Hops and Honey a Colorado Apiary and Garden

Hops and Honey a Colorado Apiary and Garden Northern Colorado beekeeping Education and Mentorship
Swarm removal in the spring and early summer. I do not provided structural hive removals.

Honey will be available again in August 2025

Colorado State Beekeepers Association

08/19/2026

Beekeeping is keeping me excessively busy at the moment. Add in one kid going to college amd the other starting her Jr. Year.
Life is full and the bees have been put on the back burner over the past couple if weeks.
Honey is now available to purchase from my web page. Local pick up available.

07/09/2026

I have 2 bumblebee nests in my backyard currently. This nest came from a backyard in Broomfield, CO that had been disturbed by a plumber installing a water line for a swamp cooler. Their nest was at the base of a big rose bush next to the back door. The bumblebees started to get defensive and needed to be relocated after chasing and stinging the home owner.
They have been in their new box for a week now and I wanted try to record them with my that I can trigger with my phone. I barley put the camera by them and one guard bee came out and then brought the rest of her friends to attack the little black box. I will need a better way to hide the Gopro before trying again.

05/08/2026

Last Saturday I picked up a swarm from my parents apiary with a virgin Queen.
Today while checking on the swarms syrup water, the Queen came and went 5 times while I was by them.
She would fly off for a couple of minutes, come back and be checked over by her Queen attendance bees, then pushed back out to fly again. Nature is so fascinating.

05/07/2026

I find myself often at the crossroads of perfect timing and sheer luck ✨️ 👌 😃
I was checking ✔️ on a swarm in my backyard that I had to take home from my parents apiary.
I heard a different beat 💓 of wings circle my head.
It was the Queen returning from her mating flight.
Queen bees can mate with more than 18 + Drones (boy bees)
Right before she takes off in the reel, you can see a couple bees check out her rear end.
Those worker bees (females) are checking for a drones phallus 🌽
A Queen will return with the Drones "parts" inside and outside her.
The workers remove it and send her back out to mate again.
I was also lucky enough to bring my camera with me this afternoon.
It isn't very often that I get photograph a during her mating flight.

05/06/2026

Currently 33°F in Colorado and snowing 🌨 the bees are out taking cleansing flights and dragging out dead drone (boy) bees. Colorado will be back up to 85° by Monday 🫠🙃

04/17/2026

I had an early morning swarm call yesterday in from the construction 🚧 sight at the
Medical Center of The Rockies. They were an easy catch and the worker bees started to fan the second I had the Queen in the box.
Timing was perfect with the plane flying over 😅

04/15/2026

So many bees 🐝

Splitting season is in full swing! I helped a friend on Monday split 6 hive's and spent Tuesday setting the apiary back ...
04/08/2026

Splitting season is in full swing!
I helped a friend on Monday split 6 hive's and spent Tuesday setting the apiary back up in Keenesburg.
The swarm from last week has eggs 🥚 👏 and they are on their way to being a strong hive.

I also had the pleasure of listening to
Speak to the Colorado Sustainability club last night.
So many helpful tips that apply to our altitude of beekeeping like Canada's.
Awesome job Christine!

The swarm I pickup yesterday from had 2 Queen! The one I found on the ground had been killed by her sister. 2 vergin ...
04/07/2026

The swarm I pickup yesterday from had 2 Queen!
The one I found on the ground had been killed by her sister.
2 vergin queens one swarm.....not uncommon, but a first for me.

Interesting swarm call yesterday afternoon The caller said there was a swarm close to the ground. When I arrived I foun...
04/06/2026

Interesting swarm call yesterday afternoon
The caller said there was a swarm close to the ground. When I arrived I found the Queen on the ground almost dead 🫠 I put her in a Queen cage and placed her on the hive. I shook the rest of this football size swarm into the box and waited till the sun dipped down to load them up.
Today this swarm will get a frame of brood donated to them. The hive will make a new Queen and their world will be OK again.
I had loads of awesome conversations with spectators yesterday. I love Boulder ❤️ so many cool people that were curious about bees.

Address

1707 Centre Ave
Fort Collins, CO
80526

Telephone

9703107774

Website

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