Carpenter and His Bees

05/27/2026

Did the trap our work?!?
Kelvin digs deep into this hive during today’s hive check to see what’s really going on inside the trap out colony. We were hoping to find a queen…

Kelvin digs deep into this hive during today’s hive check to see what’s really going on inside the trap out colony. We were hoping to find a queen… but no qu...

05/25/2026

In early medieval Ireland, bees were so valuable that there were actual laws written just for them.

Known as the Bechbretha, or “bee judgments,” these laws date back to around the 7th and 8th centuries and covered everything from stolen hives to bee attacks and even “nectar theft” by neighboring swarms.

If someone claimed your bees were stealing flowers from their land, the law suggested dusting the bees with flour and following the white trail back to their hive.

Bees were legally treated like livestock because honey, wax, and mead were essential to daily life in medieval Ireland. In some cases, compensation for injuries or disputes was literally paid in beehives.

What makes it even more fascinating is that Irish records from over 1,000 years ago mention mass bee die-offs linked to famine and human suffering, showing people already understood how important pollinators were long before modern science confirmed it.

📸: Douai Cuincy Library Network.
📸: National Museum of Antiquities

05/23/2026

These bees could not stay!! 🐝

We had to trap them out of their hive they built in the tree because it was not safe for them to be there. We moved them back to our apiary where they can be monitored and protected.

05/22/2026

They liked the tree a little too much 😂🐝

Shaking bees off the tree from a swarm, they still smell their queen on the tree so they went back pretty quickly.

05/22/2026

The homeowner needed these bees relocated because their animals were getting too close to the hive, but cutting the tree down wasn’t an option because of the shade it provides. So we set up a trap out and let the bees slowly move into a new home over time.

Six weeks later and this trap out was a success 🐝🌳The homeowner ...

05/21/2026

She made it home safe 👑🐝
Just one day after the cutout, we got this queen unclipped and settled back into the yard with her girls. Watching a rescued colony regroup around their queen never gets old. Another hive saved and another fresh start for these ladies. 🍯✨

05/14/2026

Do you see it?!?

Reddish nectar…where could this be from?

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day Ladies!
(and Queen bees 😉)

05/10/2026

What is going on here? Well that’s simple…

Brood has emerged and house bees have been promoted to foragers. Watch closely as you can see them take their first flight when they come out. They start off with small circles than graduate to larger as they learn their new area.

05/07/2026

Small swarm, quick rescue, and a whole lot of teamwork from the girls 🐝

This little swarm in Elk Grove was an easy catch once we got the box underneath them. Normally we’d give the branch a good shake, but this plum tree was LOADED and we weren’t about to send fruit flying everywhere 😅

So instead, we carefully scooped the bees into the box one handful at a time and let their queen call the rest home. Smooth, simple, and another swarm safely relocated. 🍯🐝

05/07/2026

Part 2 of the Natomas swarm rescue 🐝📦

By this point, the pressure was on. The sun was dropping fast, bees were starting to cluster tighter, and we still had to convince thousands of girls that the box was their new home.

One wrong move and they could’ve taken back off into the tree.

Thankfully, the queen made the call… and the rest started marching in 👑🐝