Sandy Acres Homestead, LLC

05/29/2026

The nectar flow is on! 🐝

05/29/2026

05/16/2026

Graduation day! 8 weeks, fully-feathered, time for the grow out pen.

05/10/2026

05/10/2026

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Queen Bee’s out there!

05/09/2026

Wasps are the most efficient killing machines in the insect world and they will dismantle your apiary with a surgical precision that is horrifying to watch.

I strongly think that beekeepers who underestimate the speed of a wasp attack are the ones who find piles of wings and empty frames by October.

Let me explain how this works.

The hunting starts with scouts that mark your hives with pheromones once the natural nectar sources dry up in late summer.

They don't just want your honey, but they also want the protein from the bodies of your bees to feed their own developing larvae.

I believe that a coordinated group of wasps can decimate a weak colony in less than 48h and that they won't stop until every last bee from that apiary is brought back to fuel the expanding wasp colony.

They tend to enter inside the colony in early mornings when bees are not that active due to low temperatures, and their first target is the queen.

A queenless hive is practically undefended.

After that, they will use their superior mandibles to decapitate the guards at the entrance before moving inside to slaughter the nurse bees and feast on the brood.

If you have an apiary of 50 hives and you leave them unprotected, a massive local wasp population can ruin the entire yard in a single week.

Yes, you heard that right.

Once a hive is compromised, the wasps stay inside and defend the stolen property against the original owners until every drop of resource is gone.

In my opinion, the only way to stop this is to act aggressively with traps and entrance reducers long before the first scout arrives.

You should never wait until you see a cloud of wasps to start your defense because by then, the pheromone markers are already set.

I believe the truth is that a wasp attack is not a slow decline but a rapid ex*****on that targets the weakest links in your apiary first and then with freshly acquired loot and troops will attack even the strongest hives inside your apiary.

Take care.

Thank you for reading 📖
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic 🧡
Please leave a like if you've found this interesting 🐝

Happy beekeeping and full barrels 🐝🍯

05/06/2026

🍓 Jams & Jellies Make Easy Gifts

Small-batch. Made here. Ready to gift.

Sweet, spicy, and seasonal favorites available now.

🎄 No shipping. No stress.
Pay with card when you pick up.

https://batsh*tcrazyfarms.com/off-season-market/ols/categories/jams-jellies--fruit-butters

05/06/2026

Honoring the service, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment of our nation’s military this May. Your dedication protects our freedoms, strengthens our communities, and inspires us every day. We appreciate you — this month and always.

05/05/2026

This early split has successfully requeened.