Sunday, May 5, 2013
Swarm Call: A Photo Essay
On one of Mark's swarm calls, the kind homeowner took photos of him on her phone (from the safety of the house) and sent them to us. I thought I'd share!
With the wet and cold spring, the bees have really struggled. Mark has
had a hard time getting into the hives to work them so we'll probably
end up with swarm-offs. We know of at least one -- Mr. Barham called,
giddy with excitement, that he'd seen a swarm exit one of our hives and
head into the woods. In his 80s, that was the first time he'd seen that
natural phenomenon.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Bees are a Few of My Favorite Things
Beekeeping is not my only interest. In fact, it's very recent compared to my interest in children's books and writing. This week I'm combining them!
This week I wrote a poem in response to another poet's work. You can read about it at my other blog, www.KeriRecommends.com.
Or, you can read the poem, below.
Bees are a Few of My Favorite Things
by Keri Collins Lewis
Photo by Robert Lewis, taken at our raised beds when the broccoli bloomed. Check out the pollen that bee has packed onto her legs!!
This week I wrote a poem in response to another poet's work. You can read about it at my other blog, www.KeriRecommends.com.
Or, you can read the poem, below.
Bees are a Few of My Favorite Things
by Keri Collins Lewis
Worker bees flying so busy and buzzy
Covered with tiny hairs -- bristly and fuzzy
High speeding fliers with transparent wings,
Bees are a few of my favorite things.
Workers bring pollen in pink, gold and yellow
Drones mooching free food, they’re stingless and mellow
Tending our hives without one single sting!
Bees are a few of my favorite things
When a mouse nests,
When we find pests,
Queenless bees are sad,
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad
Hearing a queen pipe her song to her sisters
Dreaming of bee veils outfitted with misters
Working outside while the mockingbirds sing,
Bees are a few of my favorite things
Perfectly capped frames of golden sweet honey
Vendors at meetings who take all our money
Wildflowers dancing on Bee Hill each spring
These are a few of my favorite things
When a hive dies
When my spouse sighs
When bees sting like mad,
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad!
Photo by Robert Lewis, taken at our raised beds when the broccoli bloomed. Check out the pollen that bee has packed onto her legs!!
Friday, March 29, 2013
First Spring Work Day at Bee Hill
If the weather could be as perfect all summer as it was today, we'd both be full-time beekeepers. A light breeze, beautiful sun, and temperatures in the low 70s . . . I didn't even sweat!
Today we worked the 7 hives on our property. Earlier in the week Mark worked the bees at Barhams' and the week before that, at Harley's. Two colonies at Barhams' didn't make it, but all six at Harley's are doing well.
It's been a cold, wet spring, and the bees haven't had much of a chance to get out. Which means the beekeepers haven't gotten into the hives much!
That said, today they were bringing in *pink* pollen from the redbud trees, as well as yellow, orange and white pollen. Pollen will stimulate the queens to lay more eggs and build up the colonies' populations.
I can safely say that all 7 colonies are in good shape. We took two frames of solid honey from #3 to give to #4, which had a big population and no honey left whatsoever. Since #4 was the first hive we opened, we were concerned, especially since we did not harvest honey from this yard in the late summer!
Fortunately, this was the only hive without enough resources to make it through this weird spring.
The most interesting thing we discovered was that leaving 2 deep boxes and multiple mediums on top filled with honey, combined with a cold, wet spring, resulted in abandonment of the brood chambers. We discovered "chalkbrood" -- a fungal disease that takes hold when there aren't enough nurse bees to keep the brood warm. The bees in at least 2 of our colonies were too spread out, and resources were far from the brood chamber. In both of these cases, the queen and workers had simply moved up to where the honey and pollen was, and took up residence there.
We ended up taking off both deeps from #2 and leaving a stack of three mediums. On another, we removed one deep.
It was so lovely to be back in the bee yard! All of the hives were docile and content, happily humming without showing signs of aggression. Well, except #7, and by then it had clouded up and gotten windy, so perhaps that was part of the problem.
Every year we learn more about what to do and what not to do. Mark has a lot of work to do in terms of killing weeds and ants out at Bee Hill. Next week he's going to set up a bee yard in Starkville for a guy who is starting an organic farm.
He got the first swarm call of the year yesterday, and like last year, it was a false alarm. And, like last year, it was because bees were going crazy in some holly bushes. It won't be long, though, until the weather warms up and the swarm calls come in. We're ready!
 |
| A friend of Andrew's loaned us his Mule while he's out of town. We like the bigger bed space and bench seat! |
Today we worked the 7 hives on our property. Earlier in the week Mark worked the bees at Barhams' and the week before that, at Harley's. Two colonies at Barhams' didn't make it, but all six at Harley's are doing well.
It's been a cold, wet spring, and the bees haven't had much of a chance to get out. Which means the beekeepers haven't gotten into the hives much!
That said, today they were bringing in *pink* pollen from the redbud trees, as well as yellow, orange and white pollen. Pollen will stimulate the queens to lay more eggs and build up the colonies' populations.
I can safely say that all 7 colonies are in good shape. We took two frames of solid honey from #3 to give to #4, which had a big population and no honey left whatsoever. Since #4 was the first hive we opened, we were concerned, especially since we did not harvest honey from this yard in the late summer!
Fortunately, this was the only hive without enough resources to make it through this weird spring.
 |
| Mark got a ventilated jacket with a hood last year, and really likes it. |
We ended up taking off both deeps from #2 and leaving a stack of three mediums. On another, we removed one deep.
It was so lovely to be back in the bee yard! All of the hives were docile and content, happily humming without showing signs of aggression. Well, except #7, and by then it had clouded up and gotten windy, so perhaps that was part of the problem.
Every year we learn more about what to do and what not to do. Mark has a lot of work to do in terms of killing weeds and ants out at Bee Hill. Next week he's going to set up a bee yard in Starkville for a guy who is starting an organic farm.
He got the first swarm call of the year yesterday, and like last year, it was a false alarm. And, like last year, it was because bees were going crazy in some holly bushes. It won't be long, though, until the weather warms up and the swarm calls come in. We're ready!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Friday, December 14, 2012
Happy Holidays!
If you have received Prairie Blossom Bee Farm honey this holiday season and are visiting the blog for the first time, welcome!
With the support of several business clients, Mark has bottled, shipped and/or delivered over 300 one-pound bottles of this year's first-ever Delta honey crop.
This super-sweet honey, made primarily from the nectar of cotton blossoms, has a tendency to crystallize faster than our wildflower honey. Exposure to lower temperatures also increases the rate of crystallization. But don't worry! Crystallization is a natural process. Here is a brief article on the process.
If you don't like your honey in its crystallized state, we recommend warming it in hot water. Repeated warming and cooling can impact the color and taste of the honey. Microwaving, while the fastest method, super-heats the honey and diminishes its health benefits.
Our honey is a raw product -- we filter it only once, when it comes out of the extractor. We don't super-heat it, because heat kills the beneficial enzymes. Our goal is to bring you a pure, natural and delicious treat with its health-related benefits intact.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask us. Wikipedia has a thorough article on honey, and details best temperatures under the section titled "Preservation."
For more information on the natural benefits of honey, visit the National Honey Board's website.
Our thanks to the Tatums at Loresco, Ronnie Jones Construction, the Brocks at Shelter Insurance, Johnny Wigley at Southern Landscaping, the DeLois Smith All-Star Team and everyone else giving the gift of honey this year. We appreciate you!
With the support of several business clients, Mark has bottled, shipped and/or delivered over 300 one-pound bottles of this year's first-ever Delta honey crop.
This super-sweet honey, made primarily from the nectar of cotton blossoms, has a tendency to crystallize faster than our wildflower honey. Exposure to lower temperatures also increases the rate of crystallization. But don't worry! Crystallization is a natural process. Here is a brief article on the process.
If you don't like your honey in its crystallized state, we recommend warming it in hot water. Repeated warming and cooling can impact the color and taste of the honey. Microwaving, while the fastest method, super-heats the honey and diminishes its health benefits.
Our honey is a raw product -- we filter it only once, when it comes out of the extractor. We don't super-heat it, because heat kills the beneficial enzymes. Our goal is to bring you a pure, natural and delicious treat with its health-related benefits intact.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask us. Wikipedia has a thorough article on honey, and details best temperatures under the section titled "Preservation."
For more information on the natural benefits of honey, visit the National Honey Board's website.
Our thanks to the Tatums at Loresco, Ronnie Jones Construction, the Brocks at Shelter Insurance, Johnny Wigley at Southern Landscaping, the DeLois Smith All-Star Team and everyone else giving the gift of honey this year. We appreciate you!
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Mississippi State Fair
We went to the State Fair this year, the first time since I moved to MS.
We took my favorite 4-year-old, who made the day so very memorable with his excitement. He never complained or asked to be carried. On the way home he said, "We had a big day. We can go again."
Of course we stopped by the honey booth! We didn't enter anything this year, but this gave us a good idea of how it's done.
We took my favorite 4-year-old, who made the day so very memorable with his excitement. He never complained or asked to be carried. On the way home he said, "We had a big day. We can go again."
Of course we stopped by the honey booth! We didn't enter anything this year, but this gave us a good idea of how it's done.
Mississippi Beekeepers Association Conference
Last Friday and Saturday we attended the annual MBA conference. For me, it was very convenient, as it was held in the conference center at my workplace -- the Bost Extension Center at Mississippi State University.
Event organizers had a stellar line-up of speakers.
Randy Oliver, whose site www.scientificbeekeeping.com is a repository of all kinds of research-based information, knocked our socks off with his keynote address. He and his sons run 1,000 hives in Grass Valley, CA. He is full of energy and enthusiasm for maintaining healthy colonies. He also convinced me that raising queens isn't as hard as I think it is. ;-)
Russian bee breeder and long-time MBA leader Harry Fulton greeted everyone and taught packed sessions on beginning beekeeping. It was heartening to see so many people interested in taking up beekeeping as a hobby. (I didn't even get up and give a testimony about how they *think* it's going to be a hobby and then it takes over their lives . . .)
Walter T. Kelley Company and Dadant were both on site to sell equipment and all sorts of bee-related goodies, like these signs.
One of my favorite presentations was given by Ed Levi, a retired apiary inspector from Arkansas. He has traveled the world to help struggling beekeepers improve their practices for more financial stability. His amazing photos included traditional hives, a house with a hive kept in the wall for instant access to sweetener, and photos of honey hunters who have to avoid tiger attacks while harvesting.
Thanks, MBA, for a great conference!
Event organizers had a stellar line-up of speakers.
Randy Oliver, whose site www.scientificbeekeeping.com is a repository of all kinds of research-based information, knocked our socks off with his keynote address. He and his sons run 1,000 hives in Grass Valley, CA. He is full of energy and enthusiasm for maintaining healthy colonies. He also convinced me that raising queens isn't as hard as I think it is. ;-)
Russian bee breeder and long-time MBA leader Harry Fulton greeted everyone and taught packed sessions on beginning beekeeping. It was heartening to see so many people interested in taking up beekeeping as a hobby. (I didn't even get up and give a testimony about how they *think* it's going to be a hobby and then it takes over their lives . . .)
Walter T. Kelley Company and Dadant were both on site to sell equipment and all sorts of bee-related goodies, like these signs.
One of my favorite presentations was given by Ed Levi, a retired apiary inspector from Arkansas. He has traveled the world to help struggling beekeepers improve their practices for more financial stability. His amazing photos included traditional hives, a house with a hive kept in the wall for instant access to sweetener, and photos of honey hunters who have to avoid tiger attacks while harvesting.
Thanks, MBA, for a great conference!
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