Tara here, and you’ve found Queen Bee Homestead! Located in Western New York, I have been beekeeping for eight years and now I’m expanding into other ventures. Follow along as we build a barn, get some goats, rabbits, and help you learn along with us!
A Great Dual-Purpose Breed: Kinder Goats!
I researched for a long time and flip-flopped on what exactly I wanted in a goat quite a few times. Eventually, I landed on the Kinder goat. This breed has some of the highest butterfat content milk available (averaging around 5.5% and many going much higher). High butterfat means better taste and more products that…
How to Install a Package of Honey bees
The weather is perfect, your hives are all set up in the perfect location, and it’s almost time to pick up your brand new bees. But wait, how the heck do the bees go from box to hive?? In this post, I will put your mind at ease and explain how to install a package…
Foraging Ramps (Wild Leeks)
Foraging ramps- also known as wild leeks (or Allium tricoccum, if you want to get really technical)- is a very easy food to forage. It’s great for beginners! They are also great in many recipes and are easy to substitute in. Before you Begin Foraging Ramps It’s key to note that the best time to…
Spring into Action!
Everyone loves free, right? Well, spring is in full force here in Western New York and foraging season is upon us! If you’re willing to get your hands a little dirty, there is so much food out there, ready to be grabbed! Morel mushrooms may be one of the most well-known, but they can be…
Feeding your Bees
At some point, all hives will more than likely need to be fed. If you’re lucky, you might have some extra frames of honey to feed your bees, but in most cases, you will need to whip up some sugar water. Keep reading to learn more about feeding your bees! A Honey Bee and Yellow…
How to Check on Your New Hives
So you hived your new bees, good job! Now you’ll need to know how to check on your new hives! You want to make sure your queen is laying eggs and has a good pattern. I will go further into detail below! Always Check Your New Hives! It can be a little intimidating- opening a…