was because the … Continue reading If You Build It – They Will Come….. Attracting pollinators and breeding a better berry
