Posts by jfpbase

Aprivar: What It Is, What it Does, & How to Use It Varroa destructor. It sounds like an evil nemesis to a comic book hero. It isn’t Superman that fears this parasitic mite. The mighty honey bee is the target of the Varroa destructor, and it is the most serious pest of honey bee colonies…

There are times when one person’s lessons learned are better shared to prevent others from having to learn the same.  This is true, regardless of how simple and seemingly commonsensical the lessons are.  I offer a few lessons here for any new beekeeper who has yet to figure out the seemingly obvious. I have two…

Few hobbies benefit the planet as does beekeeping.  Backyard beekeepers make a direct contribution to their environments and local communities.  New beekeepers can quickly become overwhelmed by the many options and even more opinions out there about all aspects in beekeeping.  One of the very frequent decisions for new beekeepers is the type of equipment…

The Nucs and Crannies of Beekeeping Interested in beekeeping? Looking to buy honeybees? You are not alone. Americans have spent a great deal of time at home since the pandemic began, and that has peaked interest in everything from backyard chickens to herb gardens, and of course, beekeeping. Honey production in the United States has…

How can I protect my bees from pesticides/insecticides? We use pesticides to eliminate harmful and nuisance insects.  Unfortunately, honeybees can be greatly impacted by these same pesticides, and there is little the hobbyist beekeeper can do to avoid it.  Honeybees can forage in a five-mile radius around their hive, and that is about eighty square…

In ancient Greece, upon Mount Olympus, a great wedding feast was prepared for the marriages of Zeus and Hera and Aphrodite and Hephaestus.  Of course, such a magnificent wedding had never happened, so naturally this was a big deal.   To add another level of excitement, Zeus issued a challenge to all the nymphs and dryads…

Should I feed my bees? This is an incredibly common question for beekeepers, especially those just starting out.  The answer is, as with most things in beekeeping….it depends.  Some of the factors influencing the decision to feed your bees are: Is this a new package? Is this a new NUC? Do your bees have enough…

Honeybees and Swarms It’s finally spring here in Northern Virginia.  The temperatures are on the rise, and flowering trees are in full bloom.  While we humans are certainly happy to climb out of another dreary winter, no one could be more happy than the region’s honeybees!  You see, over the winter, the bees have been…

We get a lot of questions about honey here at Sweet Sophia.  Apparently, there are a lot of really bad sources of information out there, so we thought we’d help with some of the common questions.   One very common question or concern that we hear is about crystalized honey, which we discussed in November.  So…

How do I get started in beekeeping? Beekeeping is an amazing hobby that is fun for the entire family and opens up a door to lifelong learning.  Besides the clear benefit of your own honey, you will be improving the environment and basically saving the planet.  A very common question by potential beekeepers is, “how…