October 30, 2015 by dubamom

Our Bees

It all started with one Italian Queen. A small colony grew quickly the first Spring and Summer producing many more bees and extra honey for us . It was a joy to extract the extra for ourselves, family and friends . We learned to care for , harvest and produce a product …. luscious, elegant, pure , sweet honey. We decided quite quickly that 2 hives would be better as nature is hard on bees. We bought another queen and split our strong hive into 2 hives . Once again both hives flourished and the abundant natural wildflowers that surround us supported both hives with ease . We did our best to prepare them for winter but the long hard winter of 2015 killed our first hive…. It was too cold for too long for the Italian Queen and her girls. However our Slovenian Queen and her colony survived. A very strong colony grew quickly in the spring and we needed to split her early before they would swarm and leave us! We ordered a new queen, this time a Russian Survivor queen …. One that could survive the winter as well as bred to resist hive destructing mites. …… they continued to be strong and quickly grew so that once again we made a split to hive number 3 ! This time we felt with such a strong hive and one that made it through one of our toughest winters we should respect the strength of her genetics and breed her daughter . … Which we did or should I say the girls did. So now we have three. They are healthy and productive and each hive has there own Hive Mind and personality. The bees gather from our land and surrounding fields which have laid wild for well over 30 years. We have produce over 230 lbs of honey this year. So we will be selling small limited quantities.

We currently have Summer and Fall Honey available in 12 oz , 1lb and 2 lb Jars .

February 12, 2015 by dubamom

Bees in Belize and Bees in the White House …..Armchair beekeeper in winter

Mayan Ruin Bees

I continue to look for and click on bees stories wherever I go. As the snow and worry get deeper here I find myself looking to see what others are doing . In our recent trip to Belize I was interested to read this article about bees in the jungle and Mr Tun. Belize is a beautiful but poor country , their weather and flowering appears to be good for bees, however they have other struggles including lack of infrastructure, aggressive African Bees and Ants. I saw some Mr Tun organic Honey at a small grocery store . I did not get a chance to taste it as we were traveling but noticed its dark color and checked him out online. He has an interesting story and web site with 2 short videos . I found Mr Tun’s system of water beneath the hives an ingenious way to keep out what he refers to as the marching army of ants …..Check out his video and home page www.tunshoneyhouse.co/

…. and in a very different part of the world ……

I heard a short interview with president Obama that he did from the kitchen at the White House in which he mentioned White House honey ale made with honey from Michelle’s Garden.. what !!!? The White house has bees? I did a little research and came across this lovely video about the white house bees and of course fell in love with the beautiful engraved bottle and stopper too. Check it out http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/inside-white-house-bees

January 21, 2015 by dubamom

Grey

New York is grey now , white and grey. These are calming classic colors in the home but endless days with grey and cold are hard on the psych, creative energy and waist line. Cleaning up after Christmas joy at home makes everything too plain not pretty and not inspiring . The path back to the Bees is filled with snow and few visits. We did take our Christmas tree and prop it up back by the hives to help break the wind and cold for our little friends. My ear tells me they are still in there.. huddling together in a big ball. I spot an occasional bee out on warmer days and earlier this month we had a warm up to 50 degrees and both hives were very active with the little honeys circling and and gathering out front. It was great fun ( and challenging ) to design labels and “packaging ” to send out and give away their honey for Christmas. I have a couple of experts on my side with my graphic artist daughter and photographer husband so I do think our labels and packages are beautiful. I did not know when I started with bees I would have product. More than just honey, beeswax is beautiful and beautifying. More is to come on beeswax journey and recipes…… but for now as every good greying New Yorker wants to do in the winter….. It is time to go south and warm up a bit .

November 21, 2014 by dubamom

Wrapped and Ready for Winter

Wrapped and Ready

Let it snow!!!

…..None too soon !!

It had crossed my mind that being a bee keeper may also require a few bee stings along the way. I tried to put it out of my mind or at least aside as I got to know and love my bees. After all I was protected by my suit right? Even after my friend told me her angry bees stung her right through the suit I just did not think about it -I was prepared , had my suit, gloves and my 500$ Epi pens. As the season wore on and I spent so much time observing and caring for my Bees I (naively? ) thought they recognize me as their kind, benefactor/beekeeper. So I can say with a deep breathe I was not stung all season well almost . So It was a good season the bees built 2 strong hives, appeared healthy and produced lots of honey for all of us. Winter in upstate new york can be harsh and snowy. Our Bees are located in a field with west and north exposure and not too much natural wind and weather block ( … we are working on that but..). The Beekeeper club and my mentor recommended that we wrap the hives in roofing felt , add mouse guard and some insulation inside the top cover. I talked with my mentor, went to the club meeting and viewed overwhelming information and videos on you tube .. easy but confusing every one seems to have a different opinion and does it differently. Some is related to local weather and locations of hives. So One sunny day in mid November I wrapped my hive in 15 weight roof paper making cuts and openings for the entrances on the bottom and top and staple it to the hive and staple it to the hive. Wrapped and ready cold weather coming the next day!! … whoops Martin said I should add a empty super with board insulation to the top of the hive . Okay , It was very cold now but I cut some green board insulation and jammed it into a super box. I am feeling like I don’t know what I am doing, how far down do I put the insulation? I leave a couple inches at the bottom of the board .. Thinking air insulates too and close up the hive again Should I wrap the new top boxes too .. Oh poor Martin.. another stupid question from me. Yes Jenny, wrap the top too. So I go back out with Joe for some more wrapping . Now they are ready! I begin to think about what I have heard and read everywhere about Bees in the winter. Cold sometimes kills bees but wet and cold always kills bees. Ventilation is important as they keep the hive warm 95 and the cold outside makes moisture that needs a way out to keep bees dry. Bees in the winter form a large ball with the queen inside of it. They take turns being on the outside rotating in to keep warm. Okay now I am worried about that piece of insulation I put in there– hows is the moisture going to get out? So another text to Martin – Should the insulation have a hole in the top? Yes Jenny …..ohhhhh . Now it is really cold and snowing. .. but wet kills the bees so I think I will open the top carefully sliding it half off and use Joe’s hole saw bit by hand .. and I will be in and out quick as to keep the bees as warm as possible . I don’t think I need a bee suit they are very inactive so out I go with winter coat and gloves. It goes so well a nice little hole, pretty quick, Hive 1 ,Hive 2 , close it up Now I am ready!!!! I notice that there are a lot of dead bees which is normal but with the mouse guard I can not sweep them away so I put my head down and blow across the entrance to get rid of the dead bees and open up the entrance for them … Whoa some angry guard bee comes flying out buzzing my head and gets stuck in my hair? I run take off my coat and scarf to cover my head … when I feel it… I think I got stung right it the back of my head . Oh No . Those Bees take care of business and protecting their hive is their major business. Have a warm, dry and safe winter bee friends see ya in the early spring.

November 10, 2014 by dubamom

Honey

First bottle of gold

I initially wondered if and when we would have honey. Over the past several months as I slowly heard more and listened to others I came to the conclusion we would not have any honey this year. New hives spend time and energy building their comb so their production of honey is less. Living in the cold climes of upstate New York I worried from the beginning if our bees could and would survive our winter. They will need all of their honey and perhaps more just to survive. As I split my hive in mid summer and it was slow to get going I concluded that if the first hive had any extra honey it would go to the second hive to give them what was needed . Not wanting to be greedy my line was Bees first… but oh I would like a little teaspoon to taste and enjoy….. Martin said maybe we’ll see in a few weeks so when I got a text saying “do you have extractor ” I flustered ummm I did not plan for this and the big beautiful extractor I have been eying seemed extravagant and premature as I probably would not have honey but now HONEY?! Umm I could see if I could borrow Gwen’s? I will be there at 4 tomorrow to get you started…… A flurry of texts what do I need… a honey rake is all I have from my beginner kit . OK- a large flat pan, a strainer and a bucket. Martin came the next day. He checked the hives, estimating what the bees would need for the winter about 60 lbs each and proceeded to remove the additional frames of honey to my little red wagon. Martin brought his extractor – he called an “antique” – a large stainless steal container with a basket to place two frames and a crank to turn and spin……And so the process of harvesting the honey began. Martin did the first frame to show us. I did the next and we loaded them into the extractor and turned the crank so slowly at first as to not disrupt the comb then fast to extract as much as possible of the sweet reward. Centrifugal force is a mighty power! A small little golden stream began to flow out of the honey gate that my brother Jimmy so exactingly installed for me . We used mesh fabric bag borrowed from our wine making supplies and it was the just right filter for our honey and into a large white food grade ale bucket the honey was collected. WOWOWOWOWOWOw. Our sweet bees gave up 48 lbs of honey for us! That is a very full big white bucket. Pure organic untreated,unheated golden honey from our first bees . I am going to need a lot of bottles … more than I have for sure … and another trip to the local bee store for honey bottles . We are gratefully overwhelmed.

Putting together the extractor

Uncapping the honey with rake

Spin Jenny SPIN

Oh Beautiful Beeswax!

Lovely first Honey Harvest

October 27, 2014 by dubamom

A new Queen and a second hive

On July 15th Martin brought our new Queen. She is a Carnolian Bee from California. She arrived in the afternoon in a small wooden box and a few attendant bees with her. One end of the box had a hole in it filled with fondant candy. We immediately ” installed” her little box between the 2 frames of borrow bees from our first hive. She was introduced to her new hive with 3 frames of the bees borrowed from Maria, our #1 colony. Maria’s bees, at first, wanted to destroy her because she was not their queen. They spent several days eating through the candy trying to get her but in the process got used to her pheromone and accepted her as their new queen in the new colony . The candy was gone and she could now escape to begin her reign of number 2 colony . She is different looking than our Italian Queen. She has a long blackish body with quick distinctive movements. Her colony was so small at just half of one deep box. We fed the hive some sugar water to get her started but noticed after several days that most of the bee activity was actually her neighbor bees robbing the sugar water and taking it back to their hive! We reduced the entrance to the hive and stopped feeding. Universal law- don’t rob your neighbors.

I find my self watching and worrying about this hive. Marie is going gangbusters, not much action with this one . I wait anxiously for the 21 day bee gestation period to see if bee population improves. I then wait and wait as it continues to be quiet with few bees now that most of the borrowed bees have gone back to their original queen. Why did we need another hive?- all things were well with Maria. This is a different story. Martin said to start feeding them again with increased sugar ratio 2:1. I find myself counting the bees coming and going . August 5th, I count 5 bees in one minute. The other hive has so many I can not count. We name this queen Anastazia for her Slovenian descent. ” Z ” the Bee , a strong name , a strong bee ?! I opened the hive on the 22nd. The hive is still small with just 5 frames full but active and we see HER! She is commanding court with bees surrounding her. We see larvae and eggs and honey. I spread out the frames and we keep feeding . I hope she will be okay as we are closing in on summer and winter cold will be moving in. Are they too small to survive? Will they have enough honey and bees to stay warm ……. Oh mother beekeeper ………

October 8, 2014 by dubamom

Sign up for a mentor?

Joe and I walk out to see the Bees everyday.. sometimes more than once. They are located behind the garden in the “wild” of our field. Bees need sun and protection from the wind and elements. We met our Mentor in March. He came to the house and told us his Bee story. He started with 2 hives 8 years ago but now has 50! He answered our questions , checked the equipment we had and walked the property with us to find the right spot to locate the Bees. Not too close to the neighbors, not too far to walk and be able to monitor them . The hedgerow was too shady, the hillside was too windy , the garden was too close . In the snow stained, grayest of days with the ground beginning to thaw and be mud , and the wind chilling us to the bone . I was thinking Bees will not do well here .. too exposed ,cold and windy . Martin looked at the property differently and found a little spot with some brush , wild pear and cherry trees and a young oak trying to poke above the weeds. I place a dog fence flag on the spot to remember. Even then I started to walk back to look at the spot… could it be good enough.. not too sure as it looked pretty exposed. It is funny to think back on that now. We mowed a path with a front approach and side approach to the Hive as the weather warmed. We cleared a circle to provide adequate space to set up and approach the hive . It has been a perfect spot.. (well we have not brought them through the winter yet !!? ) ….. and Martin knew that . Joe and I have always done things alone or hire someone. We have bumbled through our projects learning as we have gone along . When I signed in at one of the classes we were asked if we wanted a mentor…I don’t know ..well a little help or someone to call would be nice. Life needs more opportunity for mentors, eyes of experience and interest heart of a teacher, powerful. We have a mentor for our bees and us, as beekeepers. Important guidance and eyes of experience with a kind guiding . He is teaching us to see and showing us what to do . I wish I had one for my life.

The nucs

The Ontario-Finger Lakes Beekeepers Association meets in our town the second Monday of the month. I think I will go . I asked my friend to go with me. I don’t often like to go back into town but I am in need of information after being scared at the last beekeeping class that talked about all the diseases and pests bees are exposed too as well as colony collapse disorder all of which I do not completely understand. A woman from New York Bee Wellness spoke about varroa mites and how to identify the level of your infestation with confectioners sugar. What ?.. you put 300 hundred bees in a jar?? and cover with sugar and shake ?! — it makes the bees slippery and the mites fall off and you count them which you the plug into a formula to get the percentage of infestation so you can monitor and treat them as needed …. Now how do I get and count out 300 bees? It turns out 300 bees is about 1/2 cup of bees and you shake them into a box and scoop them up and “pour” them into a jar . Wow!!! Can I do that?

Orders your “nucs” we only have reserved 125 . Reserve them early or you could be left out !!!- No Bees ? What is a nuc ? how do I get bees? I am feeling lost and too stupid to ask the question? Well a nuc is a small nucleus hive with Queen and her worker girls as well as some honey and brood( baby bees) . Mine came in a small hive box with 3 frames filled to the brim with comb, bees and the most important The Queen . She is an Italian Bee and she was trucked from North Carolina with all the other nucs ordered for the club. Wow!! Our Pick up date was postponed for several weeks due to cold , rainy weather but the day had come , so exciting !! Joe and I took the truck to get her at Hungry Bear Farms on the other side of the lake about a half hour ride. Our plan to put the nuc on the seat between us so the wind and ride would be better for our new Bees. A large parking lot filled with small hive boxes, local beekeepers suited up to assist – and we check in and check out. Of course we we could not fit the nuc inside so the Bees had to ride in the back. Oh I hope they will be OK . We brought them Home . Our hive box had been set up for weeks waiting for our new arrivals but I did not know exactly what to do. I have done a lot of reading, went to the classes, signed up for a mentor and spent time on line looking and watching and reading but exactly what do I do now? My Mentor is away I wrote email to back up mentor . We took the tape off the entrance put the nuc on top of the prepared boxes ….. and waited till the next day Natalie wrote back telling us what to do and we put on our bee suits, opened the nuc ,WOW WOW, pried out the frames and put them in their new home . Our Journey has begun. It is May 19 2014.

Beekeepers have mentors. Life needs mentors .

Nucs awaiting their new homes

First night home- nuc stayed on top of new hive

September 30, 2014 by dubamom

The Bees story

I have always been curious and attracted to the occasional stack of boxes seen from the roadside. They looked lonely, artfully not perfect or straight, a deserted stack by the hedgerow in a farmer’s field, mismatched paint and sizes. Do Bees still live there? I think we have the perfect lonely mismatched place and I would love to look at them in our field…..
On a winter day while running an errand to the local computer store for my husband I noticed in the back of the store they also sold bee keeping supplies. It made me laugh- computers and bees? I lingered a bit too long while waiting for the part and studied the unknown things on the shelves. Is it hard to have bees? How much does it cost I asked the salesclerk. He dutifully said no but I will get Kim for you. After asking too many questions I left the store thinking I can do that, it seems easy and not that expensive.
A colleague said oh you can’t just get bees … you have to take a course. It is complicated…..Hmm Okay – I signed up for a beginning beekeeping course at the local cooperative extension starting in January last winter Why not …I encouraged my friend to join me. It is a cold forsaken winter, it will be interesting. We signed up along with about 50 others!!! Who knew so many bee keepers- bee boxes must be hiding all over.
I spent the winter learning about the honey bee. Listening to the local beekeepers present basic info about the life of a bee , colonies, hives, boxes , smokers, epipens, and the dangers bees now endure that threatens their very existence. There is so much to know and I have a growing sense of responsibility and fear. Can I do this? Do I want to? As the snow fell and the brutal, coldest winter in a long time raged outside I started to prepare for my bees. My dining room table became my workshop. Bee boxes traditionally come not assembled, but cut and ready to be built. There are “deeps” which are boxes in which the queen established her brood. The standard is 2 deeps for a beginning colony. Then there are the “supers”. These are smaller boxes medium or shallow which go on top to collect honey and pollen. Each of the boxes is filled with 10 frames in which the bees build their comb. All boxes are painted only on the outside not in or on surfaces where the bees live with 2-3 coats of paint … I begin to understand the mismatched paint as beekeepers use what they already have. In our case I had some lovely oil house paint so much nicer to paint with than the latex but takes forever to dry!
Browsing the bee catalogs is educational in itself. I ordered a bee suit for myself and one wee bee suit for Hudson, later I ordered one for Joe which was huge 4x to accommodate his sleeve length . I ordered hats, gloves, books and more. I bought a beginner tool kit with the local bee shop that had tools including a hive tool, smoker, frame grip, bee brush. The cost of raising bees is rising and I do not yet have a single bee! … But I think I am ready. What is a nuc? ……..stay tuned….. To bee continued with the rest of the story