Stingless Bee Intermediate Natural hive duplication 2 Hive duplication is something I have always been interested in. The ability to make a new hive from an existing one means you can use any hive box to start your new colony in. The support offered by the mother colony means your new hive will…
Stingless Bee Intermediate – Hive split Performing a hive split is not something that I do often. However, it is an important thing to know how to do successfully. An unsuccessful hive split with leave you with one of two things. A) A hive that appears to be working for the first 3-6 months and…
Stingless Bee Intermediate – Removing Brood Removing brood Removing brood from stingless bee hives can be a useful tool for many reasons. It can be used for transfers, boosting hives, making new colonies with the help of existing colonies and of course swarm capture. Removing brood from hives can be difficult to do without causing…
Stingless Bee Basics- Boxes I thought I would put together some videos to help stingless bee keepers who are starting out answer questions they might have. Feel free to post questions below so I can get an idea what people want to know. The first video is on a couple of box designs…
Stingless bee basics- Types of stingless bees Types of stingless bees most commonly kept One thing people might want to see is a few of the types of bees that people keep in boxes. Have a look in the video below as Dean Haley takes us for a tour inside some of his hives. …
Stingless bee basics- Where to locate your hive Where to locate your hive is something you will need to consider when you get your first hive. Have a look at this little video for a few tips on where to place your hive when you bring it home. Some people build special stands with…
Bee basics- Moving hives People often ask about moving hives. How far should I move it and what about swapping my hive from the back yard to the front? Here is a little video on moving hives and relocating them to a completely new area. Native bees can cope a lot better than…
Stingless bee basics- Monitoring bee hives Monitoring bee hives is one way to learn heaps more about your bees. From seeing queens do dances to new bees hatch. If you have the time I recommend installing a panel to see your bees. Check out the video to see inside some hives and a…
Stingless bee basics – Hive rubbish removal Hive Rubbish Removal Knowing what your bees are throwing out of your hive is a good way to see the health of the hive in the beginning stages of its growth. It can tell you if your hive has pests, is cleaning, is growing in bee numbers or…
Stingless Bee Basics – Swarms Swarms are something you can expect when you own a hive of stingless bees. While swarms can be a nuisance they have a role to play in the life cycle of the Australian native stingless bee. Check out this brief run through of 4 different types of swarms both…