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March 2026 Newsletter

March 2026 Newsletter – Laura Winters

This March, Spring started early!!!

With warmer temperatures upon us, the honeybees are gearing up for reproduction. We are noticing our queen bees laying many more eggs, which means her worker bees are bringing in a significant amount of pollen. The pollen is deposited within the cells of the […]

Beekeeping Podcasts

Here’s a list of the beekeeping related podcasts I enjoy listening to. My current podcast player of choice on my Android phone – is called PodBean. You can find these podcasts on multiple outlets, though. iTunes, PodBean, CastPlayer, Spotify, etc…

Kevin Inglin of Beekeeper’s Corner – is probably the longest-running podcast I have listened […]

January 2026 Newsletter

January 2026 – Newsletter (Laura Winters – Birds and the Bees Apiary)

Over the past month and a half, my business partner Rex and I have been busy preparing for the upcoming season.

We’ve assembled new hive equipment, including medium supers and deep boxes, then applied a coat of primer and paint to protect and […]

Pollinator Plant Spotlight – Mexican Buckeye

The Mexican Buckeye (Ungnadia speciosa) is a Texas-native, deciduous ornamental shrub or small tree (8–12 ft, up to 30 ft) with distinctive 3-lobed,, reddish-brown seed capsules containing poisonous, black, shiny seeds. It features fragrant spring whiteish-pink flowers, yellow fall color, and high drought tolerance, thriving in limestone soils, full sun, or partial shade.

It blooms […]

Propagating Pollinator Plants

This year I *really* noticed the Western Soapberry trees in the North Texas (North of Dallas / Ft Worth MetroMess) area during their bloom, and the pollinators all over the trees while in bloom. I suspect this was a 2nd bloom for the year. My time really noticing them was from the end of May […]

Earth Day 2025 – Rooster Home and Hardware

The Harmony Hollow Apiary bees in an observation hive will be at Rooster Home and Hardware on Saturday April 19th in their celebration of Earth Day 2025. Come sample honey, see the bees, and maybe spot the queen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Simple Hive Stands

These hive stands are strong, hold the hives to a proper height for easy inspections – and are quick to make with simple tools.

Most of the ones I make are 8′ long – and hold 4 hives easily – or 5 that are pretty tight. So I use 2 stands for most bee yards […]

Pollinator Plants for Texas

Many property owners ask me about what to plant to help feed the bees. The short answer – is to plant for ALL the pollinators (butterflies, moths, wasps, bees (including native species as well as the honeybees used in agriculture for pollination services and honey production).

Though I separate this list […]

ATREE and Beekeeping in India – West Bengal – Darjeeling Region

This is a work in progress as I have time to update from my recollection and notes from my trip to India for the month of October and early November 2016. Some photos are by freelance photographer Saad Amer – and are credited to him on each one. The remainder were taken by myself.

Ashoka […]

Equipment Build – Solar Wax Melter (Broke Boy SWM)

Broke Boy Solar Wax Melter – BBSWM

This solar wax melter is one that was cobbled together in the time-frame of about 2012. I call it the “Broke Boy Solar Wax Melter”.

Commercially sold solar wax melters for the hobby market – are currently (2024) marketed at prices ranging from $170-$350. For something that is […]