Willie G's Honey/Bees

03/10/2026

A quick video of a newspaper combine. In hindsight, maybe I should have combined into 5 or 8 frame equipment, since low 20’s, with wind, are in the forecast.

02/18/2026

In case you didn’t know.

Every registered beekeeper plays an important role in protecting our honey bee population!🐝 Alabama’s No Comb Law is one of the most important safeguards for the state’s honey bee industry. This law makes it unlawful to import honey bees on comb including established colonies or nucleus colonies (Nucs) into Alabama. Due to the increase in purchasing nucs, we want beekeepers to stay vigilant of this rule.

If you have questions about importing bees or want to schedule an inspection, contact your regional state apiary inspector. For information visit, https://agi.alabama.gov/plantprotection/apiary-protection-unit/

02/16/2026

Happy Monday! Notes from the 1st inspection of the year. February 16, 2026. Mid 60’s and sunny. I did a few top to bottom inspections today in my home apiary, checking food stores and brood production. Colonies inspected were 10 frame deep/medium configuration. None of these colonies received any supplemental feed in the fall or over the winter months. They all were similar in size, containing around 4 to 5 frames of bees, with brood of all stages in the deep box. Capped brood was baseball to softball in size. The medium boxes were also similar, with 4 to 6 frames with capped honey, and some open nectar/honey. Pollen stores were looking good, but not a lot of diversity, with some Henbit, dandelion, and a majority of probably tree pollen of some type. I’m pleased with what I saw for mid February. Concerns - after a few days of upper 60’s to lower 70’s, another blast of cold air is being forecast for a couple of nights in the upper teens, with wind. Gotta love up and down winter/spring weather in northeast Alabama.

02/05/2026

Let’s take a moment to have a little fun. Thanks to my sister, Rhonda, for doing whatever is required to make this “cartoon “. 🤣 Fun stuff.

I’d like to take a moment to thank everyone who chose to follow this page. I hope you find it somewhat educational and maybe a little entertaining. If you watch closely, you’ll see me take a few stings along the way.

Now back to beekeeping. My last post in early/mid January was regarding the early bloom of some plants and trees, and bees foraging from them. A few days after that post, winter showed up, and hung around. The 10 day forecast is currently showing near or just above seasonal temperatures. The question is, what took place in the nest during the warmup? How did the extreme cold that followed affect the nest and food reserves?
Fresh incoming pollen and nectar stimulates the colony to begin rearing brood. The bees then start the process of caring for any brood within the nest. The cold weather returns, and the priority is to maintain temperature to incubate and care for the brood. If food in not near or in contact with the cluster, and temperatures don’t rise enough for the cluster to break apart, starvation could occur in a few days. The bees will not abandon the brood. Hopefully, none of that occurred. Next week, highs in the 50’s and 60’s. I plan to begin full inspections then. I’ll know more after I take a look.
Thanks for your time.
🐝

01/12/2026

The season is upon us, ready or not. I first noticed this maple blooming yesterday, 1/11/25, as the sun was setting. The glow of red blossoms from several hundred yards away was easy to see. I’m not sure what variety of maple this is, but it’s always the first one I see blooming in the spring. I took a closer look this morning, after a very cold night, and the gentle hum of bees flying filled the air. It’s probably a month earlier than it typically blooms, but our recent weather has been anything but typical. Red maples provide some of the first nectar and pollen sources for honey bee colonies in our area. Fresh pollen and nectar stimulates brood production within the nest, resulting in buildup of population. Fellow bee keepers and enthusiasts, ready or not, it’s on.

12/27/2025

It’s December 27, 2025, and the temperature is 67 F. Unseasonably warm. Bees are forging today. I’ve seen 3 different pollens being brought to the hive. Some colonies with a fairly steady stream, some more sporadic. The red most likely from Henbit, the purple flower, and orange from dandelion. I’m not exactly sure what the lighter yellow is from. I opened and checked 2 colonies on Christmas eve, and found what appeared to be wet nectar. Very unusual, I guess. I don’t usually open colonies in December due to the colder temperatures. This foraging will come to a screeching halt in 2 days due to the temperatures dropping to a more seasonal pattern, after 2 very cold nights. It will be interesting to see how these up and down temperatures will affect bee colonies in the weeks ahead. Until next time………..

06/02/2025

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04/11/2025

Update on the Yellow-legged Hornet
Dr. Gard W. Otis
Professor Emeritus, University of Guelph, Canada and Adjunct Researcher, Institute of Bee Health, Bern, Switzerland

Amidst the reports of huge colony losses and the political chaos in the USA, the Yellow-legged Hornet (YLH; Vespa velutina) seems to be far from most beekeepers' thoughts. This invasive hornet has contributed to the deaths of huge numbers of honeybee colonies in western Europe. Unfortunately, it has made its way to North America: it was first reported in Savannah, GA, in August, 2023, and 7 nests, all near the city of Savannah, were killed that year. Clearly some hornet colonies escaped detection and reared daughter queens because 50 additional hornet colonies were located and destroyed in Georgia and South Carolina last year. Overwintered queens should become active soon, but as of 18 March, 2025, there have been none reported yet.

To continue reading, please visit: https://www.beeculture.com/update-on-the-yellow-legged-hornet/

Photo Credit:
The Yellow-legged Hornet is a large wasp with distinctive yellow legs. In late summer and fall, YLHs frequently hover in front of bee hives to catch foragers as they return to their colony. Photo credit: Quentin Rome, Museum nationale d’Histoire naturelle, Paris.

03/12/2025

Sorry about the shadow. I’ve never claimed to be good at this. 😂 Inspection time .

02/21/2025

Latest update on nationwide colony losses.

Here is the second release of information about the PAm Colony Loss Survey. This is for a general audience, stay tuned today for a document sharing more detailed survey results for beekeepers/survey participants.

Read the press release here: https://loom.ly/sYp-CBw