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Posted in Hive cycle on Jun 30th, 2010
The minute I put that wax melter out in the sun, the sun disappeared. Then the temperatures dropped. And no wax on earth will melt at 70 degrees and under cloudy skies. So, we’ll try when the weather heats up again. But doesn’t it feel great out there? Every single one of our windows is [...]
Posted in Products of the hive on Jun 29th, 2010
I’ve got no honey to harvest, and I don’t want to keep bugging the bees. I want to leave them alone to do whatever they do. So, I decided to harvest some wax. A few weeks ago I needed some wax, so I melted down some of the extra foundation I have; with the leftover [...]
Posted in Education on Jun 27th, 2010
I rode that scooter of mine all the way out to the Creation Museum and then completely forgot to take a single picture of Doug or of his bees there or of anything at the museum. What on earth is wrong with me? You know, I’m just not a big picture taker, and I completely [...]
Posted in Hive Management on Jun 25th, 2010
This morning I brought up the idea of keeping a few hives of bees at the farm, and Deb did not say “No.” Actually, I think I heard an actual “Yes” somewhere in her response. The 80-acre farm in Waco, Kentucky is a 2-hour drive from here, and we get down there for a couple [...]
Posted in Beekeeping Philosophy on Jun 24th, 2010
A question arose on one of the forums I read: Do you talk to your bees? Well, of course I do. I can’t imagine not. After a while, you know, I believe we get to know one another. I already ask them to forgive me for squishing them, to tell me what they’re doing, to [...]
Posted in Hive Management, Uncategorized on Jun 23rd, 2010
I spent a little bit of time yesterday leveling my beehives. Why do that, you ask? Well, I’m slowly shifting from using foundation in my frames to using only foundationless frames, that’s why. And when bees build comb into thin air (and it is beautiful and perfect comb…I don’t know why we ever ever ever [...]
Posted in Education on Jun 22nd, 2010
So I sent out a plea on the TriState Beekeeper forum asking for a mentor. You know, in an entire year of keeping bees, I’ve never seen another person working a hive. Sure, I’ve watched videos on YouTube until I’m blue in the face, but I’ve got questions, dang it. And this morning, I received [...]
Posted in Going Naked on Jun 20th, 2010
Upon today’s hive inspection I have one very clear realization: I have no idea what I’m doing. Why on earth did I think I could manage a hundred-thousand bees? I am not as smart as I look. Seriously, I get in there with those bees and all those cells and eggs and larvae and brood [...]
Posted in Beekeeping Philosophy on Jun 18th, 2010
So. Yesterday I received news that Deb’s Uncle Doyle in Waco, Kentucky has collected tons of honey this year. Over the years he’s kept many hives, but now that he’s older he keeps only one—simply because he loves it…the heat in all that protective clothing keeps him from expanding his little operation again. Anyway, I [...]
Posted in Beekeeping Philosophy on Jun 17th, 2010
You know, I’ve been thinking. I think I’d better stick with beekeepers who share my newly emerging philosophy of natural beekeeping: chemical-free hives, foundationless frames, small-cell comb, etc. Then again, if I don’t work with beekeepers who subscribe to other philosophies, how can I hope to spread what I’m learning about natural beekeeping? I don’t want [...]