Elap
elapcolony loss
ELAP for Beekeepers: The Records a Colony-Loss Claim Needs
What ELAP actually covers for honeybee losses, the documentation FSA asks for, and the records to keep now so a claim is possible later.
Sep 24, 20268 min readRead
Beekeeping Blog
Practical guides, treatment schedules, and app comparisons to help you manage your hives better.
Precision Beekeeping
precision beekeepingbeekeeping technology
Precision Beekeeping: What It Means for a Small Apiary
Precision beekeeping means managing each colony by its own measured data. Here is what the research term covers, what sensors add, and how to start with just records.
Sep 22, 20269 min readRead
Varroa Mites
varroa mitesmite counting
AI Varroa Mite Counting: How Accurate Is It Really?
What published studies say about phone-camera and AI varroa counting, where the machines go wrong, and why the alcohol wash is still the reference method in 2026.
Sep 22, 202610 min readRead
Asian Hornet
asian hornetyellow-legged hornet
Asian Hornet for Beekeepers: Identify, Report, Defend
How to tell the Asian (yellow-legged) hornet from native hornets, the official place to report it in your country, what the evidence says about apiary defence, and how to log sightings.
Sep 22, 202610 min readRead
Hive Monitoring
hive monitoringhive sensors
AI Hive Health Analysis: What It Actually Sees
What AI hive health analysis can genuinely detect from hive sensor data between inspections, and the four things it cannot see, including varroa load.
Sep 22, 20268 min readRead
Beekeeping Club
beekeeping clubshared apiary
Beekeeping Club Management: Running a Shared Apiary
How to run a shared apiary for a beekeeping club, mentor pair or family: what records to centralize, how to assign roles, and what breaks without a plan.
Sep 22, 20268 min readRead
Beekeeping Startup Cost
beekeeping startup costbeginner beekeeping
Beekeeping Startup Cost 2026: What One Hive Really Costs
What it costs to start beekeeping in 2026, line by line: hive, bees, gear, tools, feeding and mite control, priced from real US suppliers for one hive and two.
Sep 22, 20269 min readRead
Oxalic Acid
oxalic acidvarroa management
Winter Oxalic Acid: Treating in the Broodless Window
Why winter oxalic acid works best in the broodless window, how to tell you are in it, the current US label doses, and when to leave the hive closed.
Sep 22, 202610 min readRead
Find The Queen
find the queenqueen bee
How to Find the Queen Bee in a Hive (Without a Teardown)
Where the queen actually sits in the nest, what separates her from a worker at a glance, the six-step search that works, and what to do when you cannot find her.
Sep 15, 20268 min readRead
Beekeeping Mentor
beekeeping mentorbeekeeping clubs
How to Find a Beekeeping Mentor (and What to Do Next)
Finding a beekeeping mentor is the fastest way to learn — but most guides stop at "join a club." Here's where to actually look, what to ask, and how to get the most out of every hive visit once you've found one.
Sep 1, 20267 min readRead
September Beekeeping
september beekeepingwinter prep
September Beekeeping Checklist 2026: Winter Prep Starts Now
The September beekeeping checklist that decides winter survival: verify your varroa treatment with a 10–14 day wash, feed 2:1 syrup by weight, check stores, combine weak colonies, and fit mouse guards — with the three deadlines that make each one count.
Aug 21, 20269 min readRead
Varroa Management
varroa managementamitraz resistance
Amitraz Resistance 2026: The 3-Year Rotation Plan
Amitraz resistance is documented in US mite populations — the Y215H marker has a name and the 2026 field data is in. Here is the 3-year rotation plan that keeps every treatment class working: the table, the wash-test check, and the 10–14 day verification step.
Aug 14, 20269 min readRead
Varroa Management
varroa managementoxalic acid
Summer Varroa OA Timing: The August 15 Broodless Window
August 1–15 was the SERP-wide "no later" line for summer oxalic-acid vaporization, and that window has closed for 2026. Miss the broodless window and OA efficacy drops from ~95% to under 50%. Here is the decision guide — the three-signal check, the 5-day protocol, and the two escape hatches when capped brood is still present. Treating later than this? See the fall thresholds instead.
Aug 7, 202610 min readRead
future of beekeepingbeekeeping technology
The Future of Beekeeping: What the Next 20 Years Look Like
An honest look at where beekeeping is heading — sensored hives and AI alerts, vertical and urban apiaries, bee vaccines and RNA mite control, and climate-driven management — with a clear-eyed take on what is real now versus hype.
Jun 20, 202611 min readRead
smart beehiveshive monitoring
Smart Beehives: The Latest Innovations in 2026
What actually makes a beehive "smart" in 2026 — the sensors, solar power, AI alerts, and apps behind modern hive monitoring, and which innovations are worth the money for a hobbyist.
Jun 18, 202610 min readRead
virtual bee platformremote apiary management
How to Choose a Virtual Bee Platform (2026 Buyer’s Guide)
A practical buyer’s guide to choosing a virtual bee platform in 2026 — what to weigh on remote monitoring, weight tracking, WiFi vs cellular vs LoRaWAN gateways, and software that doesn’t need a tech degree.
Jun 18, 202610 min readRead
honey traceabilityhoney authenticity
Honey Traceability & Beekeeping Trends in 2026
How verification, blockchain traceability, and certification are reshaping beekeeping in 2026 — plus the sustainability, urban, and climate trends driving demand for provably authentic honey.
Jun 18, 20269 min readRead
how to start beekeepingbeginner beekeeping
How to Start Beekeeping: A First-Year Roadmap
A practical first-year roadmap for starting beekeeping — what to buy, when to order bees, what your first season actually looks like, and the costs and mistakes to plan around.
Jun 18, 20269 min readRead
winter beekeepingcolony loss
Do Beehives Die in Winter? Why Colonies Are Lost
Do beehives die in winter? Yes — but rarely from the cold itself. Here is why winter colony losses really happen (Varroa, starvation, moisture) and how to prevent them.
Jun 18, 20268 min readRead
beekeeping incomebeekeeping business
How Much Do Beekeepers Make a Year? ($50,500 Average)
How much do beekeepers make a year? Salary aggregators say $50,500 on average — but that number measures something different from what most beekeepers actually earn. Here's the honest breakdown by hive count, revenue stream, and what the average actually includes.
Jun 18, 202612 min readRead
winter beekeepingfeeding bees
Feeding Bees in Winter: What, When & How Much
A practical guide to winter bee feeding — what to feed bees in winter, when to switch from syrup to fondant or sugar, how much they need, and how to avoid the mistakes that starve a colony.
Jun 18, 20269 min readRead
beekeeping recordsbeekeeping logbook
Beekeeping Logbook & Queen Calendar: What to Track
What belongs in a beekeeping logbook and how a queen rearing calendar works — the records that actually improve your beekeeping, on paper or in an app.
Jun 18, 20268 min readRead
beekeeping appshive management
Is a Smart Hive App a Real Upgrade — or a Lateral Move?
A clear, honest test for whether switching to a modern beekeeping app is a genuine upgrade or just a sideways step. Five questions that tell you when offline-first, voice, and sensor features actually change your beekeeping — and when a simpler logbook is fine.
Jun 16, 20269 min readRead
bee vaccinehoney bee vaccine
Honey Bee Vaccine 2026: What Beekeepers Need to Know
The honey bee vaccine timeline, demystified: Dalan's December 2022 conditional license, the November 2025 USDA clinical submission, and what 2027 full licensure means for your apiary planning.
May 1, 202611 min readRead
beekeeping gearbeekeeping tools
Beekeeping Gear Guide 2026: What Works With Your App
A complete 2026 beekeeping gear guide framed by app compatibility. Smokers, hive tools, suits, jackets, veils, hats, gloves, and the smart sensors that integrate directly with HiveSense.
Apr 29, 202612 min readRead
beekeeping trainingbeekeeping course
How to Learn Beekeeping in 2026: A Practical Guide
A complete plan for learning beekeeping in 2026 — beginner courses, the books worth reading, finding a mentor, and the digital field notebook that compounds what you learn.
Apr 29, 202611 min readRead
honey harvestingharvesting honey
How to Harvest Honey: First Year Step-by-Step (2026 Guide)
A complete step-by-step guide to harvesting honey for the first time. When to harvest, equipment options, the day-of process, bottling, labelling, and how much to leave for the bees.
Apr 29, 202613 min readRead
swarm catchingswarm season
How to Catch a Swarm: A Practical Guide
How to catch a honey bee swarm safely — gear, the actual capture, hiving the swarm, and what to do in the first 72 hours so the colony stays put.
Apr 27, 202610 min readRead
queenless hivequeen diagnosis
How to Detect a Queenless Hive: 9 Signs to Check
How to detect a queenless hive — no eggs, laying workers, queenless roar, and the frame-of-brood test. With a decision tree for what to do once you confirm it.
Apr 22, 20269 min readRead
honey productionhoney harvest
How Much Honey Does One Hive Produce Per Year? (30–60 lb)
How much honey does one hive produce per year? 30–60 lb from an established hive is the honest average. Here’s what actually drives your number up or down, region by region, year by year — and how a beehive’s honey production really works.
Apr 19, 20269 min readRead
beekeeping appshive management
Best Beekeeping Apps in 2026: An Honest Comparison
An honest, side-by-side comparison of the best beekeeping apps in 2026 — HiveSense, HiveTracks, HiveBook, Apiary Book, BeeKeepPal and more. Comparison table up front, a real free-tier breakdown, and a who-it’s-for / who-it’s-not-for verdict for each. Offline support, voice notes, BLE sensors, pricing.
Apr 4, 202614 min readRead
hive inspectionchecklist
The Complete Hive Inspection Checklist for 2026
A step-by-step beehive inspection checklist covering what to look for, how to record observations, and when to take action. Perfect for beginners and experienced beekeepers.
Apr 4, 202610 min readRead
varroa mitetreatment
Varroa Mite Treatment Guide: When, What & How to Treat
Complete guide to Varroa mite treatment for honey bees. Covers oxalic acid, formic acid, Apivar, thymol, the Varroa mite life cycle, and integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for every season.
Apr 4, 202614 min readRead
broodminderBLE sensors
BroodMinder Setup Guide: Connecting BLE Sensors to Your Hive
Step-by-step guide to installing BroodMinder T2, TH, and W scale sensors. Covers placement, battery life, BLE range, the Bees app and MyBroodMinder, and what to do when things go wrong.
Apr 4, 202611 min readRead
queen beequeen tracking
Queen Tracking: Monitor Queen Performance by Season
The beekeeper guide to queen tracking — marking queens, scoring performance, spotting failing queens early, and building a record system that lets you breed from your best colonies.
Apr 4, 202613 min readRead
spring inspectionhive inspection
Your First Spring Hive Inspection: The Complete Checklist
When to do your first spring inspection, what to look for, how to assess population and food stores, and the common spring problems and how to fix them.
Apr 4, 202612 min readRead
offline beekeepingremote apiary
Offline Beekeeping: How to Manage Hives Without Cell Signal
Why remote apiaries have no signal, how beekeepers really keep records in the field, and why offline-first software matters for serious hive management.
Apr 4, 202611 min readRead