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Busy Weekend…
After a setback due to illness, a weekend of catching up on spring activities involved preparing frames and comb for swarm traps and hive boxes, using a wire embedder for frame foundation, fixing and painting swarm traps, and extracting beeswax. Despite challenges, the weekend was productive, concluding with the placement of a refurbished trap.
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Spring activities?
As warm weather arrives, the beekeeper observes the survival of their colonies and prepares for the hazardous time when flowers may be scarce. A late-season swarm has thrived, and the bees are active despite the lack of flowers. Plans for colony expansion and creating artificial splits are underway, along with building swarm boxes.
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Soap Day!
On the first day of Spring, the author talks about their history of soap making and the process involved. They discuss the ingredients needed, mixing the lye solution, melting and combining various oils, adding fragrance, and molding the soap. They also mention precautions and resources they use. The soap needs to cool and will be…
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Update on me…
The author experienced a series of health setbacks, including pneumonia, abdominal pain, and C. Diff infection. Despite multiple hospital visits and self-quarantine, they are now feeling better but get tired easily. The events kept them out of commission for some time.
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3d Printing…
2/17/2024 Linda said a few weeks ago that since there’s not much going on in the apiary, I could write about some of my other interests. Well, I thought it and decided that it would be a great way to not get out of the habit of writing. I did something similar when I was…
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Shed and Barn Make Over…
In early February, a shed and barn received much-needed upgrades. Linda secured a siding company to do the job, prompting a rush to prepare the service entrance before their arrival. The team worked swiftly, even addressing long-standing issues. The completed work left the owner amazed and thankful for the swift, thorough renovation.
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Community Part 2…
2/3/2024 On December 18th, Brian came over and we built his third hive. It actually went pretty well. It was his third and my sixth, so we had the instructions pretty memorized. And there was no blood until the very end when I got clipped by a drill bit – sorry no picture. Brian is…
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Starting Spring Flowers…
1/16/2024 Last week, on the 9th of January, we started the first bunch of spring flowers from seed. Linda had some Zinnia seeds from Park Seeds leftover from last year, so we thought it was time to put them to good use. We also started some pollinator plants, but they haven’t come up yet. Late…
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Community…
1/13/2024 Happy New Year thirteen days later. I hope everyone had a great and enjoyable holiday season. When your blog is primarily about bees, it’s hard to find something to write about this time of year. The bees are hopefully safely holed up in their hive, especially today when the overnight low is forecast to…
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Surprise, Surprise, Surprise…
December 7, 2023 The surprise today isn’t nearly as colossal as the one on December 7, 1941, at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii but, it was nevertheless a surprise to us today. With the temperatures in the 60’s, we decided to walk the property and see what was going on. The flowerbeds looked their normal shagginess and…