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I'm a honey connoiseur, and this wildflower honey is the best I've ever experienced.

Hello. I am the new Secretary at the Northern Virginia Beekeepers Association, and we'd like to start letting other local clubs know about our speakers (which are online and free each month). If that's OK with you, how can I do that? Thank you.

We would like to talk with someone who would like to rent/lease any of our 12 acres in Purcellville (with creek on property) for bee colonization.

i have a swarm that needs an extraction, mountville and snickersville intersection....will pay....need done asap...540 454 7430 thank you, john

We have 7 acres of field available to host bees if you are interested. Hughesville Rd near Telegraph Springs Rd. Text me at 703-915-9964 or email me at mark@tashiro.us

Thank you Ed! Once we decided we would like to try beekeeping, the classes were almost over, so hopefully we can either find someone interested or make it to the classes next year. Richard

Hi Melissa and Richard. Thank you for your generous offers to host honeybees. Respectfully advising that most LBA beekeepers already have their hives established, though there's always the potential for someone to seek additional apiary space since there are still several months remaining for the 2024 bee season. That said, if no on responds to your offers this year I would recommend that your resubmit again in early January 2025 as folks start to gear up for the new season. The LBA new beekeeper's course would also be starting shortly thereafter, and there are always new beekeepers looking for apiary locations at that time. Thank you again. Ed Kicha Vice-president LBA

We have 9.77 acres west of Purcelleville Road between Purcellville and Hillsboro, and would like to host at least two hives. Our property consists of mostly fields and lawn, with a small woods to the south and west, and a tree line on the north side. rasmussenra@gmail.com if interested. Thank you, Richard

Just got off the phone w/the county ... the $1000 minimum is no longer a "thing" ... yay!

Hello! We are interested to host hives on our 10 acre property between Round Hill and Hillsboro. Please text me at 704-941-8553 if interested. - Melissa

Thank you so much Ed for the evaluation and the recommendations! The frames are only a year old, so I'll freeze them. Will try to send pictures Kathy

Hi Kathy, Your description sounds more like absconded hives rather than swarms; swarms tend to leave a portion of their resources for the donor hive to exist on, as well as about half the hive population. The lack of honey in the hive could be attributed to robbing after the bees departed, particularly if the tops of the comb appears to have ripped-apart with lots of wax pieces on the ground/entrance board or potentially theydid not deposit any nectar/cap honey prior to leaving. No dead in or around a hive pretty much eliminate conditions which cause acute death (pesticide and/or virulent pathogenic kills). High viral loads from Varroa could cause bees to abscond, but one would expect to see some indication such as dead or deformed bees, and some resources would most likely remain. As long as your comb is relatively new, I would recommend freezing it for about a week to kill any SHB/wax moth eggs which may be in the cracks and crevasses. At that point let the comb come up to ambient temperture and give it to the bees - they’ll appreciate not having to expend huge amounts of energy to produce new wax. Having two hives like this adds a bit of mystery, but depending on how close they were to each other the condition(s) that potentially precipitated the bees departure may have impacted both hives (predation, frequent distrubances, other types of agitation, etc.). Feel free to drop some pictures of your frames for additional scrutiny, or if there is a file size limitation, you can send to me at ed.kicha@loudounbee.org. Cheers - Ed

We lost two hives in March. There were no dead bees in the hive and no honey but lots of comb. We think they must have swarmed. We've purchased new bees, question is, can we use the frames from last year to give the bees a head start? If someone can look at the frames, would gladly drive anywhere in western Loudoun! Thank you for your help Kathy Borowski

I'm going into my second year of beekeeping. I would love to help any other experienced beekeepers in anyway that is beekeeping related so that I can to learn more and to meet other beekeepers in the area. I'm not afraid of work so use me and I hope to learn from you in the process! The easiest way to get a hold of me is by phone/text @ 540.649.1016. Thanks! David Cook

We had quite a few bees that appeared suddenly and I was worried they were trying to move in here We didnt have a swarm but Mark still came out the same day and assessed our house, and explained what to look for and put us at ease. Will definitely call him back if we get a swarm! Highly recommend.

Hi Lisapoz! Check out the folks listed here, if you haven't already! https://www.loudounbee.org/products-and-services/request-honey-bee-swarm-removal.html/

We believe we have a swarm that has entered our home, as we have found dozens of lethargic and dead bees in our basement and on our outside patio over the past few days. We know that they are protected and can find someone potentially to remove them but we don’t know exactly where they are so would love a recommendation for a service that can identify where they are inside our house. Thanks!

Thank you for your generous offer to host honeybees! I will distribute your offer further, particularly to our new group of students. Best Regards, Ed Kicha Vice-president Loudoun Beekeepers Association

Would love to host hives on our 15-acre property in Purcellville. I can be reached at Tidwelp@yahoo.com or 571.474.9925.

I actually am a member of LBA< but I did something wrong when signing in............. Hope this used equipment can help someone out.

Gently used Brushy Mountain style ten frame top feeders with floats, painted. $20 OBO Gently used, Ten frame, Medium painted supers with waxed & cross wired medium frames. Great for HONEY SUPERS or BROOD FRAMES. Mann Lake sells these new for $70. Asking $30 each OBO Gently used Ten Frame Medium painted boxes $15/OBO Gently used Medium wired but unwaxed frames $2 Almost new painted Top Bar Hive for Sale. 26 frames. Dadant sells this unpainted for $311.00. Asking $250/OBO More Used ten frame deep hive bodies. Painted. Some in better shape than others. $5 -10/OBO Contact George 703-314-2404 or Karla 703-314-8530 Pick up in Gainesville, VA- Not far from 15/55

Howdy! I've been keeping bees on this property in Hamilton (near the elementary school) for 3-4 years and need to take some time off. This is a great spot for a new beekeeper, and I'm available for some mentorship. The property is large and has a fenced in veggie garden perfect for hives. I had kept mine in a different area before a bear found them. The property has a veggie garden, hayfields, goats, chickens, and some other fowl. There's plenty of woodlands and a small pond and creek. There is equipment for at least 2-3 complete 8 frame medium hives, probably more. Equipment must be used on this property, as it was purchased by the landowner. The landowners are largely hands-off and easy to work with. They would like a portion of the honey harvest in return for land use and equipment. Bonus - you can see baby goats in spring and usually grab some chicken eggs to take home! Feel free to reply here or email me at enviromt4@gmail.com with questions or interest.

I can be reached at kathleen@rootsandboots.com or 571-420-1298. Thanks!