Blog

Updated Virgin Queen Introduction Protocol

You may have noticed that Stevens Bee Company stopped taking pre orders, and moved to posting "ready to ship" queen inventory. This took...

Introducing freshly instrumentally inseminated breeder queens

This year we started offering untested, or not yet laying II'd VSH breeder queens. These are VSH daughter queens that are II'd to a blend...

Introducing virgin queens

I have been exclusively using virgin queens in my operation, since started producing them years ago. I like using virgins as opposed to...

To treat or not to treat, that is the question

This is a very hot topic among beekeepers, and has sparked countless debates. So why not write a few thoughts about it? A short scan of...

Resistant stock?

What do people mean when they use the term resistant stock? The term resistant can address several behavioral or genetic traits that...

What makes a great cell building colony.

The first thing I look for in a potential cell building colony while I'm performing Spring inspections is size. When I pop the top, I...

What affects queen quality?

Everything affects the quality of the queen. This is why I'm obsessive about the process of queen rearing. I want THE best quality queens...

Instrumental Insemination as a Part of Our Operation.

I was taught instrumental insemination by Sue Cobey in the summer of 2014. Prior to learning "II" we'd purchased II'd breeding stock...

Varroa Sensitive Hygiene

Varroa Sensitive Hygiene is a fascinating genetic trait that allows worker bees to detect female mites that are reproducing beneath a...

Sustainable Beekeeping

Sustainable beekeeping has become a topic of discussion in recent years, and rightfully so. Beekeeping used to be much easier and worry...