I did everything right. Made a plan last year and stuck to it. Put a list together of all the equipment I wanted for expanding my apiary this year from NAHBE, and spent weeks getting the finish I wanted applied, the boxes assembled, frames made, foundation rerolled super heavy, and I fabbed up a completely custom swarm catcher that is a functional story and a half extra wide Nuc box from which the newly occupied frames would slot right into my now standardized 8-frame story and a half hive...

They are already in our backyards. Apiary Defensive Practices Against Vespa velutina in South Carolina Hey y’all, we all love the satisfaction of tending thriving hives and harvesting that golden honey. However, a serious challenge has arrived in our region. As you know the yellow-legged Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) has established a foothold in the United States. In 2025 alone, reports indicate more than 80 nests across our state—a sharp increase from just 16 the previous year—with...

Let’s start with a little review of current events: At no time in human history has beekeeping been bigger than it is right now. There are presently more bees under cultivation worldwide than ever before, which is great for us, from hobbyist to mega farmer, but there are some downsides too. While pure math doesn’t lie, statistics can be manipulated. We recently went thru a bit a fear mongering where suddenly the non-beekeeping media was going wild with chicken little end of the world puff...