Wheelhouse Apiary

04/01/2022

The girls have been working hard on the nicer days to bring in pollen and start raising brood (aka bringing in the protein source to feed baby bees)! You can see this bee has the pollen baskets located on her hind legs loaded up with pollen.
Right now the bees are building up their population in order to take advantage of the upcoming nectar flows and, if they're lucky (and I'm unlucky), to reach a colony size that is big enough to break into two and send around half of the bees and the queen out into the world in the form of a swarm to create a new colony.

I'm looking forward to the nicer weather and spending more time with my bees, hopefully multiply my hives (and preventing swarming), and if I'm lucky, catching some new swarms to add to the apiary!

03/13/2022

The bees are back to huddling away from the rain, but they were loving the sunshine last week! Lots of fuzzy new bees taking their first orientation flights and older bees out collecting pollen and water.

02/11/2022

It was a busy day at the hive!! The girls are loving the sunshine and warmth and have been out for cleansing and orientation flights, and even bringing back a bit of pollen! Pollen coming in indicates that the queen is starting to lay eggs and the hive is building up it's population for spring!

Poor video quality, but it's too exciting not to share 🐝

02/02/2022

It was finally warm enough for the bees to come out for a stretch! We gave them a frame of honey to fuel up on which seemed thoroughly appreciated. Now that it's back to rain and snow, I've been working on building my first layens hive - it's nearly done now, I might even be able to finish it tomorrow!

01/30/2022

When the hive style you want has a price tag of $850 USD once you account for shipping, you get busy collecting scraps (with permission) from job sites and repurpose the waste in the lovingly created work shop that your husband set up for you. Gaining comfort and skill with the tools, reducing some wood waste, saving money, and creating an epic home for my bees.

The Layens Hive is designed to be similar to a tree hollow, a natural home for honeybees.
•It's well insulated, having sheep wool sandwiched between two layers of wood (most hives are made of 3/4" board) to create a stable environment throughout the year.
•It has deep frames that allow the bees to build a single, continuous comb which meets their wintering needs.
•The frames create a solid top when opened, so you don't disturb the bees when expanding the hive.
•It provides enough space for the bees to expand through the season, so are less inclined to swarm and require less management and disruption to the hive though the year.

Progress pictures to come ;)

01/19/2022

I'm working on a lip balm restock!! I should have them ready in the next week or two.

The same high quality, lip loving ingredients as always: organic unrefined shea butter, organic cold pressed jojoba oil, chemical free beeswax from my hives, and vitamin e oil. I'm thinking about venturing into some essential oils for both their benefits and scents (I have previously infused with organic herbs from my garden, but have had a hard time achieving a strong infusion with the oils.

What are your favourite flavours/scents for your lippies?! Drop a comment below.

01/16/2022

Winter isn't bee season. I miss them and can't wait for spring. For now, a winter gardening win:

Aren't they the prettiest little winter carrots?!

I saved some seed this year from my very early spring carrots and threw them at the soil at the end of the season after I had cleared out the summer veg. It was a bit late for planting so they're not full size, but I'm quite pleased with the results of my lazy fall gardening.

12/31/2021

Warm enough to leave the hive, but not warm enough to return.

Bees reduce their metabolism and cluster in a tight ball inside the hive through the cold weather to maintain heat and reduce energy (honey) requirements in hopes of surviving to see the next spring. On nicer days, some bees will leave the hive to attempt to forage, cleanse (p**p), or expire. Today was a sunny, calm, but cold day, and the snow covered yard is speckled with chilled and frozen bees. A bit sad, but a good indication that the hives they came from are still kickin' it through this deep freeze.

12/19/2021

This bad boy... Maybe the best read yet. The main principles:

•create a hive that is as similar to a natural bee-home as possible (think hollow tree) - well insulated, a constant and sufficient size, and a deep space for them to create natural comb that is the size of the bees choosing. No stacking or rearranging boxes, no rearranging frames.

•Minimally disturbing the bees (a single inspection in the spring and fall, and otherwise allowing the bees to do what they want, they know best). Conventional beekeeping requires inspections every 1-2 weeks, an activity that tears apart the hive and greatly disturbs and stresses the bees.

•Allowing the bees to set up the hive as they wish in order to prepare for winter. Never rearranging the brood nest, letting them place their honey stores where they are needed.

•Focusing on bee health (healthy hive, low stress management, never taking too much honey and feeding an artificial diet - sugar syrup, and not treating - no chemical or organic miticides, fungicides, antibiotics, or other treatments). Just healthy bees.

A simpler, natural way to keep bees. One with the best interest of the bees at it's center and as a result, a more enjoyable way to manage the apiary.

12/18/2021

Watching the snow and missing the bees. Spring, feel free to jump in any time now.

In the meantime, I'll be in the garage building hives and making beeswax goodies.

12/15/2021

Today I turned raw, delicious honey back to honeycomb, AND I successfully tempered chocolate to dip it in. Double win.

12/09/2021

Hand sanitizer, washing, and the winter weather wreak havoc on my hands. I'm hoping to save myself from the cracked dry knuckles this year with a healing beeswax salve.

Organic shea butter and sunflower oil infused with comfrey, plantain, and lavender to heal and moisturize, and beeswax to lock it all in and provide a barrier between my skin and the elements, hand washing, and the 5898432 layers of hand sanitizer that build up through a day of work.

It's only day one, but so far it's promising! Bring it, winter.

12/02/2021

Today was dark and drizzly, but warm enough for the bees to be out and about. There was a lot of grooming going on in the front steps of all of the hives.

12/01/2021

Happy December, all!!! It's Advent calendar time, and my sister definitely delivered - thanks Jamie! 24 days of tea to go with 24 spoons of honey 🍯
Today's honey was vanilla bean infused - it doesn't get much better than this on a gloomy day.

11/29/2021

Next up! Getting more and more excited to move into top bar hives this spring! Bring on the healthy bees, clean wax, and cut comb honey 😍🍯🐝

11/28/2021

Aren't bees the coolest?!

Out for a cleansing flight and some front step grooming.

See the brownish red blobs speckled all over the front of the hive? That is propolis. It's a sticky resinous material which is a mix of tree resin collected by the bees, bee saliva and enzymes, pollen, wax, and honey. It's considered the "immune system" of the hive, being antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory, providing great benefit to the bees (and humans!). The bees cover the entire interior of the hive with a thin layer of propolis, and use it to fill every little crack, nook, and cranny, to create a stable, clean environment.

11/26/2021

I've been worried about my smallest hive. Last week I peeked in the bottom to find the lower entrance blocked with dead bees and a heafty layer of dead bees on the bottom board. It's normal for the population of a hive to drop over winter (from many 10's of thousands to only a few thousand) as the queen slows laying due to the weather and a lack of incoming resources, mainly pollen and nectar, but this was a lot of dead bees.

This hive had a lot going against it going into winter:
• They were small (a hive must have a sufficient population to keep themselves and small batches of winter brood warm enough to survive - they do this by clustering into a tight ball and vibrating their muscles to create heat).
• This small population meant that they didn't have as many bees to collect resources during the summer to store up for winter, so they were a bit light going into fall
• Half of the population (this was two very small hives combined to make a slightly bigger hive) had been sprayed with raid prior to me bringing them home, causing sublethal damage to the colony. If you follow my personal page, you might remember me rescuing these bees from a construction trailer this summer after they were unsuccessfully sprayed with insect killer.

With today's barely-halfway-decent weather, all 3 of my hives were buzzing around, going out for fresh air and a grooming. I'm happy to report that, for now, even the wee hive appears to be doing well. Enjoy the bee spam about to come your way ;)

11/26/2021

Where does my family put lip balm (other than on their lips)!?

Let me tell you...
L: uses it as a full face mask (liberally applied with great focus 🤣) before bed to help and then prevent her winter eczema cheeks 😚

N: anywhere that L puts it, plus inadvertently on her teeth almost every time (good thing it's edible - though this is not a suggested use ;))

F: in the laundry, between the couch cushions, stashed in his bedside table, in various pockets and other hidey holes, (he's a bit of a lip balm hoarder)

Me: to help with psoriasis on my elbows (with amazing results!!), on my dry, cracking knuckles (thanks, hand sanitizer), and on any other dry, rashy, or itchy skin for anyone in the family.

Basically, we put this sh*t on everything. It works.

PM me for a magic stick of your own ;)

11/26/2021

11/22/2021

They're labeled and ready! These ones are already packaged and heading out the door. PM to get yours 😀

11/22/2021

You guys showed some serious love with the latch batch, and a restock is here! These will be ready to fly out the door this afternoon 🐝

The same moisturizing, weather protecting formula - wax from my bees, organic jojoba oil and shea butter, and vitamin e, infused with organic mint and chamomile from the garden. Lightly scented but heavily infused with the benefits of the herbs 🌿🌼

$4 each.

11/22/2021

My newest read - going back to the basics. Healthy bees, healthy hives, clean wax, foundationless comb, sustainable practices, and chemical free - no miticides, fungicides, antibiotics, or other (commonly used) things that are foreign to the hive.

A variety of chemical treatments are used by nearly all beekeepers. These alter the environment in many ways, changing everything from the pH to the diverse macro and microfauna and flora of the hive, which weakens the bees ability to fight diseases and pests. By keeping a cleaner hive (cycling out old wax and not adding any contaminants that aren't picked up by foraging bees), the bees are healthier. Their microbiome is not negatively affected. The hive is balanced and supports bee health. I'm addition to healthy bees, the beekeeper receives clean, chemical free wax and honey from the hive. Healthy bees and healthy people. It's a win.

11/20/2021

You guys are fast, this batch is all spoken for!! If you missed out, I'll be infusing more oil and making another batch very soon, so check back for a restock. Thanks for the love and support, all!

It's ready!!

The first (non-test) batch of lip balm is up for grabs! It's moisturizing, long lasting, and feels great in your lips.

It contains beeswax from my hives, organic shea butter and jojoba oil, and vitamin e, all infused with organically grown mint and chamomile from my garden.

The scent from the herbs is natural and light (I might work to deepen this for future batches with different infusing techniques), and the labels need some serious improvements, but the product is lovely. As a chapstick ju**ie, I was surprised at how much I love it (I didn't have the highest expectations and didn't EVER think I'd give up my blistex Rx), but since the first use, I haven't wanted to use anything else.

Limited quantities, $4 each, message me to get yours!

What are your favorite lip balm flavours?! Favourite ingredients? Things you love or hate about certain lip balms? Hit me with your feedback and help me to make the best product!

11/16/2021

Yesterday was spent turning beeswax into the loveliest chap stick. Beeswax from my bees and a few other organic ingredients, infused with herbal garden goodness. It's soft, smooth, moisturizing, and oh so good ;)

Check in later this week for a chance to get your hands on some!

11/14/2021

I finally found a minute to strain the lavender infused honey. It is smooth and intensely floral. It's calling for tea and scones.

11/14/2021

loaded up.

Pollen is the protein source that bees use to raise brood (baby bees). The colour varies by source, and you can often see frames of comb filled with a rainbow of stored pollen.

11/12/2021

Honeybees are fair weather friends - they don't leave the hive unless it's about +10°C and calm weather.

The hives were buzzin' today! A warm, sunny day means that the older bees get to stretch their wings to forage for bits of pollen (today's was mostly yellow-orange, and can be seen packed onto the bees back legs in their "pollen pants") and nectar, the new bees get to go for their first orientation flights (learning to landmark their home for when they go on longer flights), and everyone gets a much needed bathroom break.

11/11/2021

In the fall and winter, when the bees and garden take less time, I read and learn. It allows me to stay connected to the bees and the garden and helps me to excitedly make plans for the upcoming spring. has been a great read so far, providing me with some of the science behind what I've been doing with my bees - keeping them without the use of chemicals like miticides and antibiotics which are widely used in beekeeping (by both commercial and backyard beekeepers, and although they do help reduce pest pressure within a hive, they also weaken the bees. In addition to this, much like antibiotic use in humans, they create resistance to treatment and stronger pests, as no treatment is 100% effective).

Bees survive and thrive in the wild and my goal in beekeeping is to keep bees that would survive without me, that don't depend on my interventions to keep them alive, to allow them to be as healthy as bees in the wild.

11/09/2021

A bit about wax.
Last week I melted down and filtered my beeswax from this year (a lengthy and repetitive process in order to have a clean end product - I hope I become efficient at this with experience!). Wax is the foundation of the hive - it forms the structures where eggs are laid and baby bees are raised, and where honey and pollen are stored for future use when nectar flows slow and plants go dormant. Wax flakes are secreted by wax producing glands on the honey bees abdomens and then formed into comb of various sizes depending on it's intended use. This process requires a significant amount of nectar or honey, making it a precious resource within the hive, and a valued, special resource once harvested.

Wax is collected in multiple ways and for multiple reasons. When processing honey, the cappings are removed from the comb to release the honey. This wax is new, soft, and light in colour, as it hasn't had a lot of traffic (bee footprints) or repetitive use. From within the hive, old, dark combs are are removed to maintain the health of the hive. Wax collects contaminants such as pesticides and other chemicals from the environment (and those put into the hive by beekeepers, should they choose), and has waste products from bee rearing where the combs are used over and over. Removing old, dark comb can reduce disease and chemical pressure in the hive, increasing the overall health of the colony.

Once processed, it turns into a beautiful, golden orb waiting to become something more.

11/09/2021

11/09/2021

Welcome to Wheelhouse Apiary - a place for me to document the musings of my apiary and my adventures in natural, treatment-free beekeeping and organic gardening. When I'm lucky enough to have extra honey, I'll post it here, and as I begin to explore and play with more products of the hive (wax, propolis, pollen, and related creations) I'll share them here as well.

Send a message to learn more

11/09/2021