BeeBrief No. 3 – “Cluster Chaos & Buzz-tacular Blunders”
BeeBrief – October 11, 2025
🐝 IN THE HIVE — Buzzwell Reports from Bee HQ
“Ah, October… that magical time when we stop producing baby bees and start producing drama.”
By now, the queen’s practically retired for the season, no more egg-laying marathons. The drones? Oh, they’re getting escorted out like rowdy bar patrons after closing time.
“It’s not personal, fellas, It’s just thermodynamics.”
As temps dip around 50°F, the colony forms a cozy cluster, ready to weather the chill. On warmer days, a few bees sneak out like teenagers breaking curfew, looking for food or raiding unguarded hives for snacks. Typical.
🌦️ SEASONAL CONDITIONS — Buzzbee’s Weather Flex
“Highs of 59°F? Lows of 38°F? That’s called sweater wing season, baby!”
The weather is getting crisp, the asters are hanging on for dear life, and the witch hazel’s showing off. A few brave foragers might still hustle for nectar, but most bees are officially on pumpkin-spice mode.
🔍 INSPECTION TIME — Buzzloaf’s Lazy Reminder
“Don’t even think about cracking that hive open for a full inspection now. You’ll just annoy everyone and freeze the queen’s tiara off.”
October can be too cold for long checks. Handle issues only if it’s urgent. Translation: If it ain’t broke, don’t poke.
🍯 NUTRITION — Buzzwell’s Science Snack Segment
“Colonies should have about 70–90 pounds of honey by now. If not… start lifting and ‘hefting’ those hives, gym bro.”
If your bees are light on stores, feed ‘em 2:1 sugar syrup—thicker than spring syrup. And skip pollen supplements for now; bees use that pollen drop as their seasonal snooze alarm.
“Overfeeding protein now confuses the bees, We don’t need winter bees turning into CrossFit influencers.”
🕷️ PESTS, PARASITES, & PANIC, Buzzbee’s Battle Cry
“Three mites per 100 bees? Time to go full Gladiator.”
Treatments that work best with no brood? Those are your MVPs right now. And for the love of the Queen, remove chemical treatments before buttoning up for winter.
Also check for American foulbrood. Because nothing ruins the holidays like contagious bacterial goo.
🧰 EQUIPMENT & WINTER PREP — Buzzloaf’s DIY Disaster Tips
“Remove those extra supers, strap the lid down with a rock, and, this is important, don’t let mice move in. You think bees are messy roommates? Try rodents.”
Add insulation if you must, but don’t trap moisture. Cold = fine. Condensation = bee popsicles.
“And tilt the hive forward, so condensation can escape—unlike my motivation.”
🍯 YARD MAINTENANCE — Buzzbee’s Landscaping Lesson
“Move your hives to sunnier winter yards and set up windbreaks. Bees hate drafts more than I hate cardio.”
Just make sure you can reach those hives come mud season. Because nothing says ‘beekeeper regret’ like a stuck truck/feet and frostbite.
📚 EDUCATION & OUTREACH — Buzzwell’s Nerd Corner
“Want to geek out this winter? Register for the American Beekeeping Federation or Honey Producers conferences. Think Comic-Con, but with more pollen.”
🚚 Delivery zone?
We’ll hand-deliver that sweet nectar straight to your door like a honey-fueled Uber with wings.
🧡 FALL HARVEST RECAP — Team Buzz Reflection
Buzzbee: “We wrapped up harvest with almost enough honey to make Winnie the Pooh jealous.”
Buzzwell: “Science confirmed: delicious.”
Buzzloaf: “I just supervised… from the snack table.”
No new merch this month, but you can still stock up on your golden jars of Vermont sunshine from local retailers before the snow hits.
🏪 BUSINESS BUZZ
🐝 New Retailer Alert: Hidden Springs Maple (Putney, VT) now carries our raw honey!
🍳 Putney Diner is serving our honey in select dishes, yes, breakfast just leveled up.
🏗️ Expansion News: 10 hives assembled and ready to house half a million new bees in spring 2026. Buzzbee’s already calling it “The Hivepocalypse.”
🐍 Ask the Hive
Q: “How do bees decide which drones to kick out in October? Seems a little harsh.”
🐝 Buzzbee:
“Simple, no gains, no remains. If you’re not pulling your weight, the ladies escort you out. It’s like a CrossFit gym with wings.”
🧠 Buzzwell:
“Biologically speaking, drones exist for one job, mating. Once that season’s over, they’re just eating everyone else’s winter rations. Think of them as freeloading roommates who forgot rent was due.”
🍯 Buzzloaf:
“I feel personally attacked. But yeah, the sisters cut off the snack supply and show them the door. Cold world. Literally.”
Submit your questions at our FAQ page and get possibly correct, probably biased, always entertaining answers in the next BeeBrief.
🎥 NEW BUZZ BRO EPISODES
🎬 Hive Wars 2025: Mallets, Mistakes & Mayhem
🍎 Buzzbee Buzzed Over to Green Mountain Orchards in Putney, VT
🐝 That’s all for this edition of BeeBrief.
The only newsletter buzzing louder than a hive in October.
Remember: if you hear a suspicious hum in your kitchen, it’s not a ghost, it’s just a bee testing your winter honey stash. With judgment.
– Buzzwell, Buzzbee, & Buzzloaf
“Until next time, keep your wings flexed, your pollen stores full, and your stingers ready—but don’t actually use them… unless it’s snack-related.” – Buzzbee
