So you’re thinking of starting your own apiary… Odds are you have spent some time learning about bee biology and gaining an understanding of your role as a new beekeeper. You might have already done your homework and are familiar with the best type of land for beekeeping. If you are using someone else’s land…
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Whether you have a few hives and want to sell a bit of your honey at the local farmer’s market or you are running a large wholesale operation, you will need to decide how much to charge for your honey. Your honey is the product of hours of hard work— both on your part and…
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Verbal contracts are hard to prove, especially if the other side is saying “I never agreed to that!” 🙄 Whether you are a hobbyist, sideliner, or commercial beekeeper, when putting hives on other peoples’ land, it is best to create a written document outlining the terms of the arrangement. Benefits of a Written Contract for…
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Today I got to see the famous Dr. Samuel Ramsey—the University of Maryland bee scientist who pioneered research that discovered that Varroa mites feed on fat bodies, not hemolymph (blood in invertebrates)—speak about his new research into an emerging threat to apis mellifera at the 2020 American Beekeeping Federation conference in Schaumberg, IL. And—wow—his talk…
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Aerial mosquito control can be good for animals and people in your community (it helps reduce Zika and West Nile Virus) but is definitely bad for any bees that get caught in the fog. There are multiple steps that both you and the local, state, and federal government can take to reduce the impact…
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