Ballard Bee Blog

Gestalten Boxed and Label Two

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 23:22:30 -0800

We just received our brand new copy of “Boxed and Label Two” and were also fortunate to be included in the book.
This is Gestalten’s second “Boxed and Labeled” book. I own the first one as well and can spend hours pouring through the pages getting inspired at every turn of the page.
If you get a chance I highly recommend taking a look at the book online and also see the other incredible subjects that Gestalten feels worthy of print.

New Equipment

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:17:00 -0800

The Ballard Bee Company just received its largest shipment of beekeeping supplies ever. Hives boxes, frames, smokers, tools, protective jackets…The Ballard Bee Company has it all. New this year are deluxe apiary starter kits, specifically designed to cover all the needs of first-year beekeepers. Right now is also the time to put in orders for 2012 Bee Packages. Gear up and be ready for the 2012 beekeeping season!

Busy as a Bee

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 14:59:44 -0700

Wow…summer is actually here (did we have a spring?)! Nearly half of 2011 has already passed. And what a year it has been so far! Beekeepers know that summer is the most active and critical time for the success of their apiary. The bees are hectically foraging and building out their hives. And just like our bees and their hives, the Ballard Bee Company has been busy growing our business. And summer will be bringing lots more. That’s why I’m reviving our Ballard Bee Blog. We want to keep you current and informed. We may even run some features about the people and things that excite, affect and influence us at the Ballard Bee Company.

And the winner is...

Sat, 18 Jun 2011 10:54:20 -0700

It’s been a good week for the Ballard Bee Company. It’s been a good week for the bees. It’s been a good week for Seattle. Earlier this week Corky Luster, founder and owner of the Ballard Bee Company, won a national “VISIONary of the Year Award”. The award was conceived and presented by the global semi-conductor company AMD. After a nation-wide search for ordinary people “who work to live out their passions and turn their vision into reality”, Corky was named one of nine finalists in three categories. Corky took the top spot in the “foodie” category. The prestigious award brings with it a monetary grant of $20,000. The nine finalists were flown from their home states to Seattle and the Space Needle where an award ceremony dinner took place. That a home-town boy was named a winner in his hometown was an added bonus!

In Corky’s mind the award does more than simply validate his vision for his company, “This is a win for more than just me. I wouldn’t have been named a finalist were it not for Seattle and what is going on here. This is a win for beekeepers. This is a boost to the struggling bees. This shows that what beekeepers are doing is important. What is happening in Seattle is important. This is an award for all of us.”

My dog ate my last blogs

Tue, 3 Aug 2010 18:36:02 -0700

Yes, the old excuse of your dog eating your homework. Thought I could try that one. I wish that was the reason I haven’t been posting any new blogs in awhile. The real reason is that this bee season flew by and it has been a very busy one. This Spring was absolutely insane. I easily put 1000 lbs of sugar into the hives just to keep them alive. The Spring was exceptionally wet and cold. The bees were staying put and would starve if I didn’t supplement their feed. I could go through a gallon of sugar water every 4-5 days per hive. Then after the wet Spring, swarming was the next activity on the girls agenda. I swear I would get 2 calls a day about a hive that was swarming and this went on for about a month. If they weren’t my hives they were calling about it was somebody else’s. It got to the point I was getting afraid to answer the phone. Though I do have to say my customers were great, and if they had a bee question they would start the call with ”No, the bees aren’t swarming.”
So that brings us up to the present. The weather has now become stable and warm and the bees are very much enjoying it all. The hives are getting taller and the supers are filling and becoming heavy with honey. I even have started to pull the full honey supers off and will start extracting in the coming week.
So, let’s hope Boone (my dog) is full from eating my last blog and I can get back to you all sooner.
Till then...