On A Sunday After Lunch

Hive Report Sunday 2-3-13
My days are always planned.  I usually have an idea what I am going to be doing with my hives, with the courier work, with my cleaning clients, my media jobs/projects.  Here is the disclaimer: if I don't feel good or schedules conflict or weather is bad you know those things that interfere.  I find that if I miss a day I just keep plugging away till it all gets done.

On Sunday I always have this grand plan to do something to get me closer to my goals especially beekeeping.  But here is the thing, Sunday church then lunch, makes me sleepy.   plus while I was writing this I had to extract a splinter from a certain 2yo.
So here is what I got done before I nap and after I took the splinter out.  Went to visit lake wylie apiary.  All looked good there.  Forgot to pick them up for weight but when I knocked on them they buzzed and some were flying. 

By the time I got to Black's it was a little cooler so only two hives flying.  However I checked all the bee hives and they  were occupied.  The one on the left was really light and had 3 cockroaches on top cover...yuk.  I will need to feed immediately.  The ones beside it were a little heavier.

Some of the Money from springs needs to be used for sugar for the year.

How To Become A Better Beekeeper

 You ask any beekeeper that has been keeping honeybees for a while and they will tell you "You never learn it all"  So if you can't learn everything, you observe, you make adjustments and keep trying.  So i said in an earlier blog I would outline what i need to do to become a better beekeeper.  So here it is:

keep the grass under control to keep out unwanted pest (spiders too)

1) Let the bees tell you what they need.  Lady Spirit Moon of the Honeybee Research Center in Asheville, NC applies this theory.  You listen to their buzz, go slow and they will carry on with their work while you do yours.

2) Listen to what other beekeepers are saying.  I share hives with Sally so I have to listen to what she says cuz making a mistake will let her down.  Making a mistake means less honey.  

3) Plan your work and work your plan.  We have over 40 hives in 7 bee yards so you have to be organized. 

4)When it is time to do critical events such as feeding, splitting, cleaning, testing for disease, pest control ...Just get it done.  Miss steps can cause you to loose a hive.

5) Stay informed with current research and be involved with local bee club.  They can help guide you to what may be happening in your neck of the woods.  Blooming dates, major pest infestations, etc.


6) Keep your bee yards clean.  Keep your hives clean, clean propolis from frames, clean hive bottoms, replace dark wax, don't use ratty looking wax (your bees deserve better) Recycle wax, propolis and pollen frames.  At MamaBeehive we will buy clean rendered wax, call for pricing 704-214-6900.

take pictures of your bees and examine them for disease

These are just the highlights.  I will keep you informed of some until then remember Beekeeping is Fun!

January Newsletter

Lake Wylie Apiary

New Year's Beekeeper Resolution

I talk with Sally all the time "i want to be a better beekeeper", "i want stronger colonies that produce lot's of honey", "i want my beekeeping processes  to be better" I actually go on and on. We strategize and organize. We discuss different methods. We always get side tracked with other projects, like web page building, marketing, building things, helping others, and just developing the business-Mamabehive Honey Farm. 
Then there is our personal lives and our health that come in to play.  'Family first' they always say.  At the same time there is a life of a hive that hangs in the balance. 
For beekeeping you are only the manager of the colony but a lost rides on the future of your colony.  You have time and money invested you don't want it to fail.  So about every10 days I have a time clock that foy's off in my brain and it does not stop alarming until I get to all my hives....It can get a little noisy in my head.  I can be talking to you but I am really going over what I would either be doing or the lost of things that need to be done.
So my new year's resolution goes like this:
Take care of my husband and my relationship with God.
Take care of my family's needs as reasonable as possible. 
Outside of my household-Take care of my bees before I agree to do anything else. That is a hard one-I have two other part time jobs that keep me busy.
Tomorrow I will outline what I mean by taking care of my bees.
Learn more advanced techniques about bees.
Share with young people about bees.
Teach anyone about beekeeping.
Build the Mamabehive brand.
These are not in order but will shake out in the right order.  I invite you to come along with me and Sally on this journey.  This year with these resolutions it's going to be a wild flight-in honor of the honeybees.
Beekeeping ss fun

Bees in my shirt

Hive Report for Thursday...Dec. 27
As a beekeeper sometimes, every once in a while honey bees while working them will get inside your shirt.  I had been in a hive and felt one crawling on my belly inside my shirt. I reached inside and got her out.  Found out there was more.  I went to the grocery store afterwards, I was standing in line and a honeybee flew off of my jacket and info the store.

Lake Wylie hives were stable and strong in numbers.  One was really down in the amount of stores or honey available inside the hive.  So I placed one honey frame and a fondant frame.  There was only one that did not need anything.  I was pleasantly surprised to find them coming out shaking their fist at me stinging me on the leg.  I had black pants on.  Also visited uncle ron's..it looked good too.

Below is a picture of the strongest and lots of honey stores.  The other is a picture of all the hives. 

Wednesday Hive Report

Today's plans started yesterday and changed overnight with the news of  40deg and rainy.  I planned to visit bee yards wed and thur. Then I realized that Sally and I forgot to make fondant frames on Tuesday.
New game plan...go to the studio in the morning and make fondant and maybe I get to visit bees.  Making Fondant is like walking thru the woods in the pitch black woods with moon. It is a pretty hard thing to do with out messing up. We had to boil the syrup three times before we got it cooked up.
After making the fondant frames we decided it was too cold and rainy to open hives and expose them to damp weather.  So tomorrow is going to be the day and some on Friday.
We were productive Sally Kae lip butter and packaged them while I worked online.  All the while we made fondant.  For those of you that want to buy fondant at the cake suppliers- don't it is made with corn syrup.  No good for the bees!