100% Local Ohio | Your Cincinnati Bee Connection
Posted in Equipment on Oct 12th, 2011
I know, I know. I’d planned to visit with you about the “colony vs. hive” nomenclature challenge when it comes to writing about the bees. But I’d rather tell you about smoker bombs instead. Keeping bees is challenging…which is probably why I’m so hooked. One constant challenge is keeping the dang smoker lit. Funny, this [...]
Posted in Going Naked on Oct 10th, 2011
I think I’ve probably inspected the bees for the final time this season. Now we give the colony time to set its hive in order for winter. Which means it’s time for the colony to propolize the gaps between the boxes and to move honey to wherever it’s wanted and to cap the honey for [...]
Posted in Poetry on Oct 9th, 2011
Everyone Is Afraid of Something BY DANNYE ROMINE POWELL Once I was afraid of ghosts, of the dark, of climbing down from the highest limb of the backyard oak. Now I’m afraid my son will die alone in his apartment. I’m afraid when I break down the door, I’ll find him among the empties—bloated, discolored, [...]
Posted in Protective clothing on Oct 8th, 2011
Posted in Going Naked on Oct 6th, 2011
I resigned from my job. I resigned from my job without a plan for another. I think I may be finished working for other people. I am trusting the universe on this one, and so I’m focused squarely on the bees. The bees are in front of me right now, and I’ve learned to handle [...]
Posted in Visitors to the beeyard on Jul 18th, 2011
We spent much of the weekend on our farm in Waco, Kentucky. Now that Deb owns the farm outright, we feel we can begin making a few slight changes in the way things work down there. For instance, I think we’re gonna ask all the relatives to come and get whatever they want from the [...]
Posted in Equipment on Jul 15th, 2011
You should smell my car. Well, first you should know that I drive a 12-year old Nissan Pathfinder (it has over 160K miles on it, but I’m not giving it up…I figure I can get 250K miles out of it. I don’t quit on things). My car smells like smoke and beeswax, and it’s a [...]
Posted in Equipment on Jul 14th, 2011
I’m on a quest. I’m on a quest to find a hat and a veil that I like and that suits my style. I’m not sure why I’m not satisfied with the typical beekeeping hat and veil, but I’m not. Requirements: I want a straw hat. I don’t know why, I just do. Accept it. [...]
Posted in Education on Jul 13th, 2011
This is a frame of brood brushed free of its usual attending nurse bees. I’d brushed the bees off because I removed this frame from the Nicola hive (which lives in my beeyard)—named in honor of Nicola Mason’s first swarm capture—and I’d given it to a hive that currently lives in Nicola’s apiary, the Bebe [...]
I know I shouldn’t actually complain about the weather. And I’ve lately been wondering what my own little personal role is in this incessant rain. For instance, should I be praying more? Riding my bicycle more and driving my SUV less? Does this rain have something to do with my use of oil and gas? [...]