Kathi-Luise attended the 2021 Spring Beginning Beekeeping class.  She was able to get bees from a friend that keeps bees and captures swarms and the friend also provided some equipment to get her started. She’s able to keep the hive near her home on a friend’s property that includes woods and lots of native plants.

Kathi-Luise got a lesson in the effects of predators on honey bees when her hive was being visited by what we think was probably skunks. The bees went from being pretty gentle to being very aggressive in a short time. We checked for other pests and diseases and they seemed pretty healthy. We decided to assume skunks and she made a nail board to put in front of the landing board to keep the skunks from bothering the bees. She also added some containers with holes in the lids and ammonia in the containers that were placed around the perimeter of the bee area. The scent helps discourage visits from the skunks. Extra food with some Honey-B-Healthy with lemongrass to calm them helped. They are very workable again.

The last sugar shake for mite load count indicated that they needed to be treated, so they are getting an Apiguard treatment right now. But these bees are doing great and the brood pattern is beautiful.

Kathi-Luise is one of the most dedicated bee advocates I’ve met. When the bees were under attack and super aggressive, she ended up with enough stings to take her to urgent care – more than once! Now she double suits to stay safe and continues to care for her bees.

Here are some pictures of her bees:

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