When considering where to place bee hives it is not easy for backyard beekeepers to have much choice. If you are limited to the size of an urban block or rooftop you may have several locations to choose from, but they are realistically all within 20-30 metres of each other. In this case you can […]

The HiveKeepers Online Portal has been twelve months in the making and is now ready to access for users of the HiveKeepers App. The original intent of the online portal was to make looking at your information easier and give you a better understanding of what was happening in your apiary. To help give an understanding of what the […]

Have you ever been told you can’t move your bees a short distance across your backyard? Have you been told that you have to move them a foot a day or move them miles away for 6 weeks before bringing them back to their new site? While this definitely works, what if you don’t want the […]

Introducing Ben Moore from Ben’s Bees. Ben is a beekeeper from Melbourne, Australia who is well regarded and is a massive advocate for our pollinating superstars. Ben has his own beekeeping business and is very giving of information and lessons learnt. Ben has put together the article below which follows the activity of a hive over […]

A Guide to Urban Beekeeping Bees are incredibly well adapted and can comfortably live on most continents and face many different environmental conditions. Bees can manage through freezing winters and hot summers, in rural landscapes and deep in urban environments. Keeping bees in an urban setting is perhaps more advantageous than a mono-culture farming ecosystem as […]

Not much commentary required…Just great photos. Congratulations to our winners who each will receive a HiveKeepers Stylus pack (valued at $20). Check out the images below:

Is honey crystallisation spoiling your toast?  Do you store your honey in a warm part of your house? Do you do this to avoid crystallisation? Well if you are keeping honey at room temperature then it is likely that you are going to have crystallisation occur faster than keeping it in a cool environment. First, […]

On every beekeeping related social media platform there is always controversy and elevated discussion on the merits and problems with organic beekeeping. But what exactly is organic beekeeping and how does it compare to treatment free beekeeping and other methods of looking after your bees? This topic will no doubt stir up some controversy so […]

Bees are remarkably adaptive and effective at changing with the times. Given the speed of transfer of pests and diseases brought about by modern beekeeping is it really an issue to buy second hand beekeeping equipment? Or are you adding to the problem and signing you’re bees up to a death sentence? Recently I saw […]

When something has gone wrong with your beekeeping experience and your bees are clearly grumpy, aggressive and unimpressed by your intrusion into their hive, you will be grateful for having purchased a good quality suit that will protect your body? I know this as I have put myself in several unpleasant situations with inadequate protection […]

Arguably one of the most essential beekeeping tools – how well do you really operate your smoker? Look it’s not my strength but I think I need to make it one. Preparing and operating your smoker efficiently, effectively and safely is critical to minimise issues for you and your bees. We have scoured the interwebs to […]

Here at HiveKeepers we are avid learners and are always looking for ways to expand our knowledge and help us move forward in our beekeeping journey. We also believe it is critically important to share with you a good thing and here are some awesome bee blogs that have influenced and shaped our understanding and […]

Has it ever happened to you before? It’s early Spring and you’re particular pleased at the growth of your bee colonies so far. They are bringing in plenty of nectar and pollen and are building in size at a steady pace. You’ve walked out the back on a nice warm spring afternoon and you notice […]

The thought of getting your first beehive is absolutely thrilling. By now you may have attended an introductory beekeeping course and are starting to piece all the information together. A basic course should cover this topic but let’s look at this in some detail. It could easily be stated that your bees will work it […]

The first inspection of the season is an exciting time as you discover the state of how your bees have overwintered. By now you would have some idea of their condition as you would have watched them come and go on the occasional warm day and seen worker bees take their first flight and others […]

So you’ve been thinking about becoming a beekeeper for quite some time.  You might have friends who have been telling you for years that you have got to get into this fascinating hobby or perhaps you have concerns about the future of bees on the planet and wanted to do your bit.  For me it […]

In previous blogs I have talked about the importance of networking with other beekeepers when you first get started.  This is best done by joining a beekeeping group.  If you don’t do this and you don’t have any friends who can lend or hire you some equipment then this hobby might end up being expensive. […]

I asked an experienced beekeeping friend of mine to offer up a few tips that could help new beekeepers avoid costly mistakes.  He went on saying that ‘Mistakes are proof you’re trying’.  What a noble man!