Forks of the Credit: Beekeeper

I had the pleasure to meet another beekeeper who lives and manages 20 hives in the picturesque Niagara Escarpment  near the small town of Forks on the Credit, Ontario. He has a beautiful location with the Forks of the Credit river raging through his backyard. His hives are located on the other side of the river and his bees primarily forage on basswood trees; which produce a lot of nectar in the right conditions.

Interesting bottom board. This hive is sitting on a scale!

Hive sitting on a scale.

 Hives sitting on a scale are excellent ways to monitor honey flows and the general condition of the hive. This beekeeper has two separate scales and compares them regularly. I need to find a scale like this at an auction sale!

A treasure chest of bees! Swarm collection and relocation in action.

Hive with 5 mediums of honey on top!

A lot was learned in our short visit. He has an interesting method of running his bee yard. In the spring time he splits up his strong hives and lets them raise their own emergency queens and he tries to keep young queens in his hives at all times so that they do not swarm. I am reluctant to split my hives up all the time because I want to remain as a small beekeeper. It is always nice to get to meet an experienced beekeeper so that wisdom can be passed on.