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Fat Mountain Queens
Our mother queens are chosen for winter-hardiness, mite resistance, frugality with honey stores, and responsiveness to nectar dearth. This means that they keep mite numbers low. We use a mid-winter application of Oxalic Acid vaporization if necessary. Colonies go into winter carrying modest numbers of bees, enough to keep warm, but not so many that excessive honey stores are needed. When a dearth occurs, the bees stop producing brood in response, and resume again when nectar is available. Our bees are gentle enough to work bare-handed, but aggressive enough that you want to wear a veil. We believe that slightly more aggressive bees survive mites better, but we don't tolerate bees that we dread working. Our bees live next to our happy pigs, and do not chase us out of our garden or apiary if we go to them without a veil. Spring bee camp 2021
I'm offering two camps for beekeepers this spring. Why should kids have all the fun of camp? This is for adults. Intermediate bee camp-May 21st -26th. . This camp will be geared towards beekeepers with at least 3 years of experience who want to learn more about colony management for better honey production or for queens, several types of splits, grafting of queen cells, preparation of colonies, mating nucs, drone production, queen selection, marking queens, nuc production, etc, and everything else anyone wants to talk about regarding bees. |
Beginning Beekeeping Classes, 2021
This class series will be taught by Tina Sebestyen, Master Beekeeper, frequent contributor to the American Bee Journal and Bee Culture, as well as some bee magazines over-seas. This class is an approved pre-requisite to the CSBA Master Beekeeper Certification Program. To be held at the La Plata County Fairgrounds, ext. building. There will be plenty of room for social distancing, or watch via Zoom. I'll have different types of hive bodies for you to examine. Pre-registration is required. March 26th, and April 2nd, 5-9 PM. 
Beginner bee camp June 11th-16th. (Mini-camp June 12th and 13th $200) This will be geared towards beekeepers with at least one year of experience who want to learn more about the basics of beekeeping including: finding the queen, recognizing healthy and diseased brood, reading the brood comb, better inspections, handling the swarm impulse/splitting the easy way, moving colonies, IPM and monitoring for mites, and everything else we can think of to talk about and do in the bee yard. Reservations will be limited by current Covid restrictions. Camping and outdoor facilities will be available here at the farm, or glamping and hotels are available in nearby Durango, Colorado. Breakfast and lunch will be provided, nightly fireside chats, walking in the woods, and all the bee talk you can handle. Register for either bee camp… $500, with a $100 deposit. Contact Tina at bee.longing@protonmail.com |