Maryland Beekeeping | Chesapeake Queen Company

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CHESAPEAKE QUEEN COMPANY

We raise honey bees for the Chesapeake region and provide ultra local honey for you!

ABOUT US

Chesapeake Queen Company is based in Frederick County, Maryland with additional apiaries in the surrounding counties. We focus on providing local honey and queens and honey bees for the Chesapeake region.

What’s a beekeeper to do during the winter? Bryan learned how to make fantastic homemade bagels from scratch! He said adding the Chesapeake Queen Company honey to the water bath before baking is key! 🍯🥯 Recipe from @sallysbakeblog :https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-everything-bagels/
What’s your favorite flavor of bagel?

What’s a beekeeper to do during the winter? Bryan learned how to make fantastic homemade bagels from scratch! He said adding the Chesapeake Queen Company honey to the water bath before baking is key! 🍯🥯 Recipe from @sallysbakeblog :https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-everything-bagels/
What’s your favorite flavor of bagel?

Finally a warm and sunny day for the bees to stretch their wings and grab a drink. Henbit is just starting to bloom to help the bees get over the hump until our main nectar flow starts in April/May. #beekeeping #honey

Finally a warm and sunny day for the bees to stretch their wings and grab a drink. Henbit is just starting to bloom to help the bees get over the hump until our main nectar flow starts in April/May. #beekeeping #honey

I love the sight of fresh wax filled with honey. Older comb for comparison. Missed a hive when adding supers,so the bees put the honey anywhere they can. Bees are currently foraging on this raspberry patch at @gooddogfarm #honey #beekeeping

I love the sight of fresh wax filled with honey. Older comb for comparison. Missed a hive when adding supers,so the bees put the honey anywhere they can. Bees are currently foraging on this raspberry patch at @gooddogfarm #honey #beekeeping

Rainy day adding supers. The black locust trees are blooming in Maryland and the honey supers need to go on. As soon as the frames are waxed they are going on the hives. @karlyfae @bender_bryan #honey #honeybees #beekeepers

Rainy day adding supers. The black locust trees are blooming in Maryland and the honey supers need to go on. As soon as the frames are waxed they are going on the hives. @karlyfae @bender_bryan #honey #honeybees #beekeepers

We’re hunting a different kind of egg this morning!!! First round of grafts are in the cell builder. We’ll be back in a week to check our progress and make up mating nucs. Special thanks to our best grafter @karlyfae #eastereggs #queen #grafting #honeybees

We’re hunting a different kind of egg this morning!!! First round of grafts are in the cell builder. We’ll be back in a week to check our progress and make up mating nucs. Special thanks to our best grafter @karlyfae #eastereggs #queen #grafting #honeybees

🎉🎉🎉 @bender_bryan finished assembling and painting box number 250. I wanted to celebrate this moment a little bit. We bought a pallet of 250 unassembled supers at the end of 2020 when we planned phasing out deep boxes from the apiaries . We’ve moved these pieces wood on a pallet more times than I wish to admit, and up and down more sets of stairs than I wish to count. At today’s prices we’ve saved well over $1000. Year by year Bryan assembled and set the supers out in the apiaries 🎉🎉🎉 thank you Bryan!

🎉🎉🎉 @bender_bryan finished assembling and painting box number 250. I wanted to celebrate this moment a little bit. We bought a pallet of 250 unassembled supers at the end of 2020 when we planned phasing out deep boxes from the apiaries . We’ve moved these pieces wood on a pallet more times than I wish to admit, and up and down more sets of stairs than I wish to count. At today’s prices we’ve saved well over $1000. Year by year Bryan assembled and set the supers out in the apiaries 🎉🎉🎉 thank you Bryan!

We are so excited for spring! 🐝 today was a beautiful day to get outside and check some hives. We found them brimming with fresh pollen ( especially yellow and red and some white), fresh glistening nectar, queens laying worker brood, some hives needed a little boost with a sugar frame (winter emergency food) while some other hives did not - they had full frames of untouched honey still in their reserves!

We are so excited for spring! 🐝 today was a beautiful day to get outside and check some hives. We found them brimming with fresh pollen ( especially yellow and red and some white), fresh glistening nectar, queens laying worker brood, some hives needed a little boost with a sugar frame (winter emergency food) while some other hives did not - they had full frames of untouched honey still in their reserves!

The Winter Solstice is the start of the beekeeping season. The Queen starts laying little by little as the days get longer. It’s a great time for the beekeeper to evaluate what worked in your apiary, what needs improvement and any new techniques you might try. Hoping that your winter stores are plentiful, your mite counts are low , and your queens are ready for the new season. Happy Solstice!!! #beesofinstagram #beekeeping #wintersolstice #longerdays

The Winter Solstice is the start of the beekeeping season. The Queen starts laying little by little as the days get longer. It’s a great time for the beekeeper to evaluate what worked in your apiary, what needs improvement and any new techniques you might try. Hoping that your winter stores are plentiful, your mite counts are low , and your queens are ready for the new season. Happy Solstice!!! #beesofinstagram #beekeeping #wintersolstice #longerdays

🐝🐝🐝🌦️🌈🌧️Swarming between the rain clouds. Finding a new home is where the bees want to be ! Luckily we provide housing for all our workers 😉 #swarm #honeybees #beekeeperslife #bees #beekeepers #talkingheads @bender_bryan @karlyfae

🐝🐝🐝🌦️🌈🌧️Swarming between the rain clouds. Finding a new home is where the bees want to be ! Luckily we provide housing for all our workers 😉 #swarm #honeybees #beekeeperslife #bees #beekeepers #talkingheads @bender_bryan @karlyfae

Spring 2023 been a busy one so far! Moving our home base out to Frederick means a new mating yard and new farm sites to set up. @bender_bryan is building equipment late in to the night every night, painting new custom lids from @whistlepig_woodcraft , and painting boxes as fast as they are built. @karlyfae is grafting her heart out and waxing frames. And together we are stacking those supers high, moving hives out, and setting up the mating nucs. 😅 it’s hard work but we sure do catch a lot of great views and have fun together! Both of us work full time jobs, leaving us only evenings and weekend to get it all done. And neither of us pull a paycheck from the bees, everything goes back into the bees. You get what you give ! 🐝 ❤️💪

#beekeepers #beekeeperslife #honeybees #nucs #queenrearing #graftingqueens #beeequipment #everydayimhustling #busybees🐝 #bees #🐝 #dreamers #makethathoney #getwhatyougive #dreamersdisease

Spring 2023 been a busy one so far! Moving our home base out to Frederick means a new mating yard and new farm sites to set up. @bender_bryan is building equipment late in to the night every night, painting new custom lids from @whistlepig_woodcraft , and painting boxes as fast as they are built. @karlyfae is grafting her heart out and waxing frames. And together we are stacking those supers high, moving hives out, and setting up the mating nucs. 😅 it’s hard work but we sure do catch a lot of great views and have fun together! Both of us work full time jobs, leaving us only evenings and weekend to get it all done. And neither of us pull a paycheck from the bees, everything goes back into the bees. You get what you give ! 🐝 ❤️💪

#beekeepers #beekeeperslife #honeybees #nucs #queenrearing #graftingqueens #beeequipment #everydayimhustling #busybees🐝 #bees #🐝 #dreamers #makethathoney #getwhatyougive #dreamersdisease

New queens are mated and laying eggs anywhere they can. @karlyfae is the grafting master. Our production hives are bringing in nectar and starting to cap honey. Spring is my favorite bee season. #bees #beekeeping #queen #honey #honeybees

New queens are mated and laying eggs anywhere they can. @karlyfae is the grafting master. Our production hives are bringing in nectar and starting to cap honey. Spring is my favorite bee season. #bees #beekeeping #queen #honey #honeybees

A little late afternoon hive check @bender_bryan @karlyfae

A little late afternoon hive check @bender_bryan @karlyfae

Did a little emergency feed on a few hives. These warm winter days have the bees flying around, burning up energy, and eating all their winter honey stores. So I made something I’m calling “sugar frames”. Just a little something to keep the bees fed until the spring flow starts up. #bees #beesofinstagram #honeybees #winterfeed #sugarframes

Did a little emergency feed on a few hives. These warm winter days have the bees flying around, burning up energy, and eating all their winter honey stores. So I made something I’m calling “sugar frames”. Just a little something to keep the bees fed until the spring flow starts up. #bees #beesofinstagram #honeybees #winterfeed #sugarframes

This is how we deal with slime outs and small hive beetles. Put the frames out in a metal wheelbarrow in the sun and away from the apiary. It’s one part bird feeder 🐛 🐦and one part honey reclamation site for the bees 🍯 🐝!
#thisishowwedoit #honeybees #honey #shb #smallhivebeetle #beekeeping #beekeeperslife #smallhivebeetlehappens #beesofinstagram #beekeepersofinstagram #tipsandtricks @bender_bryan @karlyfae

This is how we deal with slime outs and small hive beetles. Put the frames out in a metal wheelbarrow in the sun and away from the apiary. It’s one part bird feeder 🐛 🐦and one part honey reclamation site for the bees 🍯 🐝!
#thisishowwedoit #honeybees #honey #shb #smallhivebeetle #beekeeping #beekeeperslife #smallhivebeetlehappens #beesofinstagram #beekeepersofinstagram #tipsandtricks @bender_bryan @karlyfae

We got our best girls out there working hard for our 2022 honey crop. You can still purchase our remaining honey from our farm CSA partners @moonvalleyfarm and @gooddogfarm or on our @chesapeakequeenco website. 🐝🍯🌳#honey #honeyframe #bees #beekeeping #beekeeperslife #beekeepersofinstagram @bender_bryan @karlyfae

We got our best girls out there working hard for our 2022 honey crop. You can still purchase our remaining honey from our farm CSA partners @moonvalleyfarm and @gooddogfarm or on our @chesapeakequeenco website. 🐝🍯🌳#honey #honeyframe #bees #beekeeping #beekeeperslife #beekeepersofinstagram @bender_bryan @karlyfae

The drones are almost ready, we’ll probably start grafting this week. Takes a month for a queen to go from egg to laying. #mayqueens #queen #queenbee #honeybees #beesofinstagram #beekeeping

The drones are almost ready, we’ll probably start grafting this week. Takes a month for a queen to go from egg to laying. #mayqueens #queen #queenbee #honeybees #beesofinstagram #beekeeping

Honey harvesting is going to be so SWEET from now on. Upgraded to a 20 frame extractor. Now I can spin 2 supers at once !!! @maxanthoneyprocessing makes the best stuff, well worth the wait. #upgrade #beekeeping #honey #madeinusa #bees #sweet #sticky

Honey harvesting is going to be so SWEET from now on. Upgraded to a 20 frame extractor. Now I can spin 2 supers at once !!! @maxanthoneyprocessing makes the best stuff, well worth the wait. #upgrade #beekeeping #honey #madeinusa #bees #sweet #sticky

Night out @milkhousebrewery 🍻Thank you for sharing your delicious beers and the story of your farm 🚜🐑🌱🍺. @bender_bryan won this fantastic swag bag from @farmcredit - with cooler bag, umbrella, first aide kit, a crazy lighter, headlamp, outdoor speaker, pruning shears, utility light, and yeti mug 🤯! Thanks @moonvalleyfarm for encouraging us to attend! 👩‍🌾👨‍🌾#nightout #farmers #farmbrewery #🍻 #swag

Night out @milkhousebrewery 🍻Thank you for sharing your delicious beers and the story of your farm 🚜🐑🌱🍺. @bender_bryan won this fantastic swag bag from @farmcredit - with cooler bag, umbrella, first aide kit, a crazy lighter, headlamp, outdoor speaker, pruning shears, utility light, and yeti mug 🤯! Thanks @moonvalleyfarm for encouraging us to attend! 👩‍🌾👨‍🌾#nightout #farmers #farmbrewery #🍻 #swag

Yesterday we were preparing for spring with moving hives up the hill to a new spot. Thank goodness for tractors making the move easier. Lousy smarch weather … yesterday was balmy and today it’s snowing. What can we say, Maryland has 52weeks of erratic weather! You gotta be(e) prepared for it all. Thanks @moonvalleyfarm for letting us borrow the tractor 🚜. #tractor #farmlife #movingbees #bees #honeybee #movethathive #hive #hivemoving #pallets #simpsons #beekeeping #beesofinstagram #lousysmarchweather #311

Yesterday we were preparing for spring with moving hives up the hill to a new spot. Thank goodness for tractors making the move easier. Lousy smarch weather … yesterday was balmy and today it’s snowing. What can we say, Maryland has 52weeks of erratic weather! You gotta be(e) prepared for it all. Thanks @moonvalleyfarm for letting us borrow the tractor 🚜. #tractor #farmlife #movingbees #bees #honeybee #movethathive #hive #hivemoving #pallets #simpsons #beekeeping #beesofinstagram #lousysmarchweather #311

Finally got a chance to unbox and assemble our new uncapping tank. Talk about an upgrade !!! This should make uncapping our honey frames way easier and a lot less sticky. @maxanthoneyprocessing #honey #honeybees #upgrade #worksmarternotharder #stainlesssteel #nomoreplastic #beesofinstagram #godsavethequeen

Finally got a chance to unbox and assemble our new uncapping tank. Talk about an upgrade !!! This should make uncapping our honey frames way easier and a lot less sticky. @maxanthoneyprocessing #honey #honeybees #upgrade #worksmarternotharder #stainlesssteel #nomoreplastic #beesofinstagram #godsavethequeen

Greetings beekeepers,

This fall has been so warm the solstice really snuck up on me. That being said definitely check your honey stores. The bees are burning energy flying around with no nectar coming in. I have already added one round of sugar bricks to my hives and plan to check them all the first warmish day in January.

After the winter solstice, the bees will start to notice the days getting longer and will encourage the queen to start laying. She'll lay only a few eggs at first, and spiral outwards. She'll be laying hundreds of eggs by February and March. Those are the two most common months when colonies will starve.

We’ll start raising 2022 queens when we see drones walking on the combs- usually early April. Until then, we’re assembling equipment, getting things painted, and enjoying a few non-beekeeping hobbies. The 2022 queen color is yellow, so get your yellow markers ordered and ready!

Until then, stay warm, keep your bees fed, and clear those entrances of dead bees.
-
Bryan and Karly Fae
Chesapeake Queen Company

Greetings beekeepers,

This fall has been so warm the solstice really snuck up on me. That being said definitely check your honey stores. The bees are burning energy flying around with no nectar coming in. I have already added one round of sugar bricks to my hives and plan to check them all the first warmish day in January.

After the winter solstice, the bees will start to notice the days getting longer and will encourage the queen to start laying. She'll lay only a few eggs at first, and spiral outwards. She'll be laying hundreds of eggs by February and March. Those are the two most common months when colonies will starve.

We’ll start raising 2022 queens when we see drones walking on the combs- usually early April. Until then, we’re assembling equipment, getting things painted, and enjoying a few non-beekeeping hobbies. The 2022 queen color is yellow, so get your yellow markers ordered and ready!

Until then, stay warm, keep your bees fed, and clear those entrances of dead bees.
-
Bryan and Karly Fae
Chesapeake Queen Company

Put a little emergency feed on one of the pollination yards. These warm fall/winters are tough on the bees. When its warm enough to fly with no forage they just burn through their winter honey stores. The hives looked good but better safe than sorry. @moonvalleyfarm #bees #beekeeping #winterprep #beekeepersofinstagram #beekeeperslife #maryland #marylandbeekeepers @bender_bryan

Put a little emergency feed on one of the pollination yards. These warm fall/winters are tough on the bees. When its warm enough to fly with no forage they just burn through their winter honey stores. The hives looked good but better safe than sorry. @moonvalleyfarm #bees #beekeeping #winterprep #beekeepersofinstagram #beekeeperslife #maryland #marylandbeekeepers @bender_bryan

A foggy morning moving a few hives out to one of the farms. Now to start feeding some of them up for winter. #bees #honeybees #beekeeperslife #foggy #intotheunknown #upbeforedawn #movingbees #beesofinstagram @moonvalleyfarm

A foggy morning moving a few hives out to one of the farms. Now to start feeding some of them up for winter. #bees #honeybees #beekeeperslife #foggy #intotheunknown #upbeforedawn #movingbees #beesofinstagram @moonvalleyfarm

🌻🐝🌻Did you know sunflower pollen has medicinal and protective effects for bees ?🌻🐝🌻 The study, conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, showed that two different species of bees fed a diet of sunflower pollen had dramatically lower rates of infection by specific pathogens. Bumble bees on the sunflower diet also had generally better colony health than bees fed on diets of other flower pollens.
🌻🌻🌻🌻
The study showed that sunflower pollen reduced infection by a particular pathogen (Crithidia bombi) in bumble bees (Bombus impatiens). Sunflower pollen also protected European honey bees (Apis mellifera) from a different pathogen (Nosema ceranae). These pathogens have been implicated in slowing bee colony growth rates and increasing bee death.
🌻🌻🌻🐝
Think of it as adding a bee pharmacy to the yard. So throw a couple sunflowers in your garden, for the bees and for a little cheer! And try a multi branching variety for an even longer bloom time! #sunflower #sunflowers #bees #beekeeping #beekeeperslife #gardening #gardeninspiration #garden #flowers #flowergarden #🐝 #🌻

🌻🐝🌻Did you know sunflower pollen has medicinal and protective effects for bees ?🌻🐝🌻 The study, conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, showed that two different species of bees fed a diet of sunflower pollen had dramatically lower rates of infection by specific pathogens. Bumble bees on the sunflower diet also had generally better colony health than bees fed on diets of other flower pollens.
🌻🌻🌻🌻
The study showed that sunflower pollen reduced infection by a particular pathogen (Crithidia bombi) in bumble bees (Bombus impatiens). Sunflower pollen also protected European honey bees (Apis mellifera) from a different pathogen (Nosema ceranae). These pathogens have been implicated in slowing bee colony growth rates and increasing bee death.
🌻🌻🌻🐝
Think of it as adding a bee pharmacy to the yard. So throw a couple sunflowers in your garden, for the bees and for a little cheer! And try a multi branching variety for an even longer bloom time! #sunflower #sunflowers #bees #beekeeping #beekeeperslife #gardening #gardeninspiration #garden #flowers #flowergarden #🐝 #🌻

This is what we look for in our queens. Every available cell laid in. All the queens get evaluated before they go to their new home. #bees #honey #honeybee #beesofinstagram #magichour #beekeepersofinstagram #queens #queen #survivor #lookinggood

This is what we look for in our queens. Every available cell laid in. All the queens get evaluated before they go to their new home. #bees #honey #honeybee #beesofinstagram #magichour #beekeepersofinstagram #queens #queen #survivor #lookinggood

Take to the air #⭕️ #phish #finallyweightless #taketotheair #honeybees #beekeeping #beekeepers #bees #🐝 #beesinflight #slowmotion #drinkwater #waterforlife #wateringhole #sigmaoasis #oasis #savethebees #beekeeperslife #bee #beemeditation

Take to the air #⭕️ #phish #finallyweightless #taketotheair #honeybees #beekeeping #beekeepers #bees #🐝 #beesinflight #slowmotion #drinkwater #waterforlife #wateringhole #sigmaoasis #oasis #savethebees #beekeeperslife #bee #beemeditation

5 o’clock rush hour… 🐝these girls work even longer than 9 to 5. More like 🌞up to 🌞down! #dollyparton #honeybees #honeybee #🐝 #9to5 #sheworkshardforthehoney #beekeper #beekeeping #beekeepersofinstagram #hive #rushhour

5 o’clock rush hour… 🐝these girls work even longer than 9 to 5. More like 🌞up to 🌞down! #dollyparton #honeybees #honeybee #🐝 #9to5 #sheworkshardforthehoney #beekeper #beekeeping #beekeepersofinstagram #hive #rushhour

🌞🐝Hot fun in the summertime. I could watch the bees at the watering hole all day!🐝🐝🐝

#honeybee #honeybees #hydration #hydrateyourself #drinkup #wateringhole #watercooler #pond #pondlife #pondplants #beekeepingitreal #beekeeping #beesofinsta #bees #beesofinstagram #savethebees #beesknees #slowmotion #🐝 #groundcontrol #hotfuninthesummertime

🌞🐝Hot fun in the summertime. I could watch the bees at the watering hole all day!🐝🐝🐝

#honeybee #honeybees #hydration #hydrateyourself #drinkup #wateringhole #watercooler #pond #pondlife #pondplants #beekeepingitreal #beekeeping #beesofinsta #bees #beesofinstagram #savethebees #beesknees #slowmotion #🐝 #groundcontrol #hotfuninthesummertime

One of us does the honey extracting and the other handles the wax afterwards. Just like the bees, everyone in our hive has jobs to make sure the magic happens and we continue to thrive. Here’s rendered, filtered (several times) and molded beeswax side by side with the raw bees wax we start with. Our raw wax is made of cappings, burr comb, and comb from cutouts -nothing goes to waste #🐝
.
#beesofinstagram #bees #honeybees #beekeeping #beekeepingitreal #beeswax #beekeepersofinstagram #beekeeperslife

One of us does the honey extracting and the other handles the wax afterwards. Just like the bees, everyone in our hive has jobs to make sure the magic happens and we continue to thrive. Here’s rendered, filtered (several times) and molded beeswax side by side with the raw bees wax we start with. Our raw wax is made of cappings, burr comb, and comb from cutouts -nothing goes to waste #🐝
.
#beesofinstagram #bees #honeybees #beekeeping #beekeepingitreal #beeswax #beekeepersofinstagram #beekeeperslife

Anybody want some spicy peppers 🐝🌶🤪? It was a hot day for a swarm @gooddogfarm , with evening feels like temp at 104 degrees. But the breeze and sunset were nice and the bees calm and gentle -even if a little bit stubborn and time consuming getting them out from between all the pepper plants without damaging any . #swarmsquad #swarm #honeybees #bees #swarmselfie #beehave #beekeepingitreal #beekeepinglikeagirl #beekeeping #beekeeper #beekeepersofinstagram #beekeeperslife #farm #peppers #pepperplants #sustainablefarming

Anybody want some spicy peppers 🐝🌶🤪? It was a hot day for a swarm @gooddogfarm , with evening feels like temp at 104 degrees. But the breeze and sunset were nice and the bees calm and gentle -even if a little bit stubborn and time consuming getting them out from between all the pepper plants without damaging any . #swarmsquad #swarm #honeybees #bees #swarmselfie #beehave #beekeepingitreal #beekeepinglikeagirl #beekeeping #beekeeper #beekeepersofinstagram #beekeeperslife #farm #peppers #pepperplants #sustainablefarming

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