Ginger & Bees

03/26/2026

Have you taken the Basic Beekeeping Course through Western Dakota Tech? Interested in the Advanced Course?

It’s coming up next week! March 30 - April 2 from 6-9pm each evening. We only have 2 registered and need at least 2 more for WDT to run the class. What will I be covering in the course? Check out the topics below and register at www.wdt.edu/corporate-education-center/beekeeping/

Sustaining Your Apiary
Colony Health & Diagnostics
Advanced Nutrition
Advanced Varroa Mite Management
Nosema Ceranae Testing
Expanding Your Apiary: Swarms, Splits, & Removals
Advanced Bee Anatomy
Honeybee Reproduction
Honeybee Species & Subspecies
Fundamentals in Queen Rearing
Moving Hives Safely
Hive Products: Honey, Wax, Propolis & Pollen

03/24/2026

Hi friends, family, and those of you I don’t know as well yet; but I’m glad you’re here 🤍

First, thank you. Every time I post something as simple as a new chapstick and immediately get orders, it genuinely means so much to me. It’s a little overwhelming on my end (in the best possible way), packing everything up and getting it out to you, but I’m incredibly grateful for that kind of support.

I do want to be real with you for a minute.

I’m not a big business. I’m not a brand with a team, investors, or mass production. I’m not a MLM. It’s just me. I’m managing a handful of bee colonies, harvesting honey, rendering wax, processing propolis, and handmaking every single product myself.

And right now, small businesses like mine are feeling it.

Rising costs, tariffs, and supply chain shifts aren’t hitting massive corporations the same way; they’re hitting people like me. The ingredients and packaging I’ve relied on (and trusted for their quality) have gotten significantly more expensive, and in some cases, I’ve had to pivot completely just to keep going.

I’m doing everything I can to stay true to what I believe in, high-quality, thoughtfully sourced ingredients, and more sustainable packaging choices like glass over plastic; even when it’s harder to find and might be more expensive.

This isn’t about being dramatic, or political, it’s just the reality of being a very small, independent business right now. And this administration is hurting small businesses.

So when you choose to support me, please know you’re not just buying chapstick or a lotion bar, or honey, you’re supporting a real person, real work, and a business that’s trying to do things the right way in a system that doesn’t always make that easy.

I appreciate you more than you know 🤍

All my love,
Tara

03/24/2026

New Lip Balm! Bee Bare… no essential oils added. Just natural ingredients… propolis infused olive oil, beeswax, cocoa butter & oil, shea butter, aloe butter, honey, and vitamin e. ☺️❤️🐝💋 $3 each. Contact me or order on www.thegingerandbees.com

Also I’m getting lower on honey… I won’t have more until August most likely. So if you need honey, contact me before it’s sold out until the new 2026 honey season! ❤️🍯

02/27/2026

I love books… but I can’t say I’ve spent $100 on a book before (that wasn’t a college textbook). The author sells these, and only the author. He even autographed it for me. I’m building more material to include in my Advanced Beekeeping Courses that I teach. The varying methods of queen rearing is one such topic. 😊❤️🐝

I have scheduled the rest of my 2026 class schedule:

Courses I Teach at Western Dakota Technical College

✨New✨
Summer Weekend Basic Beekeeping Course

July 18–19 | 9 AM – 4 PM (classroom)
Saturday evening 6–8 PM — hands-on apiary session (optional)

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Additional Course Dates (Evening Courses)

Advanced Beekeeping (Spring)
March 30 – April 2 | 6–9 PM
Apiary Day: April 4 | 1–3 PM (for Feb basic & advanced students)

Basic Beekeeping (Fall)
August 24–28 | 6–9 PM
Apiary Day: October 24 | 1–3 PM

Advanced Beekeeping (Fall)
October 19–22 | 6–9 PM
Apiary Day: October 24 | 1–3 PM

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Basic Beekeeping Topics Include:
- SD and Rapid City regulations (and other states when applicable)
- Honeybee biology, anatomy, and development
- Equipment and hive options
- Pests, diseases, predators, and treatments
- Supplemental feeding and colony management
- Hive inspections and seasonal management
- Queen management and colony dynamics
- Preparing bees for winter
- Africanized honeybees
- Introduction to natural beekeeping

Advanced Beekeeping Topics Include:
- Sustaining and expanding your apiary
- Splits, swarm catching, and removals
- Moving hives safely
- Queen rearing basics and genetics
- Hive products (honey, pollen, propolis, wax)
- Colony health diagnostics
- Advanced varroa management
- Nutrition and seasonal resources
- Overwintering success

I typically invite additional local beekeepers to share their experiences during each course as well.

Use this link to register: https://www.wdt.edu/corporate-education-center/beekeeping/

02/22/2026

It was a great Buzz in the BH Beekeeper’s Conference! My friend Phil Breed with Birdsong Bees was adamant about winning the silent auction for my oil painting, and he did. 😊 All the speakers were fantastic! Erica and Tracey handled the coffee and food so well! And the prizes and silent auction items were phenomenal… special thanks to Julie and Frank! And Garry for being MC! And thank you to all the vendors! I hope all our attendees were able to learn something new and gain more knowledge from the Buzz Conference. On Friday evening, the social sold out Tom Repas’ mead… of course we are a bunch of beekeepers haha. 😊🐝❤️🥂

02/16/2026

Wow… all 4 colonies have eggs, larva, and some capped brood. My two smaller colonies still have some honey; but my two large robust colonies are eating food like crazy and both hives were light! 😳 I gave them all 2:1 sugar syrup, Hive Alive patties, and some supplements from Strong Microbials. I’m not giving them pollen yet. As I don’t want them to make even more brood that they can’t sustain. The bees appear to be carrying in stuff on their bee legs… propolis and some look like pollen but I would have to confirm under a microscope. This is early for South Dakota! Even my weakest colony that didn’t come out of winter with a queen last year and I wouldn’t normally get into this early, has eggs and larva! I’m happy their queen is alive! They have enough food, but their numbers are small. With the mild weather, their colony might just build back up this year.🤞🏻This is a critical time for us as beekeepers to assist our bees, and make sure they don’t starve! Strong Microbials

02/13/2026

Unboxing what I ordered for my bees! Probiotics and supplements that my bees love! Anything to make them stronger and healthier!

01/26/2026

Interested in learning more about beekeeping?

February is a great time to start! We have several learning opportunities in Rapid City coming up in February:

The Local on Feb 4th 5-7pm. I will be giving a brief chat on beekeeping. Learn more here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/1D61WhzzWU/?mibextid=wwXIfrngge

Basic Beekeeping at Western Dakota Tech Feb 9-13th 6-9pm each evening. Learn more and register here: https://www.wdt.edu/corporate-education-center/beekeeping/ (Advanced Beekeeping at WDT is in April)

Black Hills Area Beekeepers Club meets the 3rd Tuesday of each month, in the winter. Next meeting is February 17th at Western Dakota Tech. Summer months we do hands-on learning at various apiaries around the hills each month. https://facebook.com/groups/7933166170042667/

Buzz in the Black Hills Conference is February 20-21. On Friday, February 20th from 6-9pm we are having Dr. Tom Repas speak and a beekeeper’s social at Zymurcracy Beer Co, and Saturday, February 21st from 8-4:30 is the main portion of the conference at Western Dakota Tech. You can find more information and register using this link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/buzz-in-the-black-hills-conference-tickets-1685730117159?sg=516a1a42513bee5026cd0c3cf42a66906ec72e6150543b7c7ec57ca15080903a3011b7321fb85854756b22df9e9d2aa2c08641b90ce6538c9847fc9b3ea7ae8c9cfb93f4df4b7a530267b90e55&aff=ebdsshios

"Does Anyone Have a Queen?" Topics will focus on and around the most important bee in the colony.

12/20/2025

What do honeybees do in the winter? They dont hibernate… they cluster. And on warm winter days they fly and go potty. I love seeing their little faces looking out at me!

10/25/2025

This past week I taught Basic Beekeeping at Western Dakota Technical College to 6 students. Today, 5 students were able to join me in my apiary. I showed them how I supplemental feed and prepare my bees for winter.

I wouldn’t normally dig through a hive this time of year, but I felt comfortable letting my students see what a colony looks like in October. My longest surviving colony, Lena, has nearly 20 frames of bees! Zoe colony also has 20 frames of bees. And we spotted a few drones. I explained how, this time of year, there is little to no brood to be found. The colony is reducing their population and the queen isn’t laying as much.

After I pulled the top deep box off Lena colony, and looked at the bottom deep, I observed the bees, and told my students, she’s on one of 3 frames, and pointed to where I expected her to be. Sure enough, one frame had some eggs, larva, and capped brood. And as I flipped the frame over, there she was, the queen. My students were all delighted to spot a queen and see brood.

It was nice having some extra hands to help wrap each hive with my wool cozies. I have kept my moisture boxes on all year, and they will remain on the hives throughout winter. I gave them all winter patties, Super DFM probiotic, and Hive Alive food, as well as sugar syrup with Fumidil-B. They are taking food so fast right now! And I want them to be able to use their honey over the winter. I have been treating for mites with VorraxSan strips, but I went ahead and pulled those from the hives since I wrapped them up for winter.

I feel good about my colonies heading into winter. Ginger colony is going into winer with only one deep, but they have 10 frames of bees, and food stores. They all seem strong, they are taking supplemental food, have honey, and have been treated for mites.

10/20/2025

Good changes are happening with the Black Hills Area Beekeeper’s Club! 🐝

Tim Moran and I started the bee club in 2020 and have taken turns every two years swapping from VP, to President, and VP… (and vice versa) we are both ready for fresh ideas with some new club leaders! And to take a little break… although I am still helping with plenty. And I help in other aspects of the community like volunteering for the Raptor Center Call Line on Wednesdays.

Tim and I talked Frank into being club treasurer a couple years ago and he will remain on as treasurer.

I’m switching over to one of three board members. And I am still helping plan our Annual Conference. And earlier this year I took over teaching the basic and advanced beekeeping classes at Western Dakota Tech! But I simply can’t do it all. My professional work life and personal life are busy too!

I’m happy that Garry and Aaron are taking over President and VP for the club. They will be great leaders! And while they are newer to beekeeping, I told them I was brand new to beekeeping when I started as the VP. Clubs need leaders, we have so many wonderful and experienced beekeepers in the club to help pass along knowledge. They were already coming up with great new ideas when we did officer transitioning today. Now, if only we could convince someone to be secretary. 🤔

10/20/2025

Mark your calendars for our Annual Buzz in the Black Hills Beekeeper's Conference February 20-21st, 2026!

February 20th, 2026: We have a Friday evening session and social from 6:00-9:00pm. Doors open at 5:00pm at Zymurcracy Beer Co. 4624 Creek Dr., Ste 6, RC, SD 57701

February 21st, 2026: On Saturday, doors open at 7:00 am. Breakfast from 7:00-8:00am. Conference from 8:00-4:30pm at Western Dakota Tech. 800 Mickelson Dr., RC, SD 57703

Join us for vendors, booths, a silent auction and door prizes (must be present to win), interesting speakers, Friday evening speakers and social at Zymurcracy Beer Co, Saturday afternoon breakout sessions with beginners and advanced topics/demos, breakfast and lunch included in the ticket price and hosted in the WDT cafeteria, and more!

Check out the FB Event Page and purchase your tickets here:

"Does Anyone Have a Queen?" Topics will focus on and around the most important bee in the colony.