Barrington Bee Honey

08/10/2026

Proud to share I won 1st place and Best in Show for my frame of honey at the McHenry County Fair!

07/29/2026

What is a top bar hive and how does it work? Let me show you!

07/02/2026

06/26/2026

06/16/2026

The whole family got their hands sticky this weekend. I have great helpers! In the end, the honey bucket weighed 50 pounds. We'll be ready to sell after we bottle it up. Stay tuned, I'll post here when it's bottled and ready.

05/20/2026

Happy World Bee Day! Thank a bee today.

05/15/2026

The bees welcomed their queen with great fanfare. New queens are introduced slowly, so the hive gets accustomed to and accepts her. It should only take about 3 days for the bees to chew through the hard sugar plug, but after 4 days the queen and her attendants were still stuck in the cage. Alive and healthy, but ready to finally leave the mini cage. I released the back door of the queen cage to allow her to walk out. I stood and watched for a bit, hoping to see the queen calmly walk down into the frames. The bees were gentle, and perhaps a little excited. I never precisely saw the queen walk out. But, the cage was empty a few minutes later. I'll check for eggs in about one more week. For now, I'll let the queen make herself at home.

05/10/2026

All hail the Queen on Mother’s Day

Two queens and a new hive were introduced on Mother's Day - fitting, for the most famous mother in the animal kingdom. The queens' pheromones are changing the dynamics of the hives right now, and in a few days, new generations of honey bees eggs will be laid. Something happened to the original hives. Both hives were queenless when I inspected them yesterday....

Two queens and a new hive were introduced on Mother’s Day – fitting, for the most famous mother in the animal kingdom. The queens’ pheromones are changing the dynamics of the hive…

05/03/2026

Bees are wild, despite living in a managed beehive. Some days are frustrating, since I don't really have control. But, that's also what makes it fascinating.