We moved our hives into almond bloom this week. Stay tuned for more updates! Videos: Getting our bee hives loaded up and ready for the move from our main location in Clovis to two almond orchards. Photos: The bees enjoying their new locations in almond orchards in Clovis and Selma.

As winter nears a close in our area and spring being right around the corner, we have been getting our bee hives ready to be moved into almond orchards for bloom. Nearly 2 million bees hives from all over the country are being moved into California to help pollinate over 660,000 acres of almond orchards in California between February and March. It is the biggest migration of bee hives all year long. Growers pay bee keepers to bring between 1-2 hives per acre into their orcha

A BIG thank you to all who have supported Gathering Table through bee hive sponsorships, extra giving and other important ways, which has helped us make strategic investments this year, such as growing the number of hives, purchasing a larger honey harvester and new tires for our 1978 bee truck. Here’s an End of the Year recap: Learn more about how you can "Adopt a Hive" and continue to help Gathering Table grow going into 2026 . Go  HERE and click the "Sponsorships" tab to

Most bee keepers estimate that one hive of bees needs at least 20-30 pounds of honey for the winter. This amount is even higher in colder regions. The past couple years in our area of the San Joaquin Valley, that has been no problem, but for our hives it was a little different year. This past weekend I went out to do a quick check on our hives to make sure they have everything they need for the winter, especially honey! Bees cluster together when temperatures drop into the 50

One of the beautiful things about farming is how it resolves around the seasons of the year set forth by God in his creation. As with most types of farming (though there are certainly exceptions), the winter season for bee keeping is a time of rest, when the work for the bee keeper winds down to almost a complete stop (thank you Jesus) as the bees go into hibernation (or close to that). Photo: The "California Dreamin" hive (left) and "Beach Boys" hive (right) all ready for wi

With the rain we have been getting recently, there are lots of Mustard wildflowers in the Clovis area near our hives. This is an excellent source of pollen and nectar for our hives as the bees prepare to store food in the hive for the cold winter ahead. A big blessing! Video: You can see the bees carrying yellow pollen into the “Beach Boys” hive from the Mustard wildflowers nearby on the outskirts of Clovis.

Last weekend we harvested 65 pounds of delicious raw honey from our hives as part of prepping hives for the winter (see previous post ). By removing extra honey super boxes from our hives, the bees have less space to keep warm which helps them survive the cold winter months ahead. And as an added bonus, we got one more harvest of honey for the year! Photos: One our hives with the honey super box removed and ready for winter (top); A frame of honey being shown off by one of th

I hope everyone has been enjoying the beautiful fall weather here in the Central Valley of California over the past few weeks. This has been the time to make any last minute adjustments to our bee hives in preparation for the changing winter forecasts right around the corner. Photo- The Purple Rain hive getting ready for the cold winter ahead by using grass to reduce the entrance to help the bees regulate the hive temperature easier. Among the activities in prepping the hives

It's still not too late to “ Adopt a Hive ” this year, as a fun way of supporting Gathering Table. We have 8 out of our 20 bee hives...

This coming Monday, September 22 is the Autumn Equinox when the season officially changes from summer into fall. And with that means new,...

As summer quickly comes to a close, the race is on to build up the bee colonies in our late-season splits to ensure strong, healthy hives...

Our bees have been busy this summer making delicious Summer Wildflower Honey! This is one of the most exciting parts of bee keeping when...

One of the biggest threats to bees in our area are Varroa Mites or the " Varroa destructor" (quite a name huh!). Summer is the time to...

We live in an area where it can get very hot during the summer months. So how do bees stay cool inside their hive when it is 100+ degrees...

I have heard it said (there are a lot of sayings in bee keeping haha) that a successful year of bee keeping starts in July, and that in...

Did you know that the Bible has a lot to say about bee keeping and farming? In this blog post, we will explore this a little and look at...

Simple Sunday post: What are you doing today to stay cool?

Have you ever tried honeycomb straight from a bee hive? It is deliciously sweet and lots of fun to try too! Photo: Gathering Table's Comb...

Moving bee hives is a Spring bee keeping activity that is full of adventure and a fun opportunity to create some memories with those...

There are many ways to start a new hive of bees. This year, we started new hives three different ways. I will highlight each method, with...