Sweet Stingers Honey & Apiary, Edmond, OK (2026)

01/08/2026

🐝 LESSONS FROM THE BEEHIVE — PART 2
Brood breaks, genetics, and why bees know when to pause

Yesterday we talked about why brood breaks are natural.
Today let’s go a step deeper — because not all bees listen to the land the same way, and brood breaks quietly play a powerful role in colony health.

🐝 Genetics matter (and so does listening to the land)
Some bees are simply better at following nature’s rhythm than others.

Carniolan honey bee (Apis mellifera carnica) are exceptionally good at synchronizing brood production with nectar availability.
They:
• Ramp up quickly when forage appears
• Shut down efficiently when it disappears
• Avoid over-brooding during dearths

Caucasian honey bees (Apis mellifera caucasica) follow a very similar philosophy.
They tend to:
• Slow or stop brood production in fall and winter
• Conserve resources rather than force population growth
• Build up more gradually in spring than Italians
• Avoid expanding ahead of reliable forage

These two breeds don’t rush spring.
They wait until the land says it’s time. We personally use a lot of these two genetics intertwined in our operation.

Italian bee (Apis mellifera ligustica) by contrast, often brood more continuously — which can be useful in heavy flows, but more demanding during dearths. They are popular in the US. Produce large colonies which is great for pollination and honey crops. There's a tradeoff though large non stop colonies consume a lot of food and breed a lot of mites.

None of these genetics are “better” across the board. What is best is the one that fits your goals, philosophy and ideologies.

They’re simply different survival strategies.
The key is understanding how your bees are wired —
and managing with that rhythm instead of fighting it.

🐝 Brood breaks & mites — the biology
This is where brood breaks really shine.
Varroa mites reproduce inside capped brood.
When brood production slows or stops:
• Mite reproduction slows
• Mite populations stall
• The colony gets a natural reset
Less brood = fewer mite reproduction cycles.
This is why natural brood breaks are associated with healthier colonies in many scientific observations.
No chemicals required.
Just biology doing what it evolved to do.

Tropilaelaps mites take this even further — they cannot survive long without brood at all.
A brood break is devastating to them.

No. Brood breaks do not mean bees do not have mites or won't succumb to them. It’s not a "magic bullet"

🐝 A word on intentional brood breaks
Some beekeepers choose to intentionally create brood breaks to manage mite levels or improve treatment timing.

We do for instance. Our colonies genetics for the most part stop brood production in summer dearth. This naturally knocks the colonies down after the main flow.
That’s a tool we use and it has worked great for us, it's not a requirement.

Remember
Not every colony needs it.
Not every beekeeper needs to do it or should.
The takeaway isn’t “force brood breaks.”
The takeaway is understanding why bees do it naturally — and respecting when they choose to pause.

🐝 The bigger lesson
Not every colony needs to be growing all the time.
If your goal is:
• Resilience
• Balance
• Longevity
Then learning to respect brood breaks is part of that path. Learning nature's natural rhythm is part of that path.

🐝 Lesson from the hive:
Nature already built the plan.
Our job is learning when to get out of the way.

💛 From our hive to yours
🐝 Y’all BEEKEEPING It Real

01/07/2026

The sound never get old

01/07/2026

🐝 A Little Social Media Truth (From the Hive)

We’re not an influencer page.
We’re not a hype page.
And we’re definitely not experts on social media or beekeeping.

But one thing we have done well is build a strong, supportive local community.

Over 75% of our Facebook followers are local — and that’s something rare for small businesses today.

And here’s the biggest lesson that taught us: Follower count doesn’t mean much if the followers aren’t real or engaged.

Social media platforms push your content to your followers first.
If a large portion of those followers are inactive, bots, or spam accounts… your reach is basically dead before it even starts — especially to the people who actually followed you for what you do. That’s an engagement killer.

Every so often, we take a few days and intentionally clean house:
• Deactivated accounts
• Bots & follower farms
• Apparel spam pages
• No-photo / no-activity accounts

Why?
Because the game has changed.
It used to be about follower count.
Now it’s about engagement, authenticity, and conversion.
We’d rather have 10,000 active followers — people who comment, share, ask questions, and support local — than 100,000 followers who barely interact

When brands — and even potential customers — look at accounts today, they don’t ask: “How many followers do you have?”

They ask things like:
• Are people commenting and sharing?
• Are posts being saved?
• Do stories get replies or DMs?
• Where is the audience actually located?
• Does this account create real conversations and real customers?
• Does the local community respond and share it with others?
• Is the support real — or is it just social media vanity?

Those are the questions that matter now. And they’re the same questions real customers and real brand partners are quietly asking before they ever reach out.

If you’re struggling with local growth, engagement, or feeling pressure to turn into a social-media “follower farm,” it might be time to pause and look at the numbers that actually matter.

Sometimes that means changing how you post.
Sometimes it means shifting focus back to community.
And sometimes — yes — it means ripping the bandaid off and cleaning up your account.

It’s not about chasing bigger numbers. It’s about building something real, healthy, and sustainable.
And when you do that, the right people — customers, partners, and brands — tend to find you.

A few times each year, we clean up our follower list — and every time we do:
✔ Reach improves
✔ Engagement increases
✔ Our community gets stronger
✔ Brands benefit from real people seeing real content

Yes, it can feel uncomfortable watching follower numbers drop.
But over time, it pays off.
Posts turn into conversations.
DMs turn into sales.

People show up at markets saying they found us online.
And sometimes brands even large brands reach out because they see a real, engaged community — not just a number. And that is pretty humbling for a small brand.

From our hive to yours — quality always beats quantity 🍯🐝

01/07/2026

🐝 LESSONS FROM THE BEEHIVE — PART 1
Brood breaks aren’t a problem — they’re a strategy.

One of the most misunderstood moments in beekeeping is opening a hive and not seeing wall-to-wall brood.

That’s usually when panic sets in.
New queens get ordered.
Feeders get filled.
People assume something is wrong.
But here’s the truth bees are quietly teaching us: Brood breaks are normal. Natural. And often beneficial.

🐝 What is a brood break?
A brood break is a period when the queen reduces or temporarily stops laying eggs.
No new brood going in.
The colony shifts its focus from expansion to balance, efficiency, and survival.
It’s not failure.
It’s decision-making.

🐝 Why do brood breaks happen?
In nature, bees don’t brood endlessly.
Beekeepers often want constant brood, that's what their taught, it's what the beekeeping industry pushes.
Bees want sustainable brood.
Brood production follows nectar availability, not calendars or human expectations.

Brood breaks commonly occur when:
• Nectar flows slow or stop
• Forage becomes scarce
• Summer dearths set in
• Winter approaches
• Weather patterns shift
• The colony senses it’s time to conserve resources

Wild colonies experience brood breaks regularly.
They’re not falling behind, they’re simply responding.

🐝 Are brood breaks normal in wild colonies?
Absolutely.
In unmanaged or wild colonies, brood cycles rise and fall with the land itself.
When nectar is light, bees don’t force growth — they pause.
That pause:
• Saves energy
• Preserves stores
• Reduces stress
• Protects the colony long-term
Nature doesn’t rush bees.
And bees don’t rush nature.

🐝 The lesson most people miss
Not every colony needs to be brooding all the time.
Your bees don’t need to match someone else’s:
• Calendar
• Climate
• Hive count
• Social media advice

It’s okay — and normal — for colonies to:
• Shut down during summer dearths
• Pause during winter
• Wait for forage before expanding
Sometimes the smartest move a colony makes…
is knowing when not to grow.

🐝 Lesson from the hive:
Growth doesn’t come from constant pressure or what social media is doing to get views and likes. It comes from timing. Understanding your location and understanding and having clear goals

💛 From our hive to yours
🐝 Y’all BEEKEEPING It Real

01/07/2026

🐝 Be honest…
Which one did you read first?

A) Bee Bee Rock Knot Bee Bee

B) 2B or not 2B

Comment A or B 👇

01/06/2026

Like Lucas the Beekeeper… impatiently waiting for food and convinced they’re starving 😆🐝

01/06/2026

🐝 Lessons from the Beehive
Nobody plans to become a beekeeper.

Almost every beekeeper we know starts the same way:
• A garden gets bigger
• Pollinators show up
• Curiosity turns into questions
• Questions turn into boxes
• Boxes turn into bees

The other side of beekeeping is generational. Families who started with a few hives years ago… and just kept going.

Very few people wake up and say,
“I think I’ll manage livestock, pests, seasons, weather, sticky messes — and get stung today.”

Most stumble into it.
The bee side — I grew up with that.
The business side of beekeeping? I stumbled into that.

I never sat down and said, “I’m going to manage bees for others.”
In fact, early on we were palletized, running large yards, following almonds and migratory work. Migratory was the direction we were headed.

I stumbled into the backyards and stumbled into sharing on social media.
I never said, "Let’s offer random people hive management in neighborhoods, sounds like a great idea. I mean what could go wrong" nor did I ever say, “I’m going to post daily so strangers can tell me how wrong I’m doing things or how much better they are.” But here we are managing in backyards across the state and being told how wrong we do everything by the internet experts.

Life just happened — and I adjusted.
I kept showing up.
I learned.
I ignored the noise — all of it.
I stayed in my lane, built our niche, and let them talk.

While they talked, we grew.
We connected.
We earned trust.
And doors opened.
People started asking questions.
Businesses reached out.
Platforms followed.
The bees kept doing what bees do.
And that’s the part people miss..

🐝 Here’s the lesson from the hive:
That’s how some of the best beekeepers (or real people for that matter) are made.
That’s how businesses are built.
That’s how real community grows.
Forager bees don’t leave the hive with a five-year plan.
They explore.
They find something worth returning to.
And when they do — they tell the story.

They waggle.
That waggle dance isn’t hype.
It’s information.
It’s earned.

Followers didn’t find us because of trends and brain rot.
Customers didn’t come because we pushed products or talked down on others.
They didn't start following because of reel farming
They came because they could see who we are.
They stayed because we offer depth.
They support us because we’re part of their community.
And they keep coming back because we keep it real.

Beekeeping — like business — isn’t about having it all figured out.
It’s about paying attention.
Learning as you go.
Letting curiosity lead.
It’s science and art mixed together.

Some people hang up the hive tool when it gets hard.
They listen to the noise.
They don’t have a why.
Others, well we just keep adjusting, learning, and building — little by little. We just keep the noise out and we just don't stop...we adjust when needed

Most meaningful things aren’t forced.
They’re grown.
And when you find something worth building,
waggle about it.
Share what you’ve learned.
Let others find the field in their own time.

It's not about telling others how to live or run their life. It's about sharing, giving them options to think on and letting them make their own decisions.

The colony decides as a whole — not just one bee calling the shots.
We give the waggle dance.
They choose whether to follow it.

Sometimes the best paths in life aren’t planned —they’re discovered.

From our hive to yours
Y’all BEEKEEPING It Real

01/06/2026

🌙🐝 Inside the hive after dark…
Most people never see the night life of a bee colony.

Bees don’t stop working when the sun goes down.

While the world sleeps, the hive stays busy — tending brood, sharing food, maintaining the colony.

A living, breathing community that never clocks out.

From our hive to yours. 💛

01/05/2026

🐝 Bee Pollen & Cedar Fever Season 🌲
January in Oklahoma means one thing for a lot of folks — cedar fever.

While we’re not doctors and everyone’s body is different, bee pollen has helped our family manage seasonal allergies for decades — and it’s something we personally use every single day.

Here’s how we use it 👇
• Start small — ⅛ teaspoon daily
• Slowly work up to ½ teaspoon
• Take it in the morning
• Eat it plain or with food
• Use a little raw honey to wash it down

Bee pollen is real food — packed with nutrients collected straight from local plants. The idea is simple: don’t wait until allergies are already kicking your tail. Supporting your body before peak allergy season matters.

Our approach has always been the same:
✔ Eat real food
✔ Stay active
✔ Support your immune system naturally
✔ Be consistent
It’s worked for us, and that’s why we offer it to our community.

🍯 We do still have some raw bee pollen and honey available
🚪 Free porch drop-off delivery
📱 Just text 405-323-6103 with:
• Your order
• Your address
💰 We accept: Cash, Check, Venmo, CashApp
📍 Or find us Saturdays at the Edmond Farmer’s Market

From our hive to yours —
Y’all BEEKEEPING it real. 🐝💛

💬 Have you tried bee pollen before, or are you curious about it? Drop a question below.

01/05/2026

Bringing in the groceries. 🐝
Bright orange pollen rolling into the hive — likely dandelions doing their thing.
Small signs like this tell us more than people realize.

01/05/2026

🐝 Lessons from the Beehive
Moisture Isn’t the Enemy — Mismanagement Is

One of the biggest winter misconceptions in beekeeping is that moisture kills bees.

Cold doesn’t usually kill winter colonies. Starvation is blamed a lot but much of the time it falls on
Poor moisture management.

What’s Really Happening Inside the Winter Cluster
Bees generate heat by metabolizing honey. That metabolic process creates water v***r.
A healthy winter cluster:
• Produces heat
• Produces moisture
• Needs both to survive
Moisture is normal.
Moisture is expected.
Moisture is not the problem.

Where Things Go Wrong
Problems happen when moisture:
• Condenses on cold surfaces
• Drips back onto the cluster
• Soaks bees or comb
• Leads to chilled brood or hypothermia
Wet bees die fast — even at temperatures they could otherwise survive.
The issue isn’t moisture itself.
The issue is where it ends up.

Why Bees Survive in Trees
In natural cavities:
• Warm air rises
• Moist air escapes slowly
• Condensation happens away from the cluster
• Bees stay dry
Trees don’t “ventilate aggressively.”
They manage airflow and insulation.

The Balance Beekeepers Need
Too tight:
• Moisture gets trapped
• Condensation increases
Too open:
• Heat is stripped away
• Cluster works harder
• Food consumption spikes
The goal isn’t eliminating moisture,
It’s controlling it.

Beekeeper Wisdom
If moisture were the enemy, bees would not have survived millions of winters before humans showed up with screened bottoms and upper entrances.
Healthy wintering is about:
• Dry bees - a dry bee is a dead bee
• Stable temperatures
• Adequate stores
• Thoughtful airflow
Not panic-driven ventilation.

🐝 Beekeeper check-in:
How do you manage moisture in winter — insulation, quilt boxes, upper vents, absorbent material, or something else?
No right answer.
Just real-world experience 👇🐝

01/04/2026

New product… so new we don’t even have the labels yet 😆
Wood Conditioning Butter — made with food-grade mineral oil and our own beeswax.
Designed to nourish and protect wooden kitchenware like cutting boards, bowls, and utensils. It helps seal pores, reduce moisture absorption, prevent cracking, and bring tired wood back to life. Easy to apply fast absorption.
One side conditioned. One side not.
The difference speaks for itself.
Simple ingredients. Practical use.
Y'all BEEKEEPING It Real 🐝💛

Sweet Stingers Honey & Apiary

01/08/2026

01/07/2026

01/07/2026

01/07/2026

01/07/2026

01/06/2026

01/06/2026

01/06/2026

01/05/2026

01/05/2026

01/05/2026

01/04/2026

Address

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share