Everything answered

Does the cup get bigger, peanut size as the queen grows or is the new queen in her peanut size cup from the get go?

I have a question, I did a split 2 weeks ago. I checked the hive after week one and they did cap a queen cup, it was bigger than a drone cell but not peanut size. ? My question is ….does the cup get bigger, peanut size as the queen grows or is the new queen in her peanut size cup from the get go? Not sure I should go in there again today and try again. I don’t want to disturb them for another week if they made a new queen.


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Is it required for a person to be a “Certified Beekeeper” in order to move from being a hobbyist, to keeping bees as a business?

I am new to beekeeping this year, but I have quickly fallen in love with all that it includes. Everything about it is fascinating to me. That being said I feel like a lot of the questions I come up with may seem silly, or have an obvious answer to others. One question I have though: Is it required for a person to be a “Certified Beekeeper” in order to move from being a hobbyist, to keeping bees as a business? Like I said I’m new to it, and I am a ways away from making a business out of it. But I know for sure I will be investing in more hives in the future and was just wondering about ways to supplement the cost of it all. Any advice is welcome. Thanks in advance! (more…)

How do you transport bees home safely inside a vehicle?

Curious question, how do you transport bees home safely inside a vehicle? I went to get my bees yesterday and they were apprehensive about me taking them inside my van. From what I’ve read it can be done safely inside a vehicle if they’re properly secured. I don’t know anyone with a truck and to rent one is going to be around 90 bucks plus the gas (66 miles round trip), considering I already drove there once and came home empty handed. I got some bungee cords to secure the lid and a mesh laundry bag to put the nuc inside. Would this be suffice? (more…)