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Paradise in the Pines - Apiary and Honey Sales, 3858 W French Road, Saint Johns, MI (2026)

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas!!!

12/14/2025

Sooo let’s talk about scout bees! 🐝💛

Scout bees are usually mentioned when a hive is preparing to swarm, but their role is even more fascinating than most people realize.

Who are the scout bees?
-Scout bees are typically older worker bees, usually around 2–3 weeks old, with foraging experience.
-They’re the explorers of the hive, tasked with finding new homes, food sources, and monitoring the environment.

What do they do?
🐝Searching for new homes- When the colony gets crowded, scouts look for the perfect spot — dry, safe, roomy, and with a small, defensible entrance.

🐝Checking & double-checking- Scouts often visit a potential site multiple times to make sure it’s really suitable.

🐝Sharing the news -Using the waggle dance, scouts communicate the location and quality of a site to the rest of the colony.

🐝Helping the colony decide- Different scouts may promote different sites. Through repeated visits and dances, the colony reaches a consensus, and when enough scouts agree, the swarm moves together.

🐝Finding food- Scouts also search for nectar and pollen sources and report them back to the hive.

🐝Watching the environment- They monitor for threats, weather changes, and other conditions that could affect the hive.

🐝 Keeping the hive adaptable- All the information scouts gather helps the colony make smart decisions, keeping it strong and resilient.
Bee Haven 2025
Scout bees may be small, but they’re mighty.
They remind us that communication, teamwork, and careful evaluation are what keep the hive thriving.
Every bee plays a role, and the scouts are a perfect example of the collective intelligence that makes honey bee colonies so remarkable. 🐝💛

12/13/2025

How Honey Bees Make Wax 🐝

-Young worker bees (about 12–18 days old) are the little wax makers.
-They eat honey and actually convert the sugars into wax inside their bodies.
-Tiny, clear wax flakes appear on the underside of their bellies — they look like little fish scales.
-The bees grab those flakes with their legs and chew them to soften and shape the wax.
-They mix in a bit of bee spit (very official 🤣) and start forming the honeycomb.
-The hive must stay warm — around 91–97°F — for the wax to stay workable.
-Once it cools, the comb hardens into those perfect yellow hexagons we all love.
It takes 8 pounds of honey to make just 1 pound of wax… so fresh comb is hard-earned bee gold!
Bee Haven 2025
-Truly… bee magic never gets old. 💛🍯

12/13/2025

"Do honey bees actually have pheromones—like a natural perfume—in their feet?"

And ohhh yes… they sure do!
Our girls absolutely have “smelly feet,” but in the best, most brilliant honey-bee way. 🐝💛

Here’s the buzz:
Honey bees leave tiny chemical footprints everywhere they go. These foot pheromones help the whole colony stay organized and connected.
And it’s not just the workers—the queen, the workers, and even the drones all carry their own pheromone blend in their feet.

🐝Queen’s Footprint:
-Wherever the queen walks, she leaves a little chemical trail. This lets the workers know she’s nearby and keeps the hive running smoothly.

🐝Worker Bee Footprints:
Workers use their foot scents like tiny markers:
-to signal which flowers they’ve already visited,
-to help other foragers find safe landing spots,
-to keep the hive’s scent consistent so they can spot who belongs and who doesn’t.

🐝Drone Footprints:
-Drones have their own unique scent too, helping the hive recognize them instantly.
Bee Haven 2025
So yes—honey bees don’t just have busy little feet… they have perfumed feet that help the entire colony communicate, navigate, and stay in sync.
Pretty amazing what those tiny toes can do!

12/10/2025

How is royal jelly and propolis actually harvested… and does it hurt the bees?

These two hive products are very different in how they’re collected and how the colony feels about it.

👑 ROYAL JELLY — the fancy stuff!
This one is made by nurse bees from special glands in their little heads. They feed it to every baby for the first few days, and the queens get the VIP treatment their whole lives.
How beekeepers harvest it:
🐝They gently move teeny tiny baby larvae (we’re talking smaller than a grain of rice!) into special cups
🐝The bees think they need a new queen, so they pack those cups with royal jelly
🐝After about 3 days, the beekeeper goes in and scoops the jelly out

Is it hard on the colony?
Honestly… yes, it can be.
It asks a LOT from the nurse bees, and it redirects their energy away from raising the natural brood.
It’s something only very strong colonies should be asked to do, and they need breaks so they don’t get depleted.
So royal jelly harvesting is definitely a “be-cautious and bee-respectful” kind of practice.

This is why I will never harvest royal jelly from my hives. Also this is why it is so expensive.

🌿 PROPOLIS — the sticky gold! (It's like Gorilla Glue for bees.)
Propolis is what bees use to seal cracks, disinfect the hive, and basically make everything bee-level clean.
How it’s harvested:
🐝Beekeepers put a little flexible screen on top of the hive
🐝Bees feel a draft and instantly go “oh no you don’t!” and fill every tiny slit with propolis
🐝The trap gets popped in the freezer, and the propolis just cracks off

Harmful to the bees?
Not really!
This one is very gentle on them. You’re basically giving them a controlled place to put their extra propolis, and they just carry on with life. The key is not over-harvesting and not leaving the hive drafty.

🐝 The quick truth?
- Royal jelly harvesting can be stressful if not done carefully
-Propolis harvesting is pretty mild and easy on the colony
Bee Haven 2025
Both can be done ethically… but they’re definitely not equal in how much the bees notice!

12/10/2025

Today’s topic is about the extra segment that drone honey bees have in their antennae… and whether they use it to find the DCA (Drone Congregation Area). Let's tackle this..

🐝 What is that extra segment actually for?
Drone honey bees have one more antennal segment than workers, and that extra piece is packed with LOTS more smell receptors. These receptors make drones super sensitive to scents — far more than workers.

But here’s the key:
👉 This extra segment is designed mostly for detecting the scent of a virgin queen, especially her powerful pheromone, QMP.
When a queen goes on her mating flight, drones can detect her smell from several meters away, even while flying fast in mid-air. That extra segment gives them the sensitivity they need to pick up her scent trail instantly.

It’s almost like giving them a turbo-charged “queen detector.”

🐝 Does this help them find the DCA?
Not really.
DCAs appear in the same places every year, and we know they are shaped mostly by the landscape — low open areas, warm sunny pockets, and sheltered spots surrounded by trees. Drones don’t smell their way to the DCA.

They “just know” where to fly because:
-The landscape guides them
-Their instincts pull them there
-Other drones flying nearby reinforce the spot

🐝 Do drones smell each other?
Yes — but the scent is weak.
Drones give off light aggregation pheromones, and drones can detect them, but these are nothing compared to the queen’s scent. Drone pheromone helps keep the group together, but it doesn’t lead them to the DCA.

🐝 To Summarize
✔ The extra antennal segment gives drones extreme smell sensitivity
✔ This is mostly for detecting the queen during mating flights
✔ Drones don’t use it to navigate to DCAs
✔ The landscape shapes where DCAs form
✔ Drone pheromone helps maintain the group, not guide it
Bee Haven 2025

12/09/2025

What Happens When the Queen Bee Dies?

1) What happens when the bees find their dead queen?
The moment they find her lifeless body, the worker bees gather around her, gently touching her with their antennae. It’s as though they’re inspecting her, trying to confirm what their senses are already telling them—that something is deeply wrong. After this brief moment, they’ll carry her body out of the hive, just like they do with any dead bee. Some beekeepers describe this moment as almost solemn—like a quiet ritual of farewell.

2) What actions do they take once they realize their queen is dead?
Once the queen's pheromones fade, the hive goes into high alert. The workers become restless and begin searching for a solution. If there are very young larvae (less than 3 days old), the bees will quickly start emergency queen rearing. They’ll build special queen cells and feed select larvae royal jelly in hopes of raising a new queen.
But if there are no suitable larvae, the colony becomes hopelessly queenless. Eventually, some workers may start laying eggs, but these only develop into drones (male bees), and without a new queen, the colony’s days are numbered.

The hive’s survival depends on how quickly and effectively they can replace their queen. It’s one of nature’s most incredible emergency response systems—and a reminder of just how connected and cooperative bees truly are.

12/04/2025

Another tidbit from Bee Haven's page.

11/29/2025

Ever wonder why our bee suits are almost always WHITE? 🐝

Well my friends… it’s not just because we want to look like fluffy marshmallows in the apiary! 😄

Here’s the buzz:

🐝Bees don’t love dark colors.
Dark shades remind them of predators (yep… bears!).
White makes us look calm, harmless, and not like something trying to steal their honey.

🐝White keeps us COOL.
When you're out there working the girls in summer heat, trust me — you want all the help you can get!

🐝 Easier to spot bees on you.
Light colors = “Oh hello little one, please don’t hitch a ride into my truck!”

🐝And honestly… it’s just tradition.
Generations of beekeepers can’t all be wrong.

Bee Haven

11/20/2025

Lessons from the Beehive
Why Honey Crystallizes 🐝🍯

Ever opened a jar of honey and thought, “Uh oh… why is it turning solid?”
Good news, friend — your honey isn’t going bad… it’s honestly just being honey!

✨ Straight from the hive:
Crystallization is 100% natural. Heres the thing though
Raw, filtered, local, imported, fancy, store-brand — ALL honey can crystallize over time. It’s simply part of honey’s natural chemistry.

But let’s bust a couple myths…
🚫 It’s NOT true that only raw honey crystallizes.
🚫 It’s NOT true that all honey crystallizes at the same speed.

Some nectars crystallize super fast… some take years… and a few hardly crystallize at all. It all depends on the plant the bees visited and the honey’s natural sugar makeup.

💡 What affects crystallization?
• Glucose-to-fructose ratio
• Natural particles (pollen, wax, propolis bits)
• Room temperature
• Age of the honey
• Storage conditions

👇 Beekeeper Secret:
Raw, unfiltered honey (like ours!) usually crystallizes faster because it still contains pollen and tiny wax particles — the good stuff. These act like “starter spots” where crystals begin to form.

Processed honey is heated and filtered, so it generally crystallizes slower…
but heating destroys enzymes, aroma, and beneficial nutrients.

⚖️ And here’s the BIG truth:
Fast crystallizing honey isn’t “better,” and slow crystallizing honey isn’t “better” either.
Some nectar sources naturally crystallize quickly — like sunflower, clover, cotton, mustard, and canola. Some crystallize so fast the beekeeper can barely extract it! Others stay liquid much longer.

🔬 Simple Honey Science:
• Honey is a supersaturated sugar solution.
• Glucose wants to crystallize — fructose resists it.
• More glucose = quicker crystals.
• Temperatures around 55°F speed up crystallization.
• Crystallization does NOT mean honey is raw.
• Crystallization absolutely does NOT mean honey is spoiled.

💛 Beekeeper Wisdom:
Crystallized honey is STILL pure, safe, delicious, and full of flavor.
Spread it… stir it… or gently warm the jar in a bowl of warm water to make it liquid again.
(Just skip the microwave — it damages those precious natural enzymes!)

Honey shifts with the seasons, the flowers, and the weather — just like the bees themselves. And that’s part of the magic. 🍯✨
Crystallization is natural… but it doesn’t determine whether honey is raw.

11/20/2025

Queen Bee Mating: Nature’s Amazing Flight 🐝

This topic is SO big and can get very detailed—but here’s a Reader’s Digest version of the queen’s mating process!

🐝Emergence & Maturity
After emerging from her cell, a queen spends about 5 days maturing. Her exoskeleton hardens, her flight muscles strengthen, and her pheromones fully develop—she’s now ready to fly. This maturation ensures she is physically prepared and able to attract drones.

🐝The Mating Flight
The queen leaves the hive and flies up to 3 miles to a Drone Congregation Area (DCA). (Fun fact: DCAs occur in the same locations every year, guided by landscape and magnetic cues.) Flying away from the hive ensures genetic diversity, since she mates with drones from many different colonies.

🐝Mid-Air Mating
High in the air, around 100–300 feet, she mates with 15–20 drones. (Sometimes as many as 50.) Each drone dies afterward. This one flight provides her with enough s***m to lay eggs for her entire life.

🐝Back to the Hive
After her final flight, she returns home with the s***m stored in her s***matheca, a specialized organ. This allows her to fertilize eggs for years without needing to mate again.

🐝Egg-Laying Begins
5–14 days after returning, the queen starts laying eggs—up to 2,000 a day during peak season! Her mating flights ensure the colony is healthy, genetically diverse, and resilient.
Bee Haven 2025
Queen bees’ mating behavior is a perfect example of how evolution ensures colony survival. Distance, multiple mates, and specialized organs all work together to create strong, thriving hives.

11/06/2025

Honeybees and mental health may seem like an odd pairing… but research shows there is a real connection.

Here’s what we know:

🐝Beekeeping reduces stress + anxiety
Working with bees requires slow movements, deep breathing, patience and calm. This naturally shifts the nervous system into a more regulated state.

🐝It forces mindfulness
When you open a hive, you MUST be fully present. No multitasking, no rushing. That level of focus is similar to meditation.

🐝Nature exposure improves mental health
Simply being outdoors, watching bees forage and listening to the hive hum, has been shown to lower blood pressure and improve mood.

🐝Purpose improves wellbeing
Caring for bees gives people a sense of meaning — knowing they are supporting pollination, biodiversity, and the food system.
Bee Haven 2025
🐝The hive is a mental health metaphor
Each bee has a role… and the hive thrives because of connection, cooperation, and community. The same principles support human mental health.

So while honeybees don’t “treat” mental illness — interacting with them can support mental wellness by promoting relaxation, mindfulness, routine, connection to nature, and a sense of purpose.

Beekeeping is more than honey.
It’s therapy — in a hive suit. 🐝

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Paradise in the Pines - Apiary and Honey Sales

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