Animals
- A Wonderful Sight To Bee-hold!
Each and every day we see just a little more of the ground!Less snow, more water....more mud! Just about everywhere you look there is a small stream of water flowing... eventually reaching the lowest part of the farm...the pond. Afternoon chore time...
- Casualties Of Winter
I don't have to tell any of you...This was the HARDEST winter ever...of my life...ever! Now, we've had winters with more snow.We've had winters just as cold.But we have never had a winter with this much snow and ice and this much cold,that...
- To Bee Or Not To Bee
Whew! Internet connection problems almost made it so that I would NOT BEE today!! Sorry so late with the posting. The bugs are all worked out. Now on to the REAL bugs!.....Bees, that is Yesterday's temperate weather gave Hubbs...
- Baby, Its Hot Outside!
I have come to notice that the bees act as a thermometer. A few weeks ago, I published a picture of how they hang outside their hive on a hot day, cooling themselves. What I have come to notice is that the hotter it is outside, the more bees are on the...
- Honey Harvest...the Process
Mike and Bev....ready to go to work on the hives. The proper attire is a must for this job. Thanks to these great suits we handled several hives (and hundreds of thousands of bees) with no stings! Mike getting ready to "smoke" the bees. The smoke has...
Animals
Buzzing Along.....
It has been quite some time since I have talked about our bees.
Yes, we still have bees....
but, sadly, only one hive at the present time.
Over the past two years we have suffered massive losses.
Our eight original hives have suffered gravely.
Colony collapse disorder took out all of our hives except this one.
Colony collapse disorder took out all of our hives except this one.
I am happy to tell you, though, that the one hive we have at present
is vigorous and strong and full, full, full of honey.
Oh, that sweet, sticky, delicious nectar...
straight from the hive...
with its almost magical healing powers...
truly a miracle of nature, if you ask me!
You may have noticed that I have not blogged much about our bees this year,
save for the instance this summer when they swarmed and attacked me while mowing.
Yes, I have been a bit perturbed at these buzzing darlings this year,
and decided to leave them alone as much as possible.
Hubbs added "supers" when necessary throughout the summer
and they obligingly filled them with honey.
Usually by this time of year we have already harvested our honey.
This summer, however, we decided to not harvest any honey.
We are leaving all of the honey in the hive for the bees.
Fearing that our winter might be like our autumn has been...
extreme weather conditions...
we thought the bees might just need a little extra nutrition for those long cold months.
Because this hive seemed to have survived Colony Collapse, we are doing everything in our power
to keep it healthy...hoping that perhaps these bees may have some genetic defense
against the disorder.
Perhaps that is what may ultimately save the bees...
the ability to genetically adapt to that which threatens them.
Because this hive seemed to have survived Colony Collapse, we are doing everything in our power
to keep it healthy...hoping that perhaps these bees may have some genetic defense
against the disorder.
Perhaps that is what may ultimately save the bees...
the ability to genetically adapt to that which threatens them.
Hopefully this will assure that these remaining bees will again greet us in the Spring!
We are also feeding them sugar water right now,
in order to conserve their honey for winter.
The very top, thin layer of this hive is filled with a 1:1 concentration of sugar to water.
Because there is precious little nectar left out in nature right now,
the sugar water acts as a replacement for what the flowers
had provided all summer long.
My plan is to place an order for bees and queens to arrive next spring
and repopulate our other hives.
And thank goodness we still have part of our honey harvest from last summer
to get us through the winter.
Did you know????
Honey never goes bad.
Never.
Honey may crystalize over time, but is still usable.
Simply heat your honey and it will return to its original sticky state.
Honey was found in an unearthed Egyptian tomb...
and it was still edible once heated...
just like the day the bees made it!
Amazing!
(Word of caution: never re-dip your honey spoon back into your honey
once you have stirred your tea....water will cause honey to spoil!)
Did you know?
Honey has healing qualities.
It is being used in third world countries as an antiseptic for wounds.
It's true.
When applied to a wound, honey draws fluid from the body
which it then combines with to make hydrogen peroxide.
Amazing!
(I actually have used our honey several times as a treatment for
mildly infected cuts.)
Did you know?
Candles made from beeswax are ecologically safe.
I melt down our beeswax, strain it, and pour it into a mold to make these
bee hive candles.
Before I leave you for today,
let me take you into the feed room.
Here, on top of the horses' hay is this scene....
Bobby woke up just long enough to see who was snapping his picture...
and check out his bunk mate....
then back to sleep again.
Don't cats always sleep with chickens?
One of the things that warms my heart more than anything,
is how well all of our different species co-exist.
Amazing!
Ok, well I thought I was finished,
and then I remembered that there were still a few pictures from down the lane
that I wanted to share with you.
Come, walk with me....
Our old (1700's) log cabin....
Our neighbor's springhouse....
A neighboring barn....
Another covered bridge....
The countryside....
All of these things are just down the lane.
See why I love the country so much?
- A Wonderful Sight To Bee-hold!
Each and every day we see just a little more of the ground!Less snow, more water....more mud! Just about everywhere you look there is a small stream of water flowing... eventually reaching the lowest part of the farm...the pond. Afternoon chore time...
- Casualties Of Winter
I don't have to tell any of you...This was the HARDEST winter ever...of my life...ever! Now, we've had winters with more snow.We've had winters just as cold.But we have never had a winter with this much snow and ice and this much cold,that...
- To Bee Or Not To Bee
Whew! Internet connection problems almost made it so that I would NOT BEE today!! Sorry so late with the posting. The bugs are all worked out. Now on to the REAL bugs!.....Bees, that is Yesterday's temperate weather gave Hubbs...
- Baby, Its Hot Outside!
I have come to notice that the bees act as a thermometer. A few weeks ago, I published a picture of how they hang outside their hive on a hot day, cooling themselves. What I have come to notice is that the hotter it is outside, the more bees are on the...
- Honey Harvest...the Process
Mike and Bev....ready to go to work on the hives. The proper attire is a must for this job. Thanks to these great suits we handled several hives (and hundreds of thousands of bees) with no stings! Mike getting ready to "smoke" the bees. The smoke has...