I'm Maggie.
I keep bees in Twin Falls, Idaho. I love wildflowers, quiet afternoons in the apiary, and conversations with other beekeepers about what's actually working in their hives this year.
What you'll find here
Idaho Bees is a personal journal — not a shop, not a newsletter-farm, not a sponsored feed. Everything I share here comes from my own hives in the Magic Valley, the books and videos I've learned from, and years of trading notes with other Idaho and Pacific Northwest beekeepers.
My hive setup
I run primarily horizontal Layens and Lazutin hives. I switched from Langstroth after my bees did consistently better in the horizontal boxes — and I'm getting older, so the 100-pound lifts that come with stacked boxes weren't serving me any longer. Some of my Langstroth wooden ware has been converted to hold Layens and Lazutin frames so nothing gets wasted.
Most of my hives are in one apiary close to home; some are in a separate location so the yard doesn't get too dense. I've stopped counting exact numbers — it fluctuates season to season.
My approach to treatments
I'm not treatment-free, and I don't apologize for that. I've watched treatment-free beekeepers lose entire apiaries when mite loads hit critical mass — especially in mixed-beekeeper areas where your bees bring home whatever the neighbors' bees are carrying. My rotation is Apilife Var, Apiguard, and Oxalic acid strips, varied so mites don't develop resistance. Oxalic acid only works during honey flow when brood cycles are already knocked down.
What I care about beyond bees
- Idaho's wildflowers and the forage calendar that keeps bees healthy season to season
- Native pollinators — bumblebees, mason bees, and the habitat they need
- Helping new beekeepers avoid the early mistakes that cost them a colony
- Horizontal hive design, sheep's wool insulation, and other low-tech, high-outcome ideas
Get in touch
If you're local to the Magic Valley and want to talk bees, or you're somewhere else in the Pacific Northwest trying to make sense of overwintering, send me a note.