Animals
What a month it has been for Bee Haven Acres. We have been under attack. Our casualties are multiplying daily. It seems the deadliest of our foes is a family of foxes that has made their den in our woods. We have lost more than half of our chickens in the past 3 weeks. And, several of our ducks have perished....the saddest being our mama duck who was taken along with her 8 precious eggs while sitting on her nest. At this rate, we will have no birds left by June. A neighbor has volunteered to help us trap this sly fox family. (I did not take this picture)
We have also been inundated with tent caterpillars. They are all over everything and have taken their voracious appetites to our 100 baby blueberry bushes. So far, hand-picking them off of the blueberries has saved the bushes. Our next line of defense will be an organic, environmnetally friendly product that contains Bt (a type of bacillus bacterium that kills the caterpillar).
Last, but certainly not least, is a big old Pennsylvania black bear who has decided to frequent our Cottage Garden in search of delectable bird seed. He has bent our shepherd's crooks to a 90 degree angle and destroyed a couple of our bird feeders in this process. Our biggest worry with this unwelcomed guest is that he might eventually disturb our beehives in search of delicious honey!
- Blue Wednesday
Blueberry season has officially begun! Every spare bit of time we have is filled with picking delicious orbs of blue juiciness. And every spare minute of today will be filled with making jam...our favorite blueberry lime jam! Yesterday while picking...
- What I've Been Up To
Seems like this week has been a flurry of activity,and, gosh, it's only Wednesday. The bear trap has left us...the game warden came and picked it up yesterday.No bear.Just a silly old coon and a nasty looking 'possum...both of whomprobably still...
-
To me, mornings on the farm are the best time of day. By 5:15 AM the air is filled with cheerful melodies as the wood thrushes call "eee-olaaaay" back and forth to each other. Most mornings are relatively the same...early rising followed by the same daily...
- Feathered Friends
We have become quite fond of bird watching at Bee Haven Acres. We keep our bird feeders full and provide nesting boxes for the bluebirds. Quite often we will stand inside the front windows with the spotting scope or telephoto camera lense focused on...
- Bear Attack
All summer long we have seen the evidence of a bear's frequent visits to our garden. Several times our birdfeeders have been destroyed and the iron shepherd's crooks that hold the birdfeeders have been bent down to the ground about 90 degrees....
Animals
Un-Welcomed Guests
What a month it has been for Bee Haven Acres. We have been under attack. Our casualties are multiplying daily. It seems the deadliest of our foes is a family of foxes that has made their den in our woods. We have lost more than half of our chickens in the past 3 weeks. And, several of our ducks have perished....the saddest being our mama duck who was taken along with her 8 precious eggs while sitting on her nest. At this rate, we will have no birds left by June. A neighbor has volunteered to help us trap this sly fox family. (I did not take this picture)
We have also been inundated with tent caterpillars. They are all over everything and have taken their voracious appetites to our 100 baby blueberry bushes. So far, hand-picking them off of the blueberries has saved the bushes. Our next line of defense will be an organic, environmnetally friendly product that contains Bt (a type of bacillus bacterium that kills the caterpillar).
Last, but certainly not least, is a big old Pennsylvania black bear who has decided to frequent our Cottage Garden in search of delectable bird seed. He has bent our shepherd's crooks to a 90 degree angle and destroyed a couple of our bird feeders in this process. Our biggest worry with this unwelcomed guest is that he might eventually disturb our beehives in search of delicious honey!
- Blue Wednesday
Blueberry season has officially begun! Every spare bit of time we have is filled with picking delicious orbs of blue juiciness. And every spare minute of today will be filled with making jam...our favorite blueberry lime jam! Yesterday while picking...
- What I've Been Up To
Seems like this week has been a flurry of activity,and, gosh, it's only Wednesday. The bear trap has left us...the game warden came and picked it up yesterday.No bear.Just a silly old coon and a nasty looking 'possum...both of whomprobably still...
-
To me, mornings on the farm are the best time of day. By 5:15 AM the air is filled with cheerful melodies as the wood thrushes call "eee-olaaaay" back and forth to each other. Most mornings are relatively the same...early rising followed by the same daily...
- Feathered Friends
We have become quite fond of bird watching at Bee Haven Acres. We keep our bird feeders full and provide nesting boxes for the bluebirds. Quite often we will stand inside the front windows with the spotting scope or telephoto camera lense focused on...
- Bear Attack
All summer long we have seen the evidence of a bear's frequent visits to our garden. Several times our birdfeeders have been destroyed and the iron shepherd's crooks that hold the birdfeeders have been bent down to the ground about 90 degrees....