Join an Upcoming Inspection

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As summer begins to wind down, our focus in the apiary starts shifting from honey production to colony health and winter preparation.

During our August inspection, an alcohol wash revealed that our Varroa mite count was a little higher than we’d like, so we treated the colony. This September inspection gives us the opportunity to follow the process from start to finish: remove the treatment, check on our queen, retest for mites, and see whether our treatment was successful.

We’ll also take a look at the colony’s honey stores and overall strength as we begin asking one of the most important questions of the season: Are our bees prepared for winter?

We currently have spots available for our hive inspection on Monday, (Labor Day) September 7th (weather permitting). The cost is $80 per person - children are $60 - (limited to 3 guests in the apiary).

• Curious beginners who want a guided first look under the lid
   
• New beekeepers seeking practical, seasonal checklists
   
• Homesteaders and gardeners adding pollinators to their landscape
   
• Families (No more than 3 guests in the apiary at one time. Children are welcome with a supervising adult; recommended age 10+ for hive-side participation)

• Duration: ~2 hours (15–20 minutes intro and suiting up + ~75 minutes in the apiary + Q&A)
   
• Gear: We provide veils/jackets/suits, gloves and tools; no outside hive tools or gloves allowed. You’re welcome to bring your own suit and smoker if you want guidance on lighting it and keeping it lit.
   
• Take-home: Digital photos of your experience will be provided post-inspection, links to useful tools such as inspection checklist/recordkeeping form and mite management tool.

• Safe fuel choices, lighting techniques, and when/why to use smoke.

• Evaluate hive strength after winter by looking at bee population, brood pattern, and overall colony activity.

• Learn to spot eggs, larvae, and capped brood and understand what each stage tells us about colony growth.

• Try to spot the queen (fun, not guaranteed!). 

• If she’s elusive, look for evidence—fresh eggs centered in brood comb and proper larval stages.

• We'll compare our August mite count with an alcohol wash test to determine whether our treatment successfully reduced the colony’s Varroa load.

• Learn how beekeepers recognize early swarm signals such as queen cups or queen cells during rapid spring buildup.

• How beekeepers decide when to add boxes or frames so the colony has room to grow during the spring nectar flow.