Matt: /* Feeding the bees */

2026-09-02T23:03:10Z

Feeding the bees

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This page contains notes about my attempt at indoor beekeeping, which is one of my [[Hobbies]].

=== Apartment preparation ===

Before installing the hive:

# Move furniture away from the hive.
# Identify anything in the apartment that I do not want covered with bees.
# Remove those items.
# Close the bedroom door.
# Search apartment rental contract for the word "apiary."
# Practice saying, "That's strange. I've never seen those bees before."

=== Hive inspections ===

The hive should be inspected regularly.

Things to check:

* Is the queen present?
* Are there eggs and larvae?
* Is the colony producing honey?
* Are there signs of disease or pests?
* Are the bees preparing to swarm?
* Has the landlord discovered the bees?

The last two conditions require immediate attention.

=== Feeding the bees ===

Bees normally forage outdoors for nectar and pollen - this presents certain logistical difficulties on the 25th floor of an apartment building.

Possible solutions I have considered:

* Opening a window.
* Installing a very small revolving door.
* Teaching the bees to use the elevator.
* Planting wildflowers on the roof.

Further research is needed.

=== Swarm management ===

A honey bee colony may swarm when a large group of bees leaves with the old queen to establish a new colony. In conventional beekeeping, this is considered an important management issue.

In apartment beekeeping, it is considered a reason to move.

=== Honey harvest ===

My goal is to eventually harvest my own honey.

Projected annual honey production:

{| class="wikitable"
! Item
! Estimate
|-
| Honey produced
| 40 pounds
|-
| Honey given to friends
| 15 pounds
|-
| Honey I keep
| 10 pounds
|-
| Honey used to apologize to neighbors
| 15 pounds
|}

These estimates may need to be revised depending on the number of neighbors.

=== Lessons learned ===

* Bees require considerably more personal space than anticipated.
* "Open floor plan" has a different meaning when you own bees.
* A studio apartment is not improved by adding 50,000 roommates.
* The phrase "indoor hive inspection" should probably not exist.
* The security deposit should now be considered a sunk cost.
* My neighbors have become surprisingly interested in moving.
* The beekeeper controls the hive. The bees control everything else.

=== Long-term goals ===

* Successfully overwinter the hive.
* Find an apartment with a balcony.

=== Related pages ===

* [[Hobbies]]
* [[Plants for pollinators]]
* [[Tenant rights]]
* [[Moving]]

Beekeeping - Revision history

Matt: /* Feeding the bees */