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Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Pinterest Link-up: Winter Beekeeping

Normally I try to do a variety of topics for my Pinterest Link-ups, but I'm trying something new here, and going with a theme this week! I found quite a few great posts on winter beekeeping, and really wanted to share them! Enjoy, my dear friends!


1. Preparing Beehives For Winter. {Courtesy of 'Runamuk Acres Farm & Apiary} - This is a detailed and informative link that gives an easy-to-understand list of what to do for your hives as winter approaches!

2. Tips For Helping Bees: Blackberry Winter {Courtesy of 'Herbal Academy of New England} - I had never heard of the term "Blackberry Winter", so I guess this counts as "my one new thing I learned today". The term refers to the awful time when we *think* winter has finally ended, and then boom! Right in the middle of March/April we get a severe cold snap again! This article has some handy tips on how to keep your bees alive and healthy if that happens.

3. Common Winter Beekeeping Problems {Courtesy of Mother Earth News} - A Mother Earth News link! I've always loved articles from here! A lot of them are on the same lines as link #1 above, but it's still a great read.

4. A Winter Beehive Candy Board {Courtesy of 'Tilly's Nest'} - This link is what got me started on the whole "winter beekeeping" theme idea! It's a total "Aha!" kind of idea! Maybe I just haven't been around the right kind of beekeepers, but I had NEVER heard of making a candy board for the bees. Shucks, this sounds so much easier than dealing with sugar water when it's 2 degrees Fahrenheit outside... I will definitely be trying this on my hives next winter!

5. Honey Bee Healthy Syrup {Courtesy of 'Eating Rules.com'} -  This idea is similar to the candy board idea, but it's a liquid syrup that's stored inside the hive, and has some herbal properties added to it to maintain the bee's health. The directions aren't super detailed, but there's enough there that an experimental person could figure it out. 

6. Beekeeping 101: Getting The Right Equipment {Courtesy of'The Elliot Homestead} - Okay, so this link isn't about "winter care"; it's the basic, starting out kind of stuff that every beginner needs to know. Which is why I'm sharing it! If you're thinking about getting bees when spring time rolls around, then here's a great list of what you'll need (with gorgeous pictures to further explain)!


Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Know Your Bees


  I found this cool, free poster online today and liked it so much that I had to share it with y'all! These are the seven different kinds of bees you can raise, and a line up of their pros and cons. I wasn't super familiar with the Buckfast breed, but now I'm thinkin' I need to look into those ones... Sounds like they might be a bit better than the traditional Italian in many respects. 

Enjoy!


Sunday, November 18, 2012

I am SO trying this next spring!

How cool is this!? I found directions on how to make your own top bar beehive out of half a rain barrel ( AKA, a 55 gallon drum), and scrap wood! I absolutely adore bees and have been wanting hives of my own for I don't even know how many years... I've seen both the traditional hives in action (known as "langstroth" hives), as well as the not-as-common "Warre" hives, and the other top-bar style known as the "honey cow" (which is what this rain barrel masterpiece is also known as). I personally like the top bar hives over the langstroth hives. But personal opinions aside, this rain barrel hive looks way too cool not to try when March swings around and my local bee keepers have a few pounds of bees to sell me. 

You can find the directions for this honey cow by clicking HERE!



Friday, June 24, 2011

Enjoy the Little Things


Goats are my top favorite animal, to be sure. But the second place award would have to go to honey bees....


There was a decent sized gathering of these industrious ladies around the barn spigot this afternoon, and I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with them. :)


I love pretty much everything about bees. Their gentle nature (providing you go slowly around them), the curious look in their eyes as they inspect you, the ticklish feeling when they crawl on you, their funny stripes, and of course, their soothing buzzes.



They say to enjoy the little things in life, and I do believe honey bees count! 


Maybe next spring I'll get my own hives....