Classes and Resources
We love native bees, honey bees, plants and projects that reuse materials
Come Join our Free Beechicas Workshops at the Boulder Library
ANNOUNCEMENT: We’re BAAAAACK!! Classes are coming up each month! Join us to learn about bees and pollinators.
Check out our BeeChicas YouTube to see how to make your own simple native bee home, how to create products from the hive and even how to brew up your own live compost tea. You never know what might pop up there!
Check out our “How To” page for quick and fun project ideas, recipes and more of our video demonstrations as well
Honeybees “Pheromone Fanning” at their entrance
Swarm Season
The height of honeybee Swarm Season is April 15 - June 15. Please call the Swarm Hotline 1-844-SPY-BEES if you find a swarm. Find more information on the CSBA (Colorado State Beekeepers Association) website by clicking below.
Here’s our Native Bees Virtual Workshop with the Boulder Library - May 2020
Resources for Native Bees:
The Bees Needs, CU Museum of Natural History
Xerces Society: Fact Sheet on Native Bee Tunnels
University of Minnesota - Cariveau Bee Lab
Crown Bees Note: While the BeeChicas do not recommend buying native bees from sources outside your own area, this site has good information and supplies for making or enhancing your own bee habitats!
Bumblebees on Orange Sneezeweed Photo by Jennifer Sundman
Learn More about Native Bees and the Plants that Support Them
Find out more about all kinds of pollinators from the Xerces Society, one of our favorite organizations
PLANT LISTS FOR COLORADO POLLINATORS:
Colorado Native Plant Society List for Colorado Foothills Native Plants
Harlequin’s Gardens Mikl Brawner’s article on Insectary Plants for increasing biodiversity
SOURCES FOR NATIVE AND POLLINATOR PLANTS AROUND BOULDER:
HARLEQUIN’S GARDENS - BEST source for native and pesticide-free unique plants. Also has native bee house supplies. Knowledgeable Staff
DENVER BOTANIC GARDEN’s Annual Plant Sale - Friday Before Mother’s day each year: Diverse and unusual native and pollinator plants, DBG-grown plus many growers from around Colorado - Great time/place to ask the experts!
McGuckin Hardware - Check in often for best selection. Reliably pesticide-free but always ask!
Sturtz and Copeland - Many pesticide-free plants, but not all!
The Flower Bin - Many pesticide-free plants, always ask!
What’s on our Bookshelf?
Books we love for those snowy (or at-home) days:
The Bees in Your Backyard, Joseph Wilson and Olivia Messinger Carrill
Attracting Native Pollinators, Xerces Society
Pollinator Friendly Gardening, Rhonda Fleming Hayes
Natures Best Hope, Doug Tallamy
Darwin Comes to Town, Menno Schilthuizen
A Book of Bees, Sue Hubble
HONEYBEES and How to Bee a Keeper
The Beekeeper’s Handbook, Diana Sammataro
The Practical Beekeeper: Beekeeping Naturally, Michael Bush
The Barefoot BeeKeeper, PHil Chandler
Top-bar beekeeping: Organic Practices for Honeybee Health, Les Crowder, Heather Harrel
The Beekeeper’s Bible
Queen Spotting, Hillary Kearney
Sowing Beauty, James Hitchmough
What’s on our Browser?
Links to Honey Bee Education:
Cornell Master Beekeeper’s Calendar
Michael Bush: “How to Do Splits”
Colorado State Beekeepers Association - CSBA
Boulder County Beekeepers Association - BCBA
Links to Honey Beekeeping Suppliers:
Other Favorite Links:
James Hitchmough - British blogger on rewilding
Denver Botanic Gardens - Biodiversity Research
The Great Healthy Yard Project
Doug Tallamy’s Hub (Homegrown National Park)
Tour de Hive!
**We hope this will be back next year…2020 has thrown us a loop and we had to cancel this event.**
Each Year the BeeChicas organize a tour of local beekeepers’ apiaries as part of Boulder’s Pollinator Appreciation Month (PAM) check out some honey bee hives as well as habitats (gardens!) and native bee homes. We are grateful to all the fun and knowledgeable locals who provide this special opportunity to talk to “The Keepers!”
Please join us to tour along…or contact us if you would like to be on the tour!
Native Bee Home - Near the Bridge at the Boulder Public Library
Bees Safe from the Bears at Cynthia’s Apiary
Tracy’s Smoker