Orange County Beekeeping Supply

12/05/2025

Southern CA Beekeepers — Heads Up! Winter Swarming Alert
Two weeks ago we had rain, now we’ve got a fresh inflow of pollen and nectar, drones being built, and multiple frames of capped brood.

All signs point to one thing: our bees think it’s spring.
And with a warm-up coming (upper 70s to low 80s), swarming conditions are perfect — in DECEMBER.
Here’s the #1 thing to look for in your hive checks over the next 2 weeks:
👉 Early Swarm Signs — especially queen cups turning into queen cells.
Check the bottom bars, corners, and between the boxes. If you see jelly or an egg in those cups, the swarm countdown has started.
Also keep an eye on:
Congestion in the brood nest
Bees backfilling cells with nectar
Young drones walking around
If your colony is building drones, raising brood, and packing in nectar, they’re gearing up to reproduce — and that means they might take off on you.
Stay ahead of them.
Check soon, check thoroughly.
Let’s keep those bees in the box this “winter.”

12/04/2025

Best Holiday Gift Idea: Real Honey from Real Beekeepers!
That’s what we do! With honey being one of the top 3 most counterfeited and adulterated foods in the world, it’s time to form a relationship with a beekeeper producing hive-direct honey from organic, sustainable hives.
If you don’t… what you’re buying could just be re-labeled mystery syrup. 😳🍯
Pick some up in-store or order delivery: hapahoneyfarm.com

11/15/2025

The CDFA will be sending our bee yard resuts to us when they are completed. We will post them publically so we can all see the results and learn what the data tells us.

11/08/2025

“November in Southern California — where the bees think it’s spring, the flowers agree, and the beekeeper just smiles and rolls with it. The hive teaches you: adapt, stay curious, and keep working even when the seasons can’t make up their mind.”
— Bill Gibson, OCBeekeeping

11/05/2025

🐝✨ Big News for Beekeepers! ✨🐝
I had the incredible honor to be part of the National Honey Bee Pests and Diseases Survey — the most comprehensive bee health study in the country!
The California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) tested our bees, brood, pollen, honey, and wax for pests, diseases, and chemical residues.
✅ Varroa mites: 0
✅ Diseases: 0
✅ Hive pests: 0
✅ Comb rotation: Excellent
✅ Tropilaelaps mites: None found
The inspector even said:
“You might have the cleanest and best-managed apiary I’ve seen to date.”
💛 What made this day extra special? 20 agricultural apiary inspectors from three counties attended. While the State Inspector did the hive sampling for the National Honey Bee Survey, I ran hands-on training for the county inspectors — a true collaboration of science, stewardship, and education.

And here’s YOUR chance:
Join the OC Beekeeping Mentorship — your beekeeping knowledge and skills will soon exceed even the agricultural apiary inspectors!
Get ready for Spring 2026 — you’ll have the opportunity to bee part of the National Honey Bee Sampling and contribute to real, national bee research! Join Today
https://www.ocbeekeeping.com/challenge-page/b57e080f-a355-4027-8d71-23504877892d

10/30/2025

Learn Beekeeping and be part of a community.
Yes we understand everyone keeps bees differntly — and that’s what makes beekeeping so fascinating! But here’s the truth: not every method leads to thriving, productive hives. My mission is simple and bold: I want each and every one of you to be wildly successful with your bees. Imagine healthy hives buzzing, gardens flourishing, and honey flowing in abundance!

We’re in this together, and with the right tools, guidance, and a little passion, there’s no limit to what our community can achieve. Let’s make our bees—and ourselves—truly unstoppable!

Beekeeping Success Starts Here! This is a movement tailored to Southern California beekeepers! Whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned

10/15/2025

🐝 Big News! OC Beekeeping is teaming up with Cal State Fullerton and The U-Acre Project at the CSUF Arboretum for a groundbreaking research collaboration! 🌿
Together, we’re tackling one of SoCal’s biggest hive challenges — Africanized Honey Bee (AHB) takeovers — by setting smart swarm traps to protect local colonies. The data we collect on swarm timing, weather, and behavior will help every beekeeper in our community stay a step ahead.
If you’ve got extra nuc boxes, bring them by the shop this week — your gear can make a difference! Let’s lead the way in smarter, safer, more sustainable beekeeping. 💛🐝

10/14/2025

Queen on the Lid?!
Beekeeper alert! Always check your hive lids—you never know when a queen might be on top! 🐝
Missing this could mean your hive isn’t behaving as expected. Watch how this queen ended up on the lid and learn the quick tips to avoid this mistake.
✅ Check every lid
✅ Handle hives carefully
✅ Keep your queens safe
📣 Share with fellow beekeepers—this is a must-watch!

10/11/2025

Hellooo Beekeepers! 🐝

Good weather and a splash of tropical rain are on the way — perfect timing for our final round of grafting and queen cells! These queens will soon hatch and take their rainbow-filled sky mating flights.
This weekend, take a moment to verify your queens. Make sure she’s your queen — not some feral imposter ready to cause chaos next season!
Our Quality queens won’t be available again until late March or April 2026, depending on the chill.
🐝 The Sting: Confirm your queens NOW!
Need to requeen? Email [email protected]. I need your name and phone number. Let me say this one more time. Check you hives and get your queen ordrs in NOW!
OCbeekeeping Mentorship $69
Non Members $80

A queen in the hive is worth ...

10/08/2025

We’ll be closed Saturday, October 11th, as we’ll be attending the Climate Action Festival!
Join us there — we’ll be speaking at 1 PM and spending the day at our honey booth. Come see our live observation hive and try your luck at spotting the queen! We’ll also be selling Southern California’s most award-winning honey — so bring your money and buy some honey! All proceeds from event honey sales go directly toward bee research, community outreach,and supporting the Bees that Feed US all.
11am 4pm

10/08/2025

Best Time to get into a beehive

09/24/2025