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The Cathedral Hive and a Snowy Winter Entrance
The Bees are still busy in the Cold of Winter!
By Corwin Bell
With 12 inches of snow and 18 degree temperatures the bees still manage to keep the entrance open. Is it necessary for us to clear the entrance for them ?
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I have never cleared the snow from the entrances of my hives. My observation is that if the bees want to fly or they have a reason to open the entrance they will do it on their own. With the 30mph wind we had the other day and temperatures at 18 degrees, I was happy to see that the bees had left the snow covering the entrance. When it warmed up a bit to 30 degrees, they had made a little hole through the snow at the entrance (seen in the photograph).
I once put a hive out in a valley that had a small depression in the landscape, which I thought would protect the hive from the high winds. Each winter the depression would drift over, totally obscuring the hive. The first winter this happened, I thought for sure the bees would suffocate, but come spring, the bees had survived! Every winter brought drifting snow yet the hive survived every year.
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The bees carved out a small hole in the snow at their entrance, creating some ventilation and a spot to come out once the temps warm up.
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Session I Class
Feb 20 - Boulder, CO
Mar 5- Battle Ground, WA
May 28 - Carbondale, CO
This class is for those just getting started. We will cover basic bee ecology, how the bees communicate with each other in the hive, explain why bees are a super-organism, and the importance of honeybee genetic diversity.You will learn how to set up the hive for bees, obtaining bees, catching a swarm and getting the bees into the hive.
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You will learn the reasoning behind treatment-free, natural beekeeping (it may surprise you). We will demonstrate how to work with the bees in an altruistic, gentle manner so that a symbiotic relationship is formed with the bees. And if there are combs to harvest, we will demonstrate how to harvest and process honey comb.
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Session 2 Classes
Feb 21 - Boulder, CO
Mar 6 - Battle Ground, WA
May 29 - Carbondale, CO
This class is for the bee guardian who has taken the beginner class and has a colony of bees. In this class you will learn an in-depth working relationship with the bees. The class will cover a deeper understanding of the intimate workings of the colony and the brood nest, so that the bee guardian can confidentially work their hive and feel comfortable with interacting with the bees.
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We will cover spring harvesting, queen-less hives, over wintering and processing all comb types. We will also demonstrate the new Cathedral Hive designed by Corwin. This is a chance to see how
this new hive works and how it is an evolution in top bar beekeeping!
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NEW!
Session 3 Workshop
Spring Assessment & Harvesting Using the Bear Snack Method
Mar 19 & 20 - Boulder, CO
$45 each day
This weekend workshop is for the bee guardian who has taken both the Session I & II workshops and wants more hands-on experience. We are excited to offer this workshop to help bee guardians build confidence in working with the bees. We will be assessing overwintered hives, learn when to harvest combs, when and how to rotate out brood combs, how many combs to take to open up the brood nest, and how many honeycombs to leave for the bees until the threat of cold weather has passed
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This 2 day, in-depth workshop is hands-on, going through several hives for assessment. Our methodology is to harvest combs in the spring not the fall. In the spring time the bees have used all the combs they needed to survive the winter and they want space in the hive to store fresh nectar and pollen to rear their young.
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NEW!
The Cathedral Hive Workshop
April 30 - Boulder, CO
Join Corwin for the day learning about the new Cathedral Hive!
This will be a hands-on workshop exploring this new hive design while working with the colony in the new hives. Many of the management techniques are similar to a normal top bar hive but there are some big differences in ease of use and techniques.
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*** Holiday Gifts ***
Dec 18th last day to ship for Dec 25th delivery
Choose UPS 3 day select, Fed Ex 2 day or USPS Priority Mail
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Give the Gift of a Bee Guardianship Class!
The recipient receives this Bee Gift Card below
when you register them for a
Bee Guardianship Class from BackYardHive
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Artwork created by Corwin Bell
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Happy Beekeeping!
Congratulations on starting your adventure into
Bee Guardianship with a class from BackYardHive!
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The helmet and veil slip over your jacket or suit and adjust with strings for a secure fit. One size fits all. Helmet band is adjustable for the best fit.
Read why we LOVE this new Bee Helmet! Read more ...
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Unique hand-crafted ceramic Bee Guardian plaques created by neighbor and new bee guardian Tom Pakele.
Small, Medium & Large
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Bee Plaques $18, $22, $32
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A Great stocking stuffer for the holidays!
'Eldorado Gold' Pure Propolis tinctures are an herbal extract specially harvested to capture the essence of the region-specific tree resins the bees have collected.
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Propolis Tincture SALE! $18.50
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Protective Goat Skin Gloves
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Sting-less Goatskin Gloves have a nylon sleeve. They are extremely pliable and sting resistant.
Available Sizes: Small, Medium & Large
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Leather Beekeeping Gloves $29
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