08/27/2026
August Field Day Recap - Hands-On Learning at the Bee Barn
We had a great turnout for our August 22 field day at Jim Orem’s Bee Barn, with about 25 beekeepers joining us for a morning of hands-on learning. We divided into three groups based on experience level, led by Elizabeth, Jackie and Dave, which gave everyone a chance to work at a comfortable pace. Each group opened hives, evaluated colony conditions and discussed what adjustments we can make now to put our bees in the best possible position heading into the goldenrod flow and eventually winter. One of the bigger topics was the idea of “taking our winter losses in the fall”... identifying colonies that are unlikely to make it and combining or strengthening them now, rather than allowing valuable bees and resources to disappear over winter. The goal is fewer boxes going into winter perhaps, but stronger colonies coming out in the spring.
One of the more interesting demonstrations involved intentionally creating the beginnings of a robbing situation... and then stopping it. Before opening the colonies, we talked about simple preventative steps such as reducing entrances and closing inner covers. Once things got stirred up, the whole bee yard looked pretty crazy for about 30 minutes! It gave everyone an opportunity to see the difference between normal intense foraging activity and true robbing behavior, as well as what we can do when a situation begins getting out of hand. Within about 15 minutes of taking corrective action, things were already settling back toward business as usual. Seeing something like this happen in a bee yard is a lot more useful than simply reading about it.
We also got a bonus demonstration from David S. Broxterman, who brought along equipment and showed us his method for overwintering nucs. We finished things off with a great pitch-in lunch, plenty more bee talk and even matched a newer beekeeper with a mentor. That's really what these field days are all about. You can read books and watch videos all day long, but there's something different about standing in an apiary with other beekeepers, opening colonies together and talking through what we're actually seeing.
If you haven't made it to a field day yet, consider joining us for the next one! In September, we'll shift our attention to beeswax... rendering wax and making products from it. And because it's a beekeeping field day and you never know where the day might lead, bring your PPE along just in case. Come participate, ask questions, meet other local beekeepers or simply watch and learn. There's room for every experience level, and we'd love to see you at the next one.
