Backyard Beekeeping Blog
The Consequential Weeks of Late Summer
Late summer may still look like summer, but inside the hive, an important transition is underway. Learn what makes winter bees different and why this generation can have an outsized effect on the months ahead.
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Why is it called a Top Bar Hive?
The answer is surprisingly literal. A Top Bar hive is a long wooden box, usually about four feet, with wooden bars laid side by side ...
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Why is it called a Warré Hive?
A French priest enters the chat. The Warré hive is named after Émile Warré, a French parish priest, beekeeper, and, by every account,...
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What is nadiring?
Hint: gravity is involved. Nadiring is a fancy word for a simple idea. It's the beekeeping technique of adding new boxes underneath ...
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How to Help Bees through the Summer Nectar Dearth
Late July can feel a little strange at the hive. The entrance is quieter. Fewer bees are returning loaded with nectar. More guard bees se...
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Why We Use Western Red Cedar
Modern beehives are made from a variety of materials, everything from pine to concrete. Here's why we use western red cedar and why you'll think...
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400 Years of Beekeeping in America
The first hives that landed in Jamestown set off 400 years of innovation, mistakes, discoveries, and unlikely characters that shaped the way we keep bees...
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Setting Up a Mason Bee House: Spring and Summer
Mason Beehives host more than mason bees. Leafcutters and other solitary tenants move in by summer, helping pollinate your garden for a bigger harvest.
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Pollinator Week 2026
Pollinator Week runs June 22-28 this year, and there are some worthwhile events in the Portland metro area you should know about.
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The BeeBuilt Father's Day Gift Guide
We put together a gift guide for the dad who reads slowly and thinks about what he's reading. Who keeps a few tools he's proud...
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