Women who let you follow a bee colony over time

Start with a named colony

Linda Tillman’s Linda’s Bees diary lets you return to the same colony rather than meet a new hive at each inspection. In April 2006, her first year, she named the yellow hive Destin and the other Bermuda. She recorded how they differed as they built comb, then came back to Destin in May and December. Her own blog combines photographs, inspection notes and later video resources.

References: Linda Tillman / Linda’s Bees

The continuity matters because the first view is only a starting point. On April 29, Tillman reported eight of ten frames drawn in Destin and about six fully drawn in Bermuda. On May 21, Bermuda had extended wax into a honey super while Destin had not yet used its super; she described Destin’s medium box as heavy with brood and honey. Those are observations of different parts of the hives on specific days, not a score for either colony.

References: Linda Tillman / Linda’s Bees · Linda Tillman / Linda’s Bees

A first year with questions still open

Tillman’s first entries are unusually candid. She was afraid of dropping a frame or injuring the queen, then realized she had added a second hive body too early. Rather than hide the mistake, she called other beekeepers and recorded a more experienced beekeeper coming to help. It is a first-year diary in real time, not an expert looking back and smoothing out the uncertainty.

References: Linda Tillman / Linda’s Bees

In December she inspected Destin again and described bees above the inner cover and less honey in an upper box. In February 2007 she found the colony dead. She considered starvation and the possibility that the queen had died, while also observing honey left elsewhere in the hive. Those are her own competing interpretations, not a confirmed cause. Bermuda was alive and raising brood when she inspected it.

References: Linda Tillman / Linda’s Bees · Linda Tillman / Linda’s Bees

Look inside without guessing from the entrance

Hilary Kearney of Girl Next Door Honey runs a San Diego beekeeping business and publishes Beekeeping Like A Girl and her own Instagram. She explains that entrance traffic varies with weather and time, and describes looking inside at bees covering brood as another part of assessing a colony.

References: Hilary Kearney / Girl Next Door Honey · Hilary Kearney / Beekeeping Like A Girl

On a guided visit, Pulenaz puts on a veil and protective clothing before standing beside her experienced host. The host lifts a frame and shows her the difference between capped brood and stored food. Pulenaz asks why the busy entrance looked so different from the quieter frame; together they compare what was visible outside with what the inspection actually revealed. Her questions make a useful starting point for a viewer learning to look, without putting her in charge of the hive.

Bee colonies contain developing young and stores, and a veil helps reduce stings. The Honey Bee Health Coalition recommends monitoring for varroa mites; simply looking at adult bees is not a reliable substitute for monitoring. An inspection is an observation of several conditions, not a diagnosis from one frame.

References: University of Georgia Cooperative Extension · Honey Bee Health Coalition · Honey Bee Health Coalition

Sources and attribution

1. Linda Tillman / Linda’s Bees

   April 2006Published Apr 30, 2006 · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

2. Linda Tillman / Linda’s Bees

   Bees fill in foundation just as predictedPublished May 21, 2006 · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

3. Linda Tillman / Linda’s Bees

   Winter hives and Linda’s BeesPublished Dec 1, 2006 · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

4. Linda Tillman / Linda’s Bees

   February 2007Publication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

5. Hilary Kearney / Girl Next Door Honey

   Meet the GirlPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

6. Hilary Kearney / Beekeeping Like A Girl

   How to tell if you have a strong hivePublished Jan 19, 2018 · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

7. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension

   Honey Bees and BeekeepingPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

8. Honey Bee Health Coalition

   Varroa ManagementPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026

9. Honey Bee Health Coalition

   Best Management Practices for Hive HealthPublication date not listed · Recorded Oct 29, 2026