Why Choose a Trap-Out? In beekeeping, even a "failure" is a valuable lesson. We recently attempted a trap-out at a commercial office park in Johannesburg, and while we successfully cleared the...
The Irrigation Box Dilemma: What Happens When You Leave a Hive Too Long? Welcome back to the Bee Sanctuary! On a cold winter day in Johannesburg, we were called out to...
The Utility Box Underground: A Brickwork Rescue in Honeydew Welcome back to the Bee Sanctuary! Today’s adventure took us to a site with a very fitting name: Honeydew, Johannesburg. An electrical...
The Zero-Brood Survival Guide: A Year of Monitoring a Ghost Hive In the South African Autumn of 2023, I faced a beekeeper’s nightmare. Every single hive on one of my sites...
The Pool Box Puzzle: A Midnight Rescue with the Bee Vac Welcome back to the Bee Sanctuary! Tonight’s mission takes us to a suburban garden in Johannesburg to tackle a colony...
High-Voltage Housing: Why Bees Love Your Power Meter Box Welcome back to the Bee Sanctuary! Today’s mission involves a common but dangerous "real estate" choice for the African honeybee: the electrical...
Free Bees: My Top Secret for Starting an Apiary at No Cost Welcome back to the Bee Sanctuary!If you’ve been dreaming of starting your own apiary but the price of buying...
Palm Tree Trap-Out: A 28-Day Experiment in Patience Welcome back to the Bee Sanctuary! Today we’re tackling a "trap-out" in a massive palm tree. This technique is our go-to when bees...
5 Mistakes I Made as a Beginner Beekeeper (And How to Avoid Them) Starting out with the African honeybee (Apis mellifera scutellata) in South Africa is a steep learning curve. These bees are...
The Under-Cupboard Rescue: Why Slow is Sometimes Fast Welcome back to the Bee Sanctuary! Tonight we are working in a tight spot—underneath an old outdoor cupboard. This colony is relatively new,...