Premier Pollinators

Premier Pollinators - I even like the sound of that!  For those of you who live in a cold winter climate like I do, I hope this little picture will give you a tiny bit of encouragement that yes, we will see this again soon!

This past year of beekeeping has been quite an adventure for us and when I think back on how much we have learned it is kind of amazing.

I have a cousin who has kept bees for over 25 years.  He started with one small hive from his wifes uncle.  He takes his hives to the warmer climates in the winter for pollination.  My husband is spending the week with him just to see what it is all about!  I can't wait to see his pictures. 

What is sad is that the almonds are in bloom right now, but there is a shortage of honeybees to pollinate them.  Most of us know that the honeybees pollinate almonds, blueberries and many of the plants and flowers we have in our yards.  I thought it would be fun to list a few that maybe you never thought of before.

• Allspice
• Buckwheat
• Coffee
• Eggplant
• Macadamia
• Okra
• Papaya
• Persimmon
• Rose Hips
• Starfruit
• Sour Cherry

This is a very small list of what these premier pollinators do to ensure we have so many choices and types of food to choose from.  It is so important for people to know just how important they are to our food chain!

What are some of your favorites?

I'm Confused - Did I Hear That Right?

Have you ever felt like this duck - a little confused?

I just have to share this story.  Have you ever had times when you just weren't quite tracking with what was going on?  I know I have had many of them so I don't want this to be a put down in any way.  It just struck me funny how one person can say something and people  hear it so differently!  So here goes...we were in Beekeeping 101 class and since the class is only for 6 weeks you can imagine how much information the instructors want to cover...

At one point we had been talking about  American Foulbrood and how you need to burn everything if you want to totally eradicate it from the hive.  Then right before break we were discussing how and when to move your bees if you needed to.  We took a short break and class resumed and out of the blue a question was raised something like this.  "So if I have my bees  located on another property and they call me to say it is not working out and I need to come move my bees.  Do I just burn my bees if I don't have any other place to take them? 

Now one of the teachers is a kind, gentle man who has been keeping bees for over 40 years.  He almost didn't know how to respond.  He just said, "What?"  It was quiet for a few seconds while everyone was trying to process this question, and then he said, "No, no, no, no, NO - don't burn your bees - they are precious".  At this point half of the class was saying, if you don't have a place for your bees, just call us - we will take them for you!

I just hope the man who asked the question got it right by then.  It would be a tragedy if he really thought that is what he needed to do with so many people trying so hard to INCREASE the honeybee population! 

As I said I have had many times when I didn't quite "get" what was going on, so I guess it is a good thing he asked his question!  Has anybody else been asked a great question like that when trying to explain all the wonders of beekeeping?

Small Winter Honey Harvest

Before - Our Handy Dandy Hand Extractor

My daughter and I curled up on the couch ready for an evening of Olympic entertainment.  I heard my husband downstairs but didn't know just what he was doing and boy was I surprised!  You see we had some frames of honey saved that we were trying to decide what to do with - to save for the bees or go ahead and harvest. 

Now they had just said in our bee class that marital bliss would usually come before honey harvesting in the house....  Maybe he thought I was so thoroughly occupied with the Olympics that I wouldn't check on him!  Whatever the case, before the evening was over he had filled 13 bottles of honey (1 pound bottles)!.  I was excited and what was even better was he completly cleaned up the mess - wow! 
                                 

      After!

Do any of you have any interesting "in the house" honey harvest stories?!

CliffsNotes from Class

This is the book we are using in Beekeeping 101 this year.

First Lessons in Beekeeping is a great book - very easy to read with many awesome colored pictures that help tell the story.  A very good resource for any beekeeper to share or keep for your own library.

I wrote down some intresting notes from last weeks class and wanted to share a few of them with you. 

• The one that I was most fascinated with is that when the bees are really agitated and worked up the scent of the pheromones they are fanning about smells like bananas!  Now there were a few times last year when we were working our hives that we knew it was time to close up and get out of there - but we never smelled bananas!  Probably a good thing!
• Some newer research studies show that honeybees are attracted to plants that produce nicotine (tobacco) and caffeine!
• On the days our state inspector wants to keep his smoker lit all day he will use  wood heater pellets,  packs them very tightly and it will still be burning at the end of the day.
• It is probably best not to put your smoker between your knees when checking your hives!
• One man knew of 2 people who lost their trucks because their smoker was out of control, and one person who lost his honey house.  Very sad.
• Even though the cluster of bees inside the hive stays around 90 degrees, the outside of the hive is just as cold as the temperature outside.
• The inside of a healthy honeybee hive is one of the closest things to a sterile and sanitary environment you will ever find in nature.

These are just a few of the things I found most interesting.  I am really curious to know if anybody out there has ever smelled bananas when working with your bees?!

                                                                                 

Term of Endearment

The most common term of endearment I have for my husband is "honey".  In fact it actually feels strange to call him by his first name!  I also have an affection for my honeybees and always try to find new ways to use that sweet, sticky substance we call honey.  It is much more than that bottle or jar that sits up in your cupboard hidden behind spices and sauces.  That is where my jar used to be, but now it is either right in front or left out on the counter, and gets refilled often!

• My newest favorite is to sweeten grapefruit and all kinds of fruit instead of using sugar - fabulous!
• I eat a lot of oatmeal during these cold, winter months and it is my favorite sweetener.
• Blending honey in with butter makes a fantastic spread for just about anything!
• If you happen to get stung while working your bees - apply some honey.
• Have you ever tried using it to remove a fruit stain on your clothing?
• If you need a quick boost of energy anytime during the day, honey can work just as well as caffeine.
• This means energy without chemicals, but with healthy nutrients and vitamins!
• And don't forget about honey in your skin care products - it absorbs and retains moisture and can help with those aging skin problems.
• This wonderful product can be found all over the world - naturally!  With all the artificial sweeteners that have become so popular, I think why would I choose one of those over this "nectar of the gods" as Aristotle called it.

I would love to hear about your favorite and ususual ways you use your honey?!

Here is the honey from our first harvest that we saved back for ourselves for consuming, baking and anything else we can think of.  We were looking everywhere for jars and bottles to put it in!

                                                                       

 

Classes for Clusters

How is this for a cluster?  Ones of the swarms we caught last year.  I love it when they are so close to the ground - makes it so much easier to catch.

Last night I went to the second week of beekeeping class at our local community college.  I always look forward to getting together with clusters of people who also love honeybees!  People who don't give you that weird kind of look when you start talking about your bees.  Most of our friends stopped asking us, "So, how are the bees?"  They just want to here a quick short answer such as "fine."  Not a commentary on the weeks activities!  They did love the honey though.

It was interesting to see that over half of the class were females and to know the reasons why people were taking the class.  Some lived in town, others had farms or an acerage.  A few people grew produce for farmers markets and were interested more in the pollination, others couldn't wait for honey.  Some didn't even know if they would get any hives - just were curious about the whole thing. 

After last nights class I am pretty concerned about the clusters in my hives though.  This is when we decided to take the plunge into beekeeping:  Iowa had the worst year of honey production since they have been keeping records, and the worst winter in several decades.  Our instructors are pretty concerned about just how many bees will still be alive come spring.  But I have ordered what I need for new hives and will get ready to order my packages soon and the excitement for spring grows every day!

Just wondering what others who live in colder climates do to pass the time before the first dandelion blooms?

Wonderful Weepers

I have a fondness for any kind of weeping tree.  Here is a picture of my Weeping Pussy Willow Tree beside the front entrance of my house.  This is a tree that grows fast and is easy to grow and the bees LOVE it!  It is one of the earliest trees to bloom in the spring and was simply covered with bees last spring.  I do know that honeybees love all kinds of willows and this is certainly no exception.  When we moved to our house a few years ago this was the first thing I ordered to plant outside.  I loved it even before I became a beekeeper.  You see last year was our first year to begin this beekeeping adventure and we were anxiously awaiting our first packages of bees....   

On a warm spring day I was taking a tour of my yard and noticed the honeybees happily covering this tree!  These were not even my bees because we hadn't even received ours yet!  I was so excited and wondered if all these years when I was not even thinking about honeybees, they have been right under my nose the whole time - doing what they do best and I did not even notice!  A warm, sunny spring morning and the contented sound of the bees buzzing and I was oblivious for so many years.  I simply cannot wait to get a picture of this tree this spring covered with my girls.  Just hoping all the frigid temperatures, snow and ice have not harmed this tree and all the other flowers I planted that will attract the ultimate pollinators.

I now have two shoots from this weeping pussy willow growing in pots over the winter to be transplanted as soon as possible this spring.  I also have a couple of the bigger Weeping Willow trees in my yard and hope they are big enough this year for the bees to enjoy also.

Just wondering what kinds of trees and flowers you have planted to attract the honeybees to your space?
I would love to hear your stories!

Dees Bee Boutique - Simple Luxury just for You! - Soothing Massage Bar - 3 oz Unscented or with Fragrance for Men and Women

Dees Bee Boutique - Simple Luxury just for You! - Soothing Massage Bar - 3 oz Unscented or with Fragrance for Men and Women

Nature's Slideshow

On these long winter days we sometimes need something to break up the monotomy.  Even looking out the window doesn't help because usually all I see is snow and more snow and again snow predicted for Friday.  They are just saying a measurable amount but nothing else.  So what could that be?  This year it could be anywhere from 5 inches to 12 inches - just what is measurable?

So I am learning to be thankful for nature's little surprises.  I was working away at my computer and noticed some movement outside my window.  There to my surprise was a whole flock of turkeys just a few feet from me.  My camera just happened to be on my desk with the correct lens attached, so I slowly reached for it - knowing that turkeys have VERY keen eyesight I tried to make as little movement as possible.  I was able to get a couple of pictures before they began wandering off towards the timber.

As I continued take pictures, more joined them and it was great fun watching them.  After loading the pics on my computer the one that cracked me up was when it looks like they are walking on TOP of the fence - funny!  In short order they all flew up into the trees - probably to roost.  I was thankful for that little diversion in my day and even more thankful that I live in a warm house with food readily available.

If I knew where my husbands turkey call was it would have even been more fun to see if I could have gotten them to respond, but I am sure it was packed away somewhere I wouldn't even begin to think of.

I have seen that flock of turkeys many times, but never were they this close.  They really are pretty big birds!