Inked Girl Apiaries

Inked Girl Apiaries Just a girl and her happy bees.

05/22/2026

Raining Friday Evening.

Have you heard of honey bee bearding before? Honey bee bearding is a totally normal thing where tons of bees bunch up ou...
05/19/2026

Have you heard of honey bee bearding before?

Honey bee bearding is a totally normal thing where tons of bees bunch up outside the hive entrance, forming a giant fuzzy beard. Bees hang out on the front porch of the hive for a couple of pretty cool reasons. Apparently, they need to keep the nursery at a balmy 94°F, and on super hot or humid days, having all their friends inside would turn the hive into a sweaty sauna. By stepping outside, they're like 'Hey, it's a bit warm in there, mind if we chill outside?' and they make room for some airflow. Many of the bearding bees will even point themselves in the same direction and start flapping their wings like crazy to push fresh air in or evaporate water to cool things down - basically acting like the hive's air conditioning unit. A strong and healthy hive with a huge population might even have bees partying outside at night because the dance floor is too crowded inside. And during a super hot summer day when there's not much nectar going around, all the foragers stay inside sipping honey and avoiding the heat, which increases the congestion and need for some serious airflow. In this colony's case, they just needed a little extra room, so we just added a honey super to the top.

We were out in our apiaries doing some hive maintenance today, checking for signs the hive is preparing to swarm, so we ...
05/12/2026

We were out in our apiaries doing some hive maintenance today, checking for signs the hive is preparing to swarm, so we can prevent the loss of the colony. May is "swarm season" for honeybees in Ohio which is a natural, non-aggressive behavior where a queen takes half the hive to find a new home, often appearing as a temporary, large buzzing cloud. As hives get overcrowded in spring, they split. While daunting, these swarms are docile and merely looking for a new home. Swarming bees are unlikely to sting because they have no hive or larvae to defend. If you see a swarm, keep your distance and contacting a local beekeeper to relocate them.

04/06/2026

Increased honey bee flight during and after inspection is normal, usually caused by agitation from smoke, vibrations, and disruption of foragers. During this time, the bees may appear louder or fly around more as they respond to the broken hive structure, with increased activity often lasting for hours as they settle down and reorient.

I took advantage of one hive's behavior after such an inspection to give you an idea of what it feels like to be inside this honey bee activity. We did not use smoke during this inspection, as I prefer not to unless absolutely necessary. No one was being aggressive; they were just figuring things out after we disrupted their normal daily activities.

I find being with the bees to be a very calming experience.

04/02/2026

Spring inspection on the Mahle Farm. This is my favorite time of year! 🐝🌸💛

We're preparing for the 2026 season! We feed our honey bees in early spring with a 1:1 sugar syrup (equal parts white su...
03/24/2026

We're preparing for the 2026 season!

We feed our honey bees in early spring with a 1:1 sugar syrup (equal parts white sugar and hot water) to stimulate brood production and prevent starvation prior to the initial nectar flow.

1:1 sugar syrup fed in early spring is generally not stored because bees use it immediately for hydration, brood rearing, and drawing out new wax comb, mimicking a natural nectar flow. The lower concentration encourages consumption over storage, unlike 2:1 syrup used in autumn, which is stored for winter.

Bees And Snow. We were all happy to be outside today.
02/10/2026

Bees And Snow. We were all happy to be outside today.

As we deal with this winter weather advisory, I'm finding warmth in bottling honey to fulfill orders and restock the Cro...
01/19/2026

As we deal with this winter weather advisory, I'm finding warmth in bottling honey to fulfill orders and restock the Crooksville apiary.

Did you know that honey bees don't hibernate, instead they form a tight cluster, generating warmth through wing movement, thriving on stored honey through a remarkable process called thermoregulation? This is also why we lack fall honey for sale, we leave it for the hives survival.

Stay warm out there!e

Running a small business means being a master of chaos. Before closing up for the winter, I am restocking the labeling s...
11/12/2025

Running a small business means being a master of chaos. Before closing up for the winter, I am restocking the labeling station for future me’s sanity.

Measured ✔️
Cut✔️
Stamped✔️

I'll be here for a while. 💛

Two special-order requests have been fulfilled: 10 individual party favor bundles and 2 lbs of beeswax pellets to bright...
09/10/2025

Two special-order requests have been fulfilled: 10 individual party favor bundles and 2 lbs of beeswax pellets to brighten someone's day.

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740 Convers Avenue
Zanesville, OH
43701

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