Producers of Virginia Honey & Local Queens

A pollen-packed frame in early spring is a key sign of a healthy hive. Learn why pollen is critical for brood development and colony growth.

Preparing for Pollination Season at Gees Bees Spring is right around the corner, and that means one thing in the bee yard— it’s time to get ready for packages. Before the bees even arrive, the work starts by getting the hives set, leveled, and placed exactly where they’ll spend the season. Why Set Hives Before the Bees Arrive? One of the most overlooked parts of beekeeping is timing. When your packages show up, things move fast. The last thing you want to be doing is figuring

One of the most exciting—and rewarding—moments in beekeeping is catching a swarm. It’s nature’s way of giving you a free colony, already equipped with a queen and a workforce ready to build. Using a swarm trap is one of the simplest and most effective ways to take advantage of this natural process, especially here in Virginia where swarm season typically kicks off in early spring. Why Bees Swarm Swarming is how a honey bee colony reproduces. When a hive becomes crowded—usuall

If you’re a beekeeper, you already know that losses happen. Whether it’s due to harsh winters, pesticide exposure, or unexpected colony collapse, losing bees isn’t just frustrating; it’s also expensive. That's where the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) comes in. What Is ELAP? The USDA Farm Service Agency Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) is designed to help producers recover

Johno's Easy Vap is used to treat bees for mites

I collected a swarm in my yard. I knew that I had to be mine. How marking queens helps manage your colonies Marking queens allows beekeepers to quickly confirm that the same queen is still present in the hive during inspections. This reduces stress on the colony, shortens inspection time, and helps prevent accidentally injuring the queen while searching for her. It also helps identify when a hive has requeened itself naturally, which is especially important after a swarm or d

Replacing a queen is a normal part of beekeeping. Queens can fail, become poorly mated, stop laying consistently, or simply need to be upgraded for better genetics. The challenge is not placing a new queen into a hive — the real challenge is getting the colony to accept her . If a hive does not accept a new queen, the workers will kill her. Before releasing a queen, I always recommend doing a simple acceptance check. It only takes a few minutes and can save you from losing an

Guard bees protect the hive by recognizing intruders, sounding alarms, and defending against predators. Learn how bees become guards and why they are vital to the colony.