Monthly Archives: July 2011

It’s hot and full summer now in Fukuoka, Japan. Cicadas are singing noisily in the trees, and the air is very humid. Here are some photographs of the outside of the two hives I have on the roof of a … Continue reading →

Last Thursday I went to Nafco Home Center with Daisuke Yamaguchi (entomology department assistant) and he helped me buy materials to contruct shades for the beehives on the roof of the building. The cement gets very hot and it is … Continue reading →

I’ve made a number of mistakes moving hives. For example, I actually had one hive twist apart when getting it into a wheelbarrow late at night with a helper wearing no protective clothing. This is to be avoided. I’ve also … Continue reading →

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me why I keep bees. I have been thinking about the answer ever since. Beekeeping is full of richness and breadth, and the reasons are multi-faceted. Sociality. I keep bees because my father … Continue reading →

The bees in the top bar hive surprised me and are building their comb from the bottom up rather than from the top bars down. As a result, they are building comb across the top bars rather than using the … Continue reading →

Quick recap: a large hive was split into four hives, which was winnowed to three. Two of these were requeened with queens from B. Weaver. One took, but the other (this hive) did not seem to take. A frame was … Continue reading →