Beekeeping 101: In New England

Posted on February 5, 2022 by Weekend Homesteader

Last year, my bees were highly productive ... a bit angry and aggressive, but they produced some awesome honey!

This was my 2nd year of beekeeping ... my 1st year, my bees absconded ... they ALL left the hive. It was VERY disappointing but last year's bees were AWESOME.

I did everything I could to preserve the hive BUT I'm not feeling very confident that they have survived our New England winter.

We just had 30" of snow, then a massive ice storm with temps in the negative. I cleared the entrance so the bees (if any survived) could get out for their needed cleansing flights but have seen no activity. My fingers are crossed and in about a month time will tell ... Right now I only have one hive, my hope is to get a second hive for next year ... I'm down to one little jar of honey left from last year and just LOVE my honey so much more than any of the store bought jars I've bought. (PLUS, my grandson loves honey so much! He was so excited when he got his own big jar of honey for Christmas!)

Bear in mind that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. Keep in mind that I link these companies and their products because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide to buy something is completely up to you.

Interested in learning beekeeping??!! It's easy and it's fun! Check out this awesome guide to get you started! Or a great resource if you are considering beekeeping.

As a new beekeeper (going on my third year). The first year, I had lots of help, the second year I did it on my own. I must admit, I got a little too confident and was stung a few times too many BUT it hasn't changed my love for my bees or the respect for the awesomeness of these amazing little animals. I even practiced Reiki with my bees.

As humans, we can learn so much from bees ... community and working together to achieve a common goal.

Spring will be here soon and my bees will be back ... fingers crossed that my hive has survived ... if not then I will start again.