Spring has sprung and the bees are getting busy a little early this year, which is a good problem to have for beekeepers. That also means hives are swarming, or casting off new colonies, and existing colonies that have survived the winter are building up and getting active. My phone is ringing off the hook … Read More
This article was originally published in The Bee Supply monthly magazine The birds are singing… the flowers are in bloom… and the animal kingdom is all sultry Barry White music and chilled white wine. Love is in the air, y’all, and our bee yards are buzzing in tune. Early season pollen and nectar flow kick … Read More
Here’s the thing, y’all: keeping bees alive ain’t easy, and as new beekeepers we just don’t know what we don’t know until we find out later that we didn’t know it. That means we’re going to fail. That means dead-outs for what seems no apparent reason, hive diseases, swarming colonies and parent colonies going feral. … Read More
Interesting article in American Scientist Magazine about bees and insect consciousness. It’s easy to imagine bees have deep inner lives – just look at the decisions they make collaboratively and how they build in the hives! It’s clear that there’s something more going on than just instinct.
Dearth. It means a “scarcity” or “lack” of something. And the Texas summer dearth is a long season with a total lack of nectar-bearing plants for bees and other pollinators. When the temperatures are consistently above 100F, foliage just shrivels up and the land goes dry. And this year has been downright Biblical so far … Read More
1-D-1 open space law offers incentives for landowners and opportunity for beekeepers By Charlie Agar (originally printed in the Texas Bee Supply Magazine – Feb 1, 2022) Ben Franklin famously said that nothing is more certain in life than “death and taxes,” but a 2012 Texas law gives landowners a potential reprieve (from the tax … Read More
These recent years have been a rollercoaster, haven’t they? From running out of toilet paper and dousing groceries in Lysol in early 2020 to deep political divides, climate-related catastrophes, and just far too many Zoom calls, it’s been a bit surreal. But through it all I’ve found solace in the simple act of working my … Read More
AUSTIN, Texas, Jan. 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — The Texas airwaves will be buzzing this January when the all new reality television series, Charlie Bee Company, makes its US broadcast premiere on Austin PBS, KLRU-TV. The (8) hour-long episodes from iniosante studios put viewers in a front row seat working with our planet’s most important pollinator. … Read More
That’s it for Charlie Bee Company in 2021, y’all! We’re coming into the colder months here in Texas and any nuisance hive removals will have to wait until March so the bees can survive the transition from your wall, tree, or water meter to the CharlieBee bee yard. Our hives will be getting into their … Read More
By Timothy Fanning San Antonio Express-News — Nov. 1, 2021 Click here for original article This year’s frigid winter storm and summertime droughts may be responsible for decreased honey production in Texas. Since the state is one of the nation’s top producers, there will be even less honey and potentially higher prices. It’s likely that … Read More
