Walter Bee

Chicken Poop Realized!

2010-04-06T14:19:00.002-04:00

My granddaughter has mastered the English language quite well for a 2 year old, but she cannot say coop. So in more than one way, I have chicken poop - 12 new chicks doing what babies do and a new home under construction for them. My babies are 2 days old. We picked them up early yesterday morning from my local farm store. They were born Sunday. The yellow girls are Golden Comet, the darker striped are Araucana. I hope they are all female and the Comets probably are, but it's not quite so easy to tell the sex of the Araucana. so I may have a rooster in the bunch. I joked with my friend at the store that if I ended up with 12 roosters they are all coming back. They'll stay in the brooder (homemade) for the next 3 to 4 weeks and then head out to the new chicken yard. I should have eggs by late summer - some large brown from the Comets and green, blue and pink from the Araucanas. Being a little camera shy!

To say that we've been busy for the past month would be an understatement. As soon as the weather started to warm and the snow all melted, we started clearing a good portion of land at the top of the garden and at the bottom. The bee hives and the big compost boxes have been moved. The "chicken poop" and yard is under construction in the lower part of the photo. I've gained a tremendous amount of space for planting and adding more hives. Topbar is the next project. Bees should start swarming by the end of the month and my good friend, Kelley, is going to catch a swarm for me if I don't have one myself. I also called the pest control service in town and they will call me if anyone calls for swarm removal.

I don't usually like to cut trees, but much of what has been taken out was overgrown and dead. There were no large trees cut; only broken pines, dead hemlock, mountain laurel and rhododendron. All of the longer pieces of laurel and rhodos will be used for beans to climb on, to enclose planting areas and to make roosts and ladders in the chicken yard and coop. The larger wood is firewood. Still lots and lots of work to do, but already my garden is showing signs of being a real beauty this year. Oldtimers kept saying the snow would make for prettier plants this spring and so far they aren't wrong.

As I look across the space I now have available I'm beginning to see an area for the goats I've always wanted. My husband says, empahtically, "No Way!" But he said that about the chickens, too :)

One last time, I hope.

2010-03-03T15:25:00.003-05:00

The Old Farmer's Almanac forecasted a blizzard for this coming weekend. They missed the date, but not the event. Snow started falling around 1:00am Tuesday morning and continued until 5:00pm. Snow totalled over a foot. We were fortunate to have been spared the howling winds that usually accompany a blizzard. I hope this is the end of it. We have had over 4' of snow in WNC this winter. Combined with the 100" of rain that fell last year, our ground water levels should be in excellent shape for the coming spring and summer. I stepped out with camera and noticed a strange lump on the back deck. That lump turned out to be Ansley, our border collie/chow mix. Ansley spends a lot of time in the house, but loves to be outside in the snow. Even as I snapped pictures, she was content to sleep in the snow. There was about 6" of snow at 11:30.

This is what the back deck and garden looked like at 3:30. That's a foot of snow on the small table.

We shoveled out today. Even though this was a heavy snow, a good bit of it has melted today. The temps have warmed to the upper 30's and the wind has picked up a bit to blow most snow off the trees. Looks like spring could be on the way for the weekend. Highs my reach close to 60!!!!! Bees will be buzzing. Speaking of bees......

Ora bees are looking good. Walter bees were bringing in pollen last year in February, but I've seen no sign of pollen this year as most everything has been buried in snow since December. On warm days, Ora bees are taking heavy sugar syrup and Mega-Bee pollen. Unfortunately, I'm hearing of heavy losses of bees in the mountains this year due to starvation. I lost my Walter hive in mid-January.

Our Smoky Mountain Beekeepers Assoc. is hosting a Beginner Bee School on Saturday. Robert Brewer, from Hiawassee, Georgia, will be our speaker. We are expecting about 80 participants.
I'll post pictures from the event next week.

Plans for the coming season in the garden have been slow to fulfill this winter due to the bad weather and heavy snowfalls, but include a new shed for my tools and "stuff". (Mark and Steve are way ahead of me and I'm envious.) We're going to move the big compost boxes and make room for 3 more hives - 2 of which I hope will be TopBar Hives. G has already cleared the area where the hives will be located. I'm doing this to take advantage of a little more sunlight on the hives.

I've gotten involved in the Community Garden in Sylva after taking last summer off. I'll post more about that as things progress, but I'm delighted to be back there even though the distance is about 23 miles from the house. I hope to get there on Sunday and start mulching my plot. I already feel like I'm behind.

Think Spring!!! Oh, and I forgot about the chickens. Like I don't have anything else to do, I've been reading about chickens all winter and we're planning for a chicken coop that may be part of the shed. Haven't quite worked out the details or the area. I've been told about Golden Comet chickens that are quite good layers and I also want chicks that lay green eggs. Can't remember the name there, but have a friend who has these girls. The eggs are not large, but the yolks are creamy, golden yellow. Very good. Hope to start with a dozen chicks in mid-March. I've got a lot to do!!!!

Check out my good friends, Kelley and Quintin's, new website for another great view of rural life in WNC. www.balltownbeefarm.com

I think the snow got the message...

2010-02-19T09:20:00.002-05:00

This is the first Friday in ages that snow is not falling in Western North Carolina. Temps warmed into the high 30's yesterday and the bees were flying. Today promises to be even warmer and the weekend looks absolutely tropical with highs in the 50's!!!! The bees should be quite active and I may even get a peek inside the hive. I've ordered Mega-Bee and will start feeding as soon as it arrives. If the warming trend continues, the forager bees should start to bring in small amounts of pollen. Alders will be blooming down by the stream. Red maple will be the next to bloom. Winter is long from being over, but with the sunshine yesterday folks around here were in a much better mood.

A World of White

2010-02-15T10:41:00.004-05:00

Snow fell lightly all day Sunday, but by late evening had quit. My husband remarked as we were headed to bed that maybe the predicted 3 - 5 inches was going to miss us this time. He was wrong...

If it's Friday, it must be snowing in WNC....

2010-02-13T10:45:00.007-05:00

Since December 16, we have recorded over 30" of snow and ice at our house in Cashiers, NC.

Yesterday as the snow had been falling for 2 hours. The limb came down after last week's snow and ice.

The birds are looking for shelter everywhere they can find it. Even this house with the frozen entrance has birds roosting inside. This is the favorite chickadee box in the summer. The funny little black-capped birds usually nest 3 times here.

The shimmering ice on the trees is beautiful, making the area look like a fairyland.

Digging out. G making paths up the driveway so the Forerunner can get out. Thank goodness for husbands and 4-wheel drive!

The deck this morning. There is a small table in front of the bench in the center of the picture. It stands about 18" tall. That's about the depth of snow all over the yard where it has accumulated over the past few weeks. The snow on the table is the 5" that fell yesterday.

I posted this proverb from Guinea in January last year. I think it bears repeating.

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow."

Another Winter Storm...and more on the way!

2010-01-31T10:08:00.003-05:00

The snow started falling at 1:00, Friday afternoon. By 5:00, this is what the garden and yard looked like.

After 10" of snow had fallen on Friday night, the ice started to fall. This is what Saturday looked like. The tree limbs started to snap and thousands in the area were without power. Many still are. We were lucky. No power outages, but this is a long way from over. Temps tonight will be single digits. The birds are hungry!

Sunday morning - the sun is shining but the trees are heavily laden with ice. All around we can hear the sound of limbs breaking as the ice from the upper limbs falls on the lower ones. More wintry weather is predicted for Tuesday and then for Thursday and Friday.

I won't speculate on the fate of the bees in my Ora hive. The garden gate is frozen solid and I don't know when I'll be able to get to the hives. This has been a very difficult winter.

The Death of Walter Gives Life to Ora

2010-01-17T16:17:00.005-05:00

On Wednesday, after I discovered that my Walter hive had died, I spent a short time inspecting the frames in the shallow super. Two frames on each side were partially filled and capped with sourwood honey. The remaing 6 frames were pretty much empty except for the headfirst bodies of dead bees. There was also a small cluster of dead bees toward the front center. The day was fairly mild and there were a few days flying outside Ora. I had some sugar syrup made up and put the boardman feeder on the top of the hive. The bees were taking some of the food, but the day cooled quickly and most bees disappeared back inside. Thursday was a different story! I started inspecting the brood box in Walter about 11:30 and shortly after many, many bees started pouring out of Ora. My compost boxes sit right next to the hives and I close the hinged tops and the boxes make a great work table. I had removed the frames containing the sourwood and it didn't take the girls long to find the golden honey. They were also going crazy in the boardman. The picture above shows lots of bees flying and also a mass of bees on the bottom entrance. Below, I moved 1 of the frames of honey to the open top of Walter so I could continue working on the other frames. (These were some of the first frames I had ever built and I needed to add nails to the bottoms as some were coming apart from the weight of the honey they had once contained.) There were bees everywhere!

Above and below, bees eating that golden sourwood. Since the girls were paying very little attention to me, I used my hive tool and scraped away some of the cappings to make their work a little easier. I didn't get a picture, but after I removed the cappings, this frame was black with bees.

Below, bees are taking advantage of every drop of honey they can find - wax cappings, nail that I used to scrape the hive tool and even the hive tool, although the photo missed the one that was feeding there.

Friday was another beautiful day and I spent much of the late morning working with Ora. I gave the bees another quart of sugar syrup and also opened the rest of the capped sourwood. I left the brood box and the super open and the girls spent lots of time cleaning out all the honey and stored pollen they could find. I feel encouraged about this colony of bees but winter is a long way from being over in the mountains and I won't stop worrying soon.

I'm sad over the loss of Walter. I've questioned things I did or didn't do. I've talked to friends, got the Ross Conrad book out and started reading, again. I appreciate the encouraging comments here and by email. Beekeepers truly are a fraternity of friends and I'm proud to be part of that group even though we never agree on anything. I'll post next on what I didn't find in Walter and what I think may have happened.

Death In The Beeyard

2010-01-13T15:13:00.004-05:00

Walter is dead. There is no other way to put it. Everyone knows much of the US has been in a deep freeze for the past few weeks. There was a major snowfall here on December 16 and a lot of that snow is still on the ground. I was able to check on my bees on December 27 and posted that I could hear activity in Ora and, on that day, there were many bees outside of Walter. I was able to feed that hive for a couple of days before the really cold weather set in. I was encouraged that both hives were showing activity and good signs of life. I had not seen any bees since December 29. Our temps have barely been out of the 20's and many days not above the teens and morning lows have ranged between 3 and 9.

Our temps finally warmed to the upper 40's today and by midday I could see bees out flying. I headed for the garden and before I even got to the hives I was a bit concerned. I could see many bees flying out of Ora but none around Walter. I immediately removed the entrance reducer on Walter and sadly saw many, many dead bees on the screened bottom board. I rapped on the side and could hear no sound from inside. Having decided that the hive was probably dead, I went ahead and opened it. Sadly, all the bees inside were dead. Quite simply, they had starved to death.

Walter had been a strong hive going into fall and there was a full, shallow super of honey that I thought, along with the honey in the brood box, would suffice for the time the bees were clustered during the cold weather. I took out most of the frames in the shallow and most all the honey was gone. The obvious sign of starvation was the many bees headfirst in the empty cells. Tomorrow, as the temps rise even more, I will take the rest of the hive apart and look for any other signs of why the hive might have failed. I think they just ate themselves to death. Even though Ora still feels quite heavy, I will feed for the next few days if the bees will take the sugar syrup.

Walter was named for my grandfather who has been my inspiration to garden and keep bees. My grandfather was a wonderful, but stubborn man. He didn't like to fail and his granddaughter is much like him. I consider it a good, strong quality. I'm still very much a beginner beekeeper and I have so much to learn. I'll continue to ask questions, attend bee schools, read, read and read. I will not give up my organic practices because I don't think these bees were sick. I will rethink how I go into winter next year. There will be another colony of bees in Walter.

I posted the picture at the top to remind myself why I keep bees. My garden wouldn't be the same without them. Spring will come.

"You Gotta Have Faith"

2009-12-27T13:12:00.005-05:00

On Friday, December 16, 8" of snow fell in my area of the mountains. Up to 2' of snow was recorded in other areas of the mountains and some folks are still without power. Thankfully, power was not lost at my house. My biggest concern has been that I couldn't get into the garden to check on the hives. The gate has been frozen shut. Today, December 27, I finally got it open enough to squeeze through. On my initial visit to the hives, there were no bees to be seen. I rapped on both and got a reassuring hum from Ora, but nothing from Walter. This had been exactly the opposite response 2 weeks ago. I pulled the boards from underneath the screened bottoms and could see obvious signs of activity in each hive so I was not too worried. I also removed the entrance reducers and could see some dead bees in each hive but not enough to be concerned. Bees die in the cold. I walked back to the house and after a few minutes I thought I saw some bees flying and decided to take another trip to see what was going on. There were lots of bees pouring out of Walter! Hungry bees! I keep sugar syrup stored in the fridge, just in case, so I took out the Boardman feeder and back to the garden I went. The following pix show the girls hungrily lapping up the sugar syrup. The bees in Ora never did come out, but obviously things are fine inside and this hive is still heavy with stored honey. Once again, the 2 hives have behaved in complete opposite manner to the other but bottom line is that both are fine. I keep humming George Michaels - "You Gotta Have Faith".

This is the bottom board in Ora. There is debris caused by activity in the front, middle of the hive. I assume this is where the bees are clustered. There is also some varroa in each hive. Yuck.

Silent Night...

2009-12-23T19:57:00.005-05:00

Beekeeping has rewarded me with a wonderful and unexpected gift this year. I have made friends all over the world. To each of you, your families and friends - Merry Christmas! Lynn

The Christmas Tree

2009-12-21T16:03:00.003-05:00

A perfect day in the snow to choose the perfect Christmas tree.

There's 65 acres here. How do I decide?

I think this might be the one.

Helping Grumps and Mr. Fowler take the tree to the car.

I'm exhausted. What a wonderful day baking cookies and cutting the perfect Christmas tree. We'll decorate it tomorrow after all the snow melts off the branches.

Savanna and Grumps Make Sugar Cookies

2009-12-21T15:52:00.003-05:00

Savanna and Grumps spent the morning making sugar cookies. The pictures don't need much explanation. Just have a good time - they did! Smush the dough flat. Works better than the rolling pin.

Should we use green or red sprinkles? Maybe both would be better!

Sprinkles get in your eyes in you're not careful (:

Uh oh, look at Nana's floor.

Baby can fix it!

A walk around the yard on a snowy winter morning...

2009-12-19T11:15:00.003-05:00

Eight inches of snow fell in Cashiers yesterday. I had a quiet walk this morning. The garden.
The front yard down by the stream.

My pink pig watering can.

The stream, east and west.

Fears Relieved

2009-12-10T14:55:00.002-05:00

Mother Nature has thrown the worst weather imaginable at us over the past few days. There has been snow, ice, rain (3" on Tuesday), cold and high wind (recorded gusts of over 100 mph in our high mountains). The bees were mostly staying inside the hives and during breaks I could rap on the side of the hives and hear them buzzing inside. During a brief break on Monday, I saw a good many bees outside Walter, the hive on the right, but no activity at all around Ora. I could hear no sound from the inside and I was worried. There had been lots of healthy bees in this hive on last inspection, but I know how quickly bees can die if faced with a problem. The temperatures warmed to the low 50's yesterday and, once again, I saw a good many bees coming and going from Walter. I decided to briefly open the inner cover on Ora and see what was going on. When I removed the inner cover I could see only a very few bees and since I was already that far in I lifted the shallow super. Much to my relief, I saw clustered in the forward right quadrant of the hive tons of bees!!!! After about 2o minutes I was back in the garden and look at all those bees flying outside Ora. Relief!, for me and the bees.

I also took a quick peek under Walter's inner cover and could see lots of bees inside. They didn't seem to be clustered like in the other hive. It's been very interesting having 2 hives this season for comparison sake. They are like having 2 children - they will never be the same but you always hope for the best out of each of them. The fun will start next season when I have Top Bar hives to compare to the Langstroth.

When the weather turned so cold last week I had put boards under the screened bottom boards to help with heat retention in the hives. When I checked those boards yesterday I could see debris from both hives. I think that's a good indication of hive activity and as the weather really gets bad, and it's going to this weekend, that will be a good way to check for live bees in the hives. I noticed a few varroa mites on each board, but I think half a dozen over a 2 week period is very acceptable.

Our temps are forecast to be single digit tonight and highs over the next 2 days only in the 20's with snow/ice on Saturday. Have I said yet "it's going to be a long winter".....

Brrrr.....

2009-12-07T10:37:00.005-05:00

Snow fell all Saturday morning and after it stopped the temperatures dropped dramatically. We awoke to 17 on Sunday morning but it was a nice, balmy 27 today. I haven't seen a bee for more than a week now, but when I rap on the side of the hives I can hear a gentle hum from inside both. More rain is forecast for the week but with the rain comes warmer temperatures and maybe some breaks when the bees can get out for a while. If they want to do some ice skating, the fountain will be the perfect spot!

November Bees and Garden

2009-11-30T10:57:00.005-05:00

November is almost gone and the garden and beeyard are both very quiet. Temps were mild yesterday and there were a good many bees out enjoying the sun, but a cold rain is falling today and there is a possibility of snow by mid-week. We enjoyed a dusting on Thanksgiving day. I have raised the hives so I can clean debris from beneath the screened bottom boards. I can also pack with insulation if the winter temperatures are extreme. Entrance reducers are also in place for the cold even though the bees didn't like them at first. Being the adaptable little creatures they are, it didn't take them long to feel comfortable with the reduced space. I have also reversed the inner cover providing an airspace over the frames in the shallow super. I'll monitor the entrance reducers when we have snow to keep the entrance from becoming entirely closed and affecting circulation in the hives. Both hives are heavy with capped honey, but I'll keep a check on weight and feed if I feel is necessary.

The garden is still productive with turnip greens, onions and herbs. Other than rosemary, my herbs overwinter very nicely. It was good to be able to have fresh sage, parsley and onions to season the Thanksgiving bird. I took advantage of the warm weather yesterday and dug out a bed of phlox that was growing next to the fence. I'm going to plant cucumbers there next spring as it's a great place for the cukes to climb. I shoveled on about 4 inches of compost and organic matter in the space. Last week I ordered 3 ligonberry plants from Stark's Nursery and they should arrive today. Ligonberries are also known as Mountain Cranberries and should do very well in my mountain garden since they like the same growing conditions as blueberries - acidic soil. They can tolerate cold winters and also like some shade in the afternoons. I hope the blooms will be another good source of nectar and pollen for my bees.

Interesting Article on Honeybees

2009-11-27T09:25:00.002-05:00

This article appeared in our paper this morning. Thought it made for interesting reading.

http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20091127/OPINION03/91125080/1202/opinion/Honeybees-little-creatures-of-great-importance?GID=tgAahl+/5QuoXXom59TTwCOSsUylPKDmt9WEeB5hKBo%3D

More Bears

2009-11-08T11:42:00.003-05:00

Wednesday mornings I usually spend at the library and then onto The Village Green for lunch. There was a phone message waiting for me when I returned home this week. Gary, my husband, had called and very calmly told me he was standing 10 feet from a bear. He was helping an older friend close his house for the winter and was inside doing some work. Our friends had thrown some bread in the yard before leaving to return to Florida and the bear was having his lunch! G. was able to watch the bear for about 15 minutes as s/he wandered around the yard. There is a small pond and he was amused to see the bear drink some water and then blow bubbles! Do bears play? :) I'm beginning to get jealous because my daughter and husband have seen probably a dozen bears this summer and I've only seen 4. Of course, 2 of them I didn't really want to see because they were headed towards the beehives. Which brings me to a sad story...

I learned this week that 2 of my fellow beekeepers had, between them, lost 5 hives to bears. I feel bad for them but what I feel even worse about is that in both instances the bears were shot and killed. I realize I live in an area where bears have been hunted for a long time, but I still have a hard time accepting the fact than any animal has to be destroyed.

Enjoy these pictures my father-in-law took last summer. This big fellow came up on the deck and tore down a birdfeeder during the middle of the afternoon. This is a big guy. Maybe 200 pounds. This one is not nearly so big. He spent some time nosing around at the front of the house before using the driveway to leave.

Ag Day at Fairview Middle School

2009-10-30T15:39:00.004-04:00

Our Smoky Mountain Beekeeper's group was asked to participate in an Agricultual Awareness Day at a local middle school. We were represented by Al, our president, Tom, our treasurer, Kelley, our outgoing VP and me, new secretary. There were also 9 other organizations representing different areas of agriculture in the area. From 9:00 until 12:00, we talked to about 100 8th graders. The event was well organized with the kids being broken down into about 10 groups of 10 -12. Each group spent 15 minutes at the various stations. The morning started off very foggy and cool, but by 10 had warmed up nicely. Other than our bees, my favorite station were these farmers with their team of mules. All the kids and most of the adults were treated to a good, old-fashioned wagon ride. I always learn something from my fellow beekeepers and on this morning I found a product that I absolutely will buy and keep in my bee bag. Sitting in front of the smoker is a fuel that is a natural fiber product. A little before 9:00, I lit the smoker with 1 match. When we finished at 11:45, the smoker was still going strong. I've been using pine straw and/or cotton strips from old t-shirts, but not anymore. This is awesome stuff. I know it's available in the Dadant catologue and I'm sure from all the others.

Articles from my bag including hat, veil, gloves, hive tool, brush, frame-lifter and smoker. Al's full suit. The teaching hive has 10 frames that shows various stages of bee development, great pictures of a queen and also a bee with varroa. A shame we have to talk about the dreaded V, but it's a fact of life for beekeepers. Also on hand, our observation hive, an extractor, a nuc box and jars of honey.

The kids were a lively and curious bunch as kids this age usually are, and this group wanted to know how the bees got in and out of the box. Above, Kelley agreed to show them the little door on the side but jokingly said she'd kill anyone who tried to open it. She is an awesome beekeeper and was great with the kids. I'm happy to have her as a good friend and mentor. I told her about my "robbing" problem on Wednesday and she confirmed that, just as I thought, bees will attack from the bottom of the hive to get to powdered sugar. This may be one small drawback to treating with sugar shakes, but she is committed to natural beekeeping and, like I am learning, has figured out ways to prevent the sugar from falling under the hive. She currently has 42 hives. All the groups of young people searched for the queen in the observation hive, but she was well hidden this cool morning. I've seen this hive many times when the queen chooses to come out and put on a show and I wish the kids could have seen her. What they did get to observe were the bees fanning to keep the box warm since the morning started out so cool.

We had a great morning and I'm fortunate to be associated with a wonderful group of talented beekeepers. Of course, none of them do things the same way, but are all successful. I've been
chosen to serve on our board of directors and readily agreed to do so. The knowledge I gain from working with these guys is invaluable.

Update on my hives: It was 1:30 before it got back to the house on Thursday and when I checked my hives, everything was back to normal. No more fighting. The bees also seemed much more comfortable with the entrance reducers in place and I've decided to leave them for the winter. Ora still has a stick wedged in the entrance but I do have a real reducer and will replace it this weekend. It's raining today so there are no bees out.

I had a question by email about why I used water on the hive to calm the bees. I had read that it is sometimes possible to discourage a hive from swarming if you make it "rain" with a waterhose. It did drive the bees either back into or away from the hive and I'm convinced gave me enough time to take some of the measures I used to head-off a full scale robbing event.

Robbing!

2009-10-28T14:36:00.006-04:00

Did I say beekeeping was fun? The past hour and a half has been anything but. We had 2 days of wet weather but this morning was beautiful and I spent my time at the library and then onto the park for a while followed by a long walk. When I got home around 12:30 I headed to the garden to check on the hives. (We had over 2 inches of rain yesterday along with high winds.) I noticed even from a distance that there seemed to be quite a bit of activity around Walter. As I got closer I saw there was a problem. The guard were very actively "excorting" intruders away from the hive. Some of the bees were yellowjackets, but most were other honeybees.

When I did the sugar shake on Walter, Sunday, I put the entrance reducer on to help guard against robbing. I was worried about yellowjackets. I took it off late Sunday and because the weather was so bad Monday and Tuesday didn't have any reason to think I might have cause to be concerned. There were no bees flying. Obviously, today was a different story because of the nice weather. There were LOTS of bees out! There was no signs of any problem at the entrance to Ora and not wanting to have one, I grabbed a stick and stuck it in the entrance leaving about a 3 inch opening. There was sedum in the compost pile and I stuck a dead flowerhead in the opening leaving just a small half inch space. I ran and grabbed my gloves, hat and veil and also turned the water hose on. By creating an artificial rain many of the bees headed back into the hive. I also hoped any of the invaders would be on their way back home. This helped to calm the bees enough for me to get the entrance reducer back on Walter along with sedum there, also. Walter with entrance reducer. As I began to calm down I realized what was happening. I use screened bottom boards on both hives and when I did the sugar shake a lot of it fell down on the table that holds the hives. The table is solid and I could look up under the entrance and see lots of sugar and bees. The problem was under the hive instead of inside. I was able to take the water hose and, from the front and the back, spray enough water to get rid of the sugar. Sadly, I also drowned several bees. But at this point I figured a small loss was better than a big one. After I got out most of the sugar and dead bees, I used a small solid stick under the entrance to seal off the space under the hive.

This is the back of the hive where there was also quite a bit of activity. I used a small board and stick to close it.

After almost 2 hours, things are much calmer. I may need a glass of wine, but I think the bees are OK. I very quickly took at look under the inner cover and the bees that I could see inside the hive were working very calmly almost as I nothing was going on outside. In still such a beginner, but I don't think this was a serious robbing event.

I paraphrase, but Ross Conrad says there are no mistakes in beekeeping, just learning experiences. I hope he's right. What I will do differently next time is to put my sticky boards over the screened bottom boards before I do the sugar shake. Then when I'm finished, remove the boards holding all the fallen sugar. I may have to wait until the weather turns much colder and we can move the hives more easily, but I'm going to get rid of the solid table. Along with the sugar, there is a lot of other debris from the hives there. I've seen a couple of good options thanks to some of my fellow bloggers. I hope to be able to get out this evening while there is still light and, with the help of G, lift both hives and do some cleaning underneath and also raise them with some lumber.

I walked back up the hives and there is a lot of buzzing around the front of both, but no fighting. My bees simply do not like the entrance reducers. They will have to live with them for the next few days until I feel confident there is no further threat.

Too Close For Comfort

2009-10-27T12:22:00.003-04:00

Our daugher decided to go for a walk about 8:30 last night and headed for the local track. Although it was dark, the 1/4 mile track is well lit. She had walked a short distance when she noticed a large dog walking out of the woods. As it got closer she realized it was not a dog but a big black bear! Thankfully she was fairly close to her parked car and being a smart wise young woman, started to slowly and carefully back away from the approaching bear. She made it to the car safely and watched as the bear walked on up the track, cut across the field and headed into the woods. I had to comment as she told her story that I certainly would have lost weight if I had that experience because it would have scared the !*#+ out of me. We had a good laugh about it and know it's just one of the wonderful reasons to live in the moutains.

Click on the link below for a picture and story about one of our most famous bears. The picture was taken from the same spot I photographed the mountains last Monday, but this bear eludes all but the best photographers.

http://www.highlandsnews.com/articles/2007/10/30/news/02bear_shadow.txt

October Bees

2009-10-25T10:51:00.004-04:00

On Friday, we had torrential rain and very high wind, but by Saturday morning the bad weather had blown itself out and by midday I was able to open the hives and do some fall maintenance work. I use a grease patty in the fall and winter as a soft treament for tracheal mites. I'll quote Ross Conrad - "Because of A. woodi's microscopic size, the oils from a grease patty, when lightly covering the bodies of the bees, inhibit the movement of the mite from bee to bee, which out of necessity must occur outside of the honey bee's breathing tube. As a result, the grease patties work to help prevent the spread of mites from infected bees and limit the damage they may cause within the colony." The recipe is simply 2 parts Crisco to 1 part sugar. I also mix in some essential oil and shape into patties. These freeze well. I had some honey that I squirted on top to make it more attractive to the bees.

I also reverse the inner cover for the fall and winter. Flat side is now facing up. This creates an airspace above the bars in the small super. Last winter I didn't use any insulation on or in the hive and although we had a very cold winter, I saw no problem with bees dying from cold. Walter was a very small colony going into winter last year, but the bees obviously did a good job maintaining a warm hive. It turned into a large, productive hive this summer.

What Walter did last winter was build propolis and looks like this year is not going to be any different. This is what they've done in the past couple of weeks to the opening in the inner cover and also on the top bars of the super. Propolis has great therapeutic value for a hive, but I don't want the opening to be completely covered because of ventilation issues. However, having said that, I still think the bees know what's best and maybe I should leave well enough alone. The photo above is from Ora and there is no sign of propolis there.

I had some powdered sugar in my bee bag and since I had the hives open, I took the opportunity to give Walter another good treatment. This is the hive that showed the most mites earlier. They don't like it! Walter is, by far, the harder of the 2 hives to work and I suspect it is because I robbed the honey from that hive. There is sugar on the front of the hive and because I didn't want to have a problem with robbing yellowjackets, I....

....added the entrance reducer. Not being used to it, they really didn't care for that little addition at all! It took all afternoon for the bees to settle down. I used an entrance reducer for a short period of time last winter when the temperatures were the coldest. We had about a week of 0 degree temps in the mornings.

Both hives looked good with a healthy amount of bees. Ora is quite heavy with honey stores but I'm a bit concerned about Walter. Lot of the honey in that hive has been used probably because it is my second year hive and much bigger. I'll keep very close watch on this one and already feel I may have to feed. I have a couple of frames of dark, capped honey that I can add and see how far that will go.

The Mountains Where I Live

2009-10-22T11:52:00.003-04:00

Someone asked by email how much in the mountains I live and I think these pictures give a pretty good indication. They were taken Monday, about 8 miles from my house, at the overlook between Jackson and Macon counties. I live in Jackson. Click on the pix for better views.

At the top of this picture, there is a big white house. Directly in front of this peak, which is Big Sheep Cliff, is Cashiers Valley. I am on the other side of this mountain. It's the one that shades my house in the morning. There was also snow on the peaks in the distance. That's the Blue Ridge Parkway. There was a good amount of snow in our northern mountains on Saturday night, but I'm told only a dusting in Cashiers. This is to the left of Big Sheep Cliff. The sheer rockface in the center is Hogback Mountain.

In the foreground and to the right of Hogback is Whiteside Mountain. Whiteside is a great hike and I hope to get there soon. Great place to take pictures of the whole valley and beyond. From the peak, you can also see South Carolina.

Because I live here, sometimes I forget how much I really am in the mountains. The weather has turned cold, several mornings now of low-20's, but the days are glorious. The bees are still flying on mild days, but the frost has killed everything that was still blooming and there is no pollen. I hope to be able to do a quick check on Sunday and reverse the inner covers to provide an air space and also to put on the grease patties for the winter. There is rain forecast for tomorrow and Saturday, but Sunday looks promising.

A. D., I hope this gives you a better understanding of where I live.

Odds and Ends

2009-10-16T10:44:00.010-04:00

My little garden angel has been watching over my gardens for fifteen years now. Once again, she has come full circle. October has been rainy and the past few days have been cold. I imagine by the end of the weekend she will be wearing her first winter blanket of the season since snow is forecast for the next couple days. I'm ready for it, but won't be here to enjoy as I'm headed out of town to visit good friends. My garden was beautiful this season thanks to the honeybees. The flowers bloomed more fully and the vegetables produced more abundantly. I had more birds and bees, of every kind, than I've ever seen. I'm not plagued with many bugs, but the snails that love my moist garden soil, were at a minimum. In a word, there was balance. Or maybe synergy is a better word.

I've been reading a lot about Russian honeybees and hope to have 2 new hives in the spring. Russians are showing good resistance to varroa and tracheal mites, and from what I'm reading, are, are better suited to my mountain weather. The following is a great article by Dr. Tarpy of NC State.

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/PDF%20files/2.16.pdf

I've also just gotten a copy of Phil Chandler's book, The Barefoot Beekeeper, and am very interested in Top Bar Hives. I'm such a natural, organic gardener and beekeeper and everything he says makes sense to me in keeping bees in a more natural state. I'll be posting a lot on his ideas in the next few months. Check out http://www.biobees.com/.

I let the dogs out late Tuesday and they let me know in a hurry that there was a problem. I ran out and caught the big backside of a black bear headed down the yard. I could hear it crashing down the stream and through the woods. I had also seen a bear up the road about 3 weeks ago. The bear fence stays on all the time now. Bears know what's coming and are stocking up for the winter. The following photo was taken about 12 miles up the road from us. It's one of the funnier ones I've seen.

http://www.highlandsnews.com/articles/2009/10/08/news/01_bear_safety_in_highlands_nc.txt

At our last bee meeting, a couple of local beekeepers had sad news that some hives had starved. It would seem funny that bees would starve in the fall instead of spring, but most are attributing it to the rainy weather . The bees are having to stay confined to the hives and are eating honey stores. These are experienced beekeepers so I'm listening to what they say and will be checking as often as I can. The weight of both my hives is still good. We'll see after this cold weekend.

Colony Collapse: Are Potent Pesticides Killing Honeybees?

2009-10-12T21:41:00.000-04:00

Intereresting article on CCD. Thanks, J, for sending it along.

Colony Collapse: Are Potent Pesticides Killing Honeybees?

Varroa Mites

2009-10-03T09:19:00.003-04:00

This morning I received a disturbing email from our county extension agent concerning varroa mites. One of the largest beekeepers in my county (Jackson) has reported losing several hives to varroa. She further stated that in speaking with Dr. David Tarpy, researcher at NC State University, he is verifying that, in pockets of NC, Apistan and Checkmite are no longer effective against mites as they have become resistant to the 2 chemicals contained in these products. For several years Dr. Tarpy has been suggesting alterate control measures for mites:

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/PDF%20files/2.03.pdf

Unfortunately, varroa mites have become something we are all having to deal with. My mite levels have been low this season and I feel comfortable, right now, using the powdered sugar shake as treatment. I have several fellow beekeepers who are using Api Life Var with good success. Looking to the spring season, my plans are to have 2 TopBar hives with Russian stock. As stated in the paper, Russians are showing good resistance to varroa. I had also heard this from another source at a meeting I attended last week.

Unfortunately, I also learned yesterday, of another beekeeper in the area who had lost 7 hives to CCD. I dislike passing along bad news, but that's the reality of beekeeping right now. I wish we could all put our heads in the sand and it would go away, but unfortunately that's not going to happen. Hopefully, if we're diligent in caring for our bees in a more natural manner, we may begin to reverse the damage that's been done through the use, or misuse, of chemicals in the past.

Tardiva Hydrangea

2009-09-28T15:15:00.003-04:00

I am trying to make my yard as bee-friendly as possible and this is a great plant. It is a tardiva hydrangea and is perfectly suited for my climate and soil conditions. It likes moist, well-drained, acidic soil and is one of the most cold-tolerant of the hydrangeas. It also tolerates some shade. Perfect description of mountain gardening. It is fairly pricey - $29 for the 3 gallon size and $59 for the 5 gallon - so I chose the smaller of the two since it is a very fast grower. It only took my girls about 30 minutes before they found it. I first noticed tardiva hydrangea at our Village Green. I go there quite often. It is quite literally covered with bees. These are big having been planted on the green several years ago. It's quite windy today and the bees were being blown around. I live only 2 miles from the park and wonder if some of the bees are mine.
Better perspective of size next to trees and one of several sculptures in the park. (Not my favorite piece, but has drawn much interest. )

Honeybees close-up. This hydrangea will bloom late into the fall and and the blooms will fade to pink adding long lasting color in the yard.

After this post published, I clicked on the last picture and could see lots of pollen in the basket of the bee on the right. :)

Late September Sunday

2009-09-27T14:57:00.004-04:00

Fall came this morning. The skies dawned a brilliant blue, colorful leaves rained to the ground in the light breeze and the 50 degree temperature was perfect for enjoying my coffee on the deck. We deserved this day. A good portion of the Southeast has suffered from torrential flooding over the past 10 days. I have recorded almost 2' here. Rain fell heavily all day yesterday. There has been extensive damage to roads, bridges, dams and livelihoods. The flooding took a heavy toll on the apple crops in this area. Great piles of fruit just fell to the ground. In Atlanta, there was a devastating loss of 7 beehives at The Blue Heron Preserve. I feel very fortunate not have suffered any losses.

The garden washed pretty badly, but that is easily fixed. The bird population dines heavily on the heads of sunflowers, coneflowers and joe-pye weed. I usually wait until late October to cut these plants back, but nature had something different in mind. Most plants were knocked over and covered soil. I spent this morning cutting and transplanting.

The trout stream flows the length of the property and is usually very lazy. It turned into a raging river with the floods. The house sits far enough north of the water that it is never a threat, but even today I can hear it roaring as I sit in the house. The beehives, too, are at the top of my garden and were never in danger.

I don't think anybody will be talking about drought in the mountains for sometime to come.

Some bee concerns: During the worst of the rain, the bees were confined to the hives for 3 days without a chance to get out. Each hive has a full shallow super full of capped honey, so I was not worried about them having food, but very curious if they had started to consume some of the stores. I was able to open the hives on Thursday and they had started eating a very small amount of the stored honey. Not enough to be alarming.

Small Hive Beetles. When I took the extra supers off the hives, there were several frames of drawn comb, in addition to a couple of capped frames of sourwood honey. I wanted to store the capped honey in case I needed to feed later during the winter. As I was putting the frames into sealed storage, I saw 2 small hive beetles. I had not seen one before. After talking to several friends, I learned that SHB is not much of a problem in the mountains. Most report seeing a few during the season, but never enough to be a concern. My only fear is that my newest nuc came from the upstate of South Carolina where SHB can be a problem. We're only 13 miles from the SC border, but our temperature differences are dramatic. Cool here, hot there. I looked very carefully but did not see any more beetles in the hives. I'll monitor closely in the spring.

Today, for the first time, I saw a varroa mite on a bee. I knew there were some varroa in both hives and have treated with the powdered sugar shake, but this is the first time I've actually seen a mite on a bee. It made me sad. On the advice of Jennifer Berry from the University of Georgia, I'm going to do another sugar shake in November. The population of the hive at that point should be mostly adult bees thereby exposing a greater number of bees to treatment as opposed to brood. Makes sense to me.

Both of these hives are going into cold weather much stronger than Walter did last year. Doesn't mean I won't worry. I will. I've had 2 beekeepers tell me recently they went to their hives in the morning and saw many bees and when they visited in the afternoon, the bees were gone. It just happened that quickly. My main concern for these hives continues to be the threat of damage from bears. They are quite active in the area and there have been several times in recent days when the dogs drove them away from the area surrounding the garden and beehives.

Goldenrod and asters are still blooming, but the amount of pollen being brought in has decreased significantly. Much colder weather is forecast for later in the week.

Bees At The Mountain State Fair

2009-09-22T14:49:00.002-04:00

We go to the Mountain State Fair mostly to see the animals, but this year were delighted to see a great display on beekeeping by the Buncombe County Beekeepers Association. My pictures posted backwards so I'll show some animals before I get to the bees, which this is really about. :)

Texas Longhorn

Mama and Baby Brahmas

Pigs are my favorite. I have a pink pig Christmas tree every year. Sounds tacky, I know, but I am from the deep South. Doesn't he look happy.

And now to the bees. Talk about an observation hive! This fellow was completely surrounded by bees using only an occasional puff of smoke to calm them. He was very slowly opening the hive and pointing out the queen and talking to the audience, which was completely enthralled, about how the hive works. The cage was full of bees and he was completely unprotected. I think this exhibit went a long was in educating the public about the gentle nature of honeybees. So many people were in awe of the fact that he was not being stung. Folks who aren't familiar with honeybees are so quick to think they will be stung and usually bees are killed because of it. Great education for the public.

Children were especially interested in his demonstration.

Buncombe County hosts a great bee school every winter and was where I first started my education about bees. (I've also attended the bee school at Young Harris College in North Georgia, but will talk about that later.) The school is held at the Folk Art Center in Asheville over three weekends. Saturdays and Sundays from 1:00 - 5:00. There are several Master Beekeepers in the Asheville area and along with them and other very knowledgeable speakers, the school presents a wealth of information about bees. This was where I was took my test and passed the Certified Beekeeper level. I hope in the next few years to go on to the Journeyman level.

I realize everyday that I work around my honeybees that I have lots to learn. But if I listen carefully to them, I think my bees will point me in the right direction. I'm trying my best to respect what they do and leave them alone to do their work.

Mountain Song Festival

2009-09-18T15:34:00.005-04:00

Mountain Song Festival was started by local bluegrass band, Steep Canyon Rangers, 4 years ago as a fundraiser for the Boy's and Girl's Club of Transylvania County. All of the proceeds go directly to the club and to date has generated over $150,000. With acts like the Rangers, Doc Watson, David Holt, Peter Rowan, Tony Rice, Cherryholmes, Del McCoury Band, Seldom Scene....it's too good to miss. It's held on the second weekend in September at the Brevard Music Theatre. The weather is always beautiful - sunny fall day turns into cool fall night.

Last year the audience was treated to a huge surprise. During one of the Ranger's sets it was announced that a fellow had been hanging around backstage saying he could play the banjo and wanted to do a couple of numbers with the guys. So they decided to give him a chance - "Please welcome Steve Martin." Yeah, that Steve Martin, the wild and crazy guy, Steve Martin. Needless to say the crowd went NUTS!!! He is an incredible bluegrass banjo player. Since last year, Steep Canyon Rangers have joined Steve on a 15-city US tour and opened the tour at Mountain Song Festival. Aren't we lucky!

So here is Steve Martin onstage with Steep Canyon Rangers. He also visited the Club's hotdog stand and sat in the crowd during other sets. He's also a new resident of the area and we're glad to welcome him to the mountains.
The Whittington-Pfohl Auditorium. Soldout concert. Lots of folks on the grass enjoying the weather and the music.

Steep Canyon Rangers onstage with Seldom Scene, a great bluegrass band out of Maryland.

Beautiful toddler enjoying the music.

The evening ended with the David Grisman Quintet. If you're not familiar with him, think Jerry Garcia and Grateful Dead. I won't go into his long bio, but he has an amazing past.

We have a very special interest in this festival. Our daughter is the Executive Director of the Boy's and Girl's Club. They serve over 200 kids. It's a great organization and I would urge everyone to take the opportunity to do something special for a child. Put Mountain Song Festival on your calendar and join the fun next year! And in the word's of the Club's slogan -

"Be Great."

Ready For Winter

2009-09-14T12:01:00.004-04:00

After taking the sourwood honey from Walter a few weeks ago, I combined some dark honey I had also taken with the few frames of honey in Ora and each hive ended up with almost 16 full shallow frames of honey stores for the winter. I had hoped each colony would continue to draw comb and make a bit more honey, but the honeyflows are long over and I knew it would probably not happen. Last week I talked with 3 fellow beekeepers about what they left on the hives for the winter. As beekeepers know, I got 3 different answers to the same question.

Kelley has taken off all the honey and has started to feed with top feeders. She will continue as long as the bees take the sugar syrup and will resume in the spring until the first honeyflow. She is a small commercial beekeeper with 50 hives and the honey is an important source of income for her. She is also a very successful organic gardener and shitake mushroom producer.

Al has also taken off all the honey. He is also a small commercial producer, but has only about 20 hives. After he takes the honey, he adds a shallow super with 10 frames of drawn comb. He feeds sugar syrup until the bees have completely filled the frames with the syrup. He won't feed again until spring unless necessary.

Tom is a 3rd year beekeeper with 8 hives. All of his hives are 8-frame medium boxes. He will leave 1 honey-filled box, and in addition to the honey stores in the brood box, feels this should be the proper amount for the bees to successfully overwinter. Approximately 60 pounds of honey.

This weekend I did my final work in the hives to prepare for winter. Each hive now has 1 shallow super filled with honey. Any drawn comb or partially capped honey will be safely stored. I got my first look at wax moth damage last week and I don't want to risk that. It was not pretty. When I lift my hives, they are heavy and I, too feel they have adequate honey for the winter.

I also did sticky board mite counts last week. The results were encouraging. Ora had very few mites. I had to look hard to find any. This was a nuc hive I started in the spring and I didn't really expect to find much there. Walter is my second year hive and had considerably more mites, but not enough to be alarming. It's close to impossible to get a good count because of all the other junk that falls out of a hive. It didn't really matter in either hive how many mites I saw, they both got the powdered sugar shake.

In talking to Kelley last week about the mite count she passed along some information that made my think about mite counts in a new light. Although I saw more mites in Walter, she said that might not be a bad thing. It's very possible that those bees are just more hygienic, cleaning more, thus ridding themselves of more mites. That would be a very good trait to have in a hive. I'll continue to compare the hives in the spring. I'm also going to use 1 frame of drone comb in each hive in the spring.

Goldenrod is blooming everywhere. Lots of bees, bumble and honey, and butterflies.
Wild, blue asters blooming in the park and all along the roads. My backyard is full of asters and bees.

As I was working in the hives on Sunday morning, my husband came up and remarked that I had observation hives - I work, he observes. Ha ha. He doesn't love the bees and garden like I do, but he does all the heavy work for me. He's also gotten quite good at constructing hive boxes, stands, etc. Will save us lot of money if and when I add more bees. He took this very unflattering picture of me, but that's how I work in the hives. Hat and veil, long sleeve white shirt, most of the time shorts, but this cool morning, baggy sweatpants. I forgot to put on my gloves and ended up with a sting on the hand. Mostly just aggravating because it cost a bee her life. In the right of the picture is the screen mesh frame I placed over the bees when I shook the sugar in. I got this idea from a fellow blogger, Steven, and it worked great! Kept the bees from flying out in my face. They don't much care for the sugar bath.

I didn't disturb the brood box on either hive. It's very late in the season. The drones have been gone for several weeks now and I didn't want to risk injury to my queens. There would be zero chance of the bees raising a successful new queen now since there would be no drones to mate with. Both hives are still humming with activity. It's the contented hum of successful bees. As fall turns to winter, the weather will occasionally warm to mid-50's and I'll take quick peeps under the inner cover to check honey stores. On cold, cold winter days, a thump to the side of the box will hopefully bring the reassuring buzzz from the inside that all is well.

There Comes A Time.....

2009-09-11T15:09:00.009-04:00

When the first warm days of spring arrive in the mountains, I can't wait to get in the garden and start planting. Then the April snow falls and I have to start all over. Think I'd learn after 10 years. But May comes, and although there is always the chance of a late freeze, the garden starts to grow. In June and July, flowers are blooming, produce is coming in and this year the bees were buzzing and making honey. August is the most lush month. The flower show is on. Then late August comes and all of a sudden the garden and I are both done. Finished. And I go out and start to pull it all out of the ground. I started about 2 weeks ago.

Nasturtiums bloom prettiest in the fall. Bumblebees love them. Honeybees don't seem interested.
I think my honeybees must truly be Italian. They love the white blooms of the garlic chives. Wonder what that honey would taste like if that's all they had to work.

The garden is pretty much all cleared out. There was a section on the far left of the picture that had grown up in bee balm, wildflowers and dog hobble, one of our native shrubs that is very invasive. It has a pretty, sweet-smelling bloom in the spring, but the bees were not interested. I realized this was an area of about 15' by 20' where I could use plants that would be of greater benefit to the bees so last weekend I cleared it and started transplanting hostas and lamb's ear.

Lamb's ear was by far the most important flower in the garden to the bees. Still not my favorite, but anything for the girls. There was also a small compost box in this area that was filled with finished compost. I spread that on the beds. The wood from the box will be used to make a new stand for the 2 new hives I hope to add in the spring. My friend has Russian bees who are doing quite well and I hope to get 2 nucs from her in April or May. The hives will go in this cleared area below the other 2 hives.

In the beds where potatoes and greasy beans grew, I now have planted collards in the uppermost area and below that seeds of beets and turnips. I planted the seed on Tuesday and today they have germinated. If the weather gets cold in a hurry and these beds don't do well, I'll plant winter rye as a cover crop. I also planted 15 broccoli plants in the upper right-hand bed, but unfortunately I have a vole problem and I now have 9 broccoli plants. I might as well give up on the brassicas.

This is a view of the garden from the beehives. The stream is a good way below the trees. It's heavily wooded and we are considering cutting a lot of the undergrowth to make way for chickens and goats in the spring. If we have chickens and goats they will have to confined and protected because of the coyotes and owls that live in our area. They won't have a chance to survive for long in our woods. There are lots of tulip poplars on the property which we won't cut because of their importance to the bees.

I still have work to do in the garden and around the hives, but should be finished in a couple of weeks. I've been doing mite count for the past 3 days and the news is good. I'll post on the count and the sugar shake after the weekend. BTW, I went to our Smoky Mountain Beekeepers' picnic last night and I asked 3 different friends the same specific question. Guess now many different answers I received? The beekeepers know it was 3. More later.....

Sunday On Bear Lake

2009-09-07T14:21:00.004-04:00

Our son gave us an Old Town canoe several years ago for Christmas. We live in a great area to enjoy it, even though we don't get on the water nearly as often as we'd like. There are several lakes within an easy drive from home. Lake Glenville is the closest, only 2 miles away. But Glenville is a big lake and, being Labor Day weekend, we knew there would be lots of jet skiers, ski and pontoon boats. Not a friendly place for the slow pace of our canoe. Bear Lake is the middle lake in a chain of three, the other two being Cedar and Wolf. They are located in the Tuckaseegee area of Jackson County, NC, and are about 18 miles from our house. We can easily leave home and have the canoe in the water in about 30 minutes. We always choose Bear Lake.

As we leave the dock, we head out into the main body of Bear Lake. The rock face below is home to a herd of wild mountain goats. We always look for the them but have never seen one. It's well documented that they live there, but the distance is so great I'm not sure we could actually see them from the water. I have much admiration for anything that could live on those sheer cliffs.
There are dozens of small waterfalls on the lake. Everywhere we paddle we can hear the water running down the mountainside from small tributary streams. This waterfall is the most majestic. During the summer we can only see the top of the falls because of the heavy foliage. I hope to get back to Bear at least 2 more times this year. Once when the fall color is at it's peak and also in the early winter when the leaves are gone. We should be able to get great photos of the falls then.

As we leave the main body of the lake, we start upstream towards the dam. This is my favorite part of the trip. The Tuckaseegee River feeds Bear Lake and at this point there are no motorized boats. Only canoers and kayakers. Sunday we saw neither. The water gets very cold and clear this far up. The only thing that broke the silence was a trio of barred owls calling out to each other and the occasional call of the great pileated woodpeckers that inhabit the area. It was very eerie, but we loved it.

This island is a good halfway point in our canoe trip and we always paddle for there, dock on the shore and climb out on the rock for a picnic lunch. The round-trip distance is about 8 miles from the dock to the upper end of the river and the dam. We usually stop on the island on the way back to rest.

As we rested on the island, some thunderheads began to build in the distance. We had very light rainfall earlier in the day, but for the most part the day was mostly sunny. The temperature was a mild 78. Perfect for a day on the lake.

We usually stay on the water for about 5 hours and Sunday was no different. I love the water and don't ever want to leave. Being on a canoe in such a beautuful area is pure relaxation. Earlier in the summer the water temperature was nice for swimming. Yesterday, there was a bit of chill to it. In and out quickly! Next time we come, it will be just a toe in the water but the autumn show will be spectacular.

Mountain State Fair and Mountain Song Festival next weekend!

Changes Are Coming

2009-09-02T13:48:00.004-04:00

When I created this blog in January, it was with the intention of creating a personal journal of my gardening and beekeeping experiences for the year. Although I've been gardening for many years, I've never been a good recordkeeper and with the addition of the bees, it seemed important that I start writing some things down. There were also some people in my life with whom I wanted to share what I was doing and a blog seemed a good way to reach many people at once. I still don't record half of what I do in the garden and beeyard, but I think I've made a good start.

With the arrival of fall in the mountains, many things start to change. My garden has quit producing summer vegetables and I'm in the process of redoing it and planting for fall. The bees have been quite productive, but it's about time to start doing fall maintenance and getting them ready for the cold weather. I've watched them closely for the past couple of days and haven't seen a drone. They are also sleeping much later in the morning and going to bed much earlier in the evening. I don't see much activity before 10:00 and they're closing up shop by 7:00.

Since there won't be much to talk about garden and beewise in the next few months, I've decided to share some different aspects of my life. The mountains will start to put on their fall show in the next few weeks. Thousands of people flock here in September and October to see the autumn colors. It's a time of many traditional mountain festivals. The views from my backyard to the Blue Ridge Parkway will be gorgeous. It's all too good to keep to myself.

Walter Bee is going to undergo some changes in the next few days. The look, layout, and content to some extent, will change. If you notice today, it's already different in preparation for what's to come. I have to thank Mark for inspiring me to do this. And also thanks, Mark, for your offer to help, but I think I've got it figured out. Blogging has opened my world to new friends in several of our states and countries across the world. I appreciate all of you who comment and hope you will continue to stop by for a visit. Maybe we'll make some new friends!

Hope you'll all enjoy fall in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I can't wait.

Late August Hive Inspection

2009-08-30T12:45:00.007-04:00

Four weeks ago I took 16 shallow frames of honey from Walter Bee. I'll tell you briefly how I took the honey and what I did with it. I had done a lot of reading and talking with other beekeepers about ways to remove the honey, but hadn't quite decided what to do. Blowing the bees off with a high-powered blower seemed brutal to me. I have friends who use this method, but they are running between 40 and 50 hives and it's fast and efficient for them. I read about Bee Go, a chemical used on a fume board to drive the bees down in the hive. But anything that reads "Hazardous price on shipping will apply - call for quote" was NOT going on my bees. And then someone told me it smelled like vomit (sorry) and there really no more thought about the Bee Go. Again, I know folks who use it. There is another product called Fischer's Bee Quick and it's advertised as all natural and smells nice. I considered this. Another friend I spoke with tried bee escapes, but after he had placed them in his frames, we had rain for a couple of days, he could not remove the frames and the bees figured out how to get back up to the honey. He ended up doing what I did.

And this is what I did....Along with the help of my husband, we donned bee hats and veils, gloves, long sleeve white shirts and long pants. We took a smoker, hive tool, frame lifter, bee brush, large plastic tub and a large towel to the beeyard. I very gently smoked the entrance to the hive and opened up the top. The topmost super contained sourwood honey. In a period of 3 weeks the bees had drawn comb and made and capped honey in 6 frames. The remaining 4 frames were completely drawn and contained honey, but were not completely capped. Using my frame lifter, I removed the 6 frames, one by one, and brushed the bees back into the hive. As the frames were cleared of bees, I handed them to my husband who put them in the tub and covered them with the towel. Didn't want to create a robbing incident and we were successful. I then removed the super with 4 frames left and started on the second.

The second super contained much darker honey. This was tulip poplar. All 10 frames were filled and capped. We decided since we were in the hive, we'd continue. I didn't use anymore smoke and I continued lifting frames and brushing bees. We were successful in removing all 10 frames, although towards the end the bees were getting QUITE TESTY and who could blame them. I was taking what they had worked so hard for and I felt a little guilty. The only incident came just as we were finishing. Two bees got up underneath my veil and one stung me on the side of my eye. I guess it served me right. (I think I will invest in a hat and veil that attach to a jacket. That way the bees can't get in. Might be a good Christmas gift. Hmmmm.)

It took a while to get all 16 frames to the garage for ovenight storage, but we managed a few frames at a time. They were heavy!

This is what I did with the honey. I extracted the 6 frames of sourwood and 4 frames of the tulip poplar. I'll post on that later, but I used a crush and strain methed and it was very simple.

I added 6 frames back to Walter using only starter strips of wax. To Ora I gave 6 frames of the dark honey and filled in with 4 frames, again, only containing starter strips of wax.

When I inspected my hives today, this is what I found.

Of the 4 new frames in Ora, the workers have drawn comb in 2. Lots of pollen in those cells. There has been no activity on the other 2 frames, but our honeyflows are over. The sourwood is long gone and our weather is getting cool. For the winter, Ora will have 16 full frames of honey.

The bees in Walter have drawn comb in 4 of the 6 frames I added but there is no pollen. They've also finished capping the 4 frames of sourwood I left. It's there for them for the winter. Walter will have 14 frames of capped honey. My goal was for each colony to have 60 pounds of honey to overwinter and the bees have accomplished this and more. I don't think I'll have to feed this year. Also, no more wax foundation. I had to see for myself, but the bees don't need it. They know how to draw comb.

I'm holding this frame with my frame lifter, a tool I like very much. I don't smush bees when I use it. I also wear gloves because I feel more comfortable and I don't want to risk being stung on the hand and dropping a frame of bees.

When I was working the hives today, I noticed there is still quite a bit of pollen coming in. The colors are white, yellow and orange. I'm not sure where it's coming from, but obviously the bees are still finding things in bloom. I also saw very few drones. Our weather is supposed to be very fall-like this week with 40's for morning lows. The drones days are numbered. I might do one more hive inspection before the cold gets here, or maybe not. I'm a very hands-off beekeeper and so far it seems to be working very well for me. My bees know what they are doing. Life in an organic garden :)

If I've bored the pants off anyone who might be reading, I'm sorry, but I had to get this all down. I have to be a better recordkeeper!

Baby Bears

2009-08-30T12:34:00.002-04:00

I'm not Mark, yet, but I finally figured out a way to get some great bear pictures off a disc and onto the blog! I'm so happy. I have lots of pix that my father-in law has taken. He caught these 2 cubs in the feeder last year. Mama was close by. I'll share more as time permits. Enjoy these little guys. This is one of the joys of living in the mountains. Yeah, yeah, I know, I won't be saying that when they raid my beehives.

Joe-Pye and Drones

2009-08-25T14:16:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite people in the whole world had some comments, questions about Joe-Pye Weed and drones yesterday. I decided to devote this post to those two subjects.

Joe-Pye is indigenous to the Eastern US. It likes moist soil so is perfect for the mountain area. (I live in a designated rain forest. It's not unusual for us to have 80 - 100 inches of rain each year.) I don't know that I had ever seen Joe-Pye until I moved to the mountains, but I'm also much more aware of what's blooming around me since I've become a beekeeper. Although I see some honeybees on the blooms, the bumblebees and butterflies are much more numerous. I think it's a must for a butterfly garden. At the back of the border, please, because it can get quite tall. I have 3 different types of Joe-Pye Weed in the garden. I think it's a shame to call it a weed. I much prefer wildflower.

This is a cultivar I planted last fall. The bloom is quite small compared to the others, but the foliage is red and I like that about it. It's just beginning to bloom and should last well into the fall. This plant is about 4' tall. This is another cultivar I planted a couple of years ago. It has been blooming for a couple of weeks and this is the one the butterflies and bumblebees really like. It, too, is about 4' tall. When this was first planted it was a very small clump but has more than doubled in size since then.

The 3 tall spikes are our native Joe-Pye. These stalks are easily 9' tall. They have been blooming for several weeks now and are well past their prime. I will leave them until the first frost as they self-seed and I like having them in the garden. My garden is full of native wildflowers and sometimes I have to work around them when planting, but I don't mind. If I never planted another flower in the garden, the bees, butterflies and birds would have plenty of forage.

Alas, the poor drone. The drone bee is the male in the hive and his story is short. He has one purpose - to mate with the queen. After he mates he dies. The drones that don't mate basically just lay around the hive and do nothing. They don't bring in pollen or nectar. They don't build comb or make honey. So when fall arrives the workers start driving them out. The colony reduces in number to survive the winter and will not tolerate drones eating the honey stores. They've done nothing all summer so they have to go. I've simplified, but that's the story of a drone.

In recent days our weather has turned almost fall-like and I'm seeing lots of drones being escorted out or either not allowed back in. This big fellow had been hanging on the entrance board and seemed hesitant to even try to get back in the hive. As soon as he made his attempt he was followed by this worker bee.

Here there are more workers "escorting" him out. He didn't make it back into the hive on this try. Maybe later, but not this time.

It's been almost 4 weeks since I've checked the hives, but from the outside things look good. I can see that the colonies are getting somewhat smaller, but the workers are still quite busy bringing in lots of golden yellow pollen. I think it must be goldenrod. I had hoped to do a good hive inspection yesterday, but I've come down with a nasty cold and will wait until the weekend.

Quick Trip Around The Garden

2009-08-21T15:38:00.002-04:00

Butterfly on Joe-Pye WeedHoneybee on Goldenrod

"I said get out and stay out!" Drone being driven from the hive. (:

Asters

Honeybee on Mountain Mint

What's Blooming?

2009-08-19T11:08:00.005-04:00

Summer is quickly leaving the mountains. There are signs of fall all around and I, for one, am happy. So many people say to me, "You must love summer, because you garden." And I say "I do." But I'm always ready for fall. Time to wind down, put the garden to bed, anticipate the fragrance of the first fire in the fireplace and enjoy the fall color that is so spectacular here in the mountains.

I have tried during the summer season to keep a photo journal of the plants that the bees have foraged on most heavily. I will post those photos soon. The trees that have been most important to the bees were the tulip poplar, locust and sourwood. All have now quit blooming so the workers are having to rely on the remaining flowers in bloom.

The following photos are of Autumn Joy Sedum. On sunny afternoons you can hardly see the blooms it is so covered with bees. Earlier during the summer the Lamb's Ear was by far the most popular plant for the girls, but I think the sedum has taken the lead for the most favorite. The sweet fragrance is attractive to me. I can see why the bees are loving it.

This is bronze fennel. It is covered in pollen and the bees are also working it quite vigorously. In the background are our native sunflowers. They are all over the garden and a source of food for the bees and the goldfinch. Sometimes they bend over almost to the ground because there are so many finch feeding on the seed. Also in the background is bee balm. It turned out to be a more important source of food for bumblebees, butterflies and hummingbirds than for the honeybees, but it will remain in my garden because of those bees and birds plus I love the color and the fragrance. It's long since past it's prime and will go in the compost pile this weekend.

I realized this morning as I strolled through the garden that I cater to my bees much like I did my children when they were growing up. Whatever the bees need, I will try to give them. We live on a stream so they always have a supply of fresh mountain water. There are also several birdbaths and a fountain in the yard and I can always see bees on them. They prefer the running water in the fountain. There is a nice electric fence protecting them from the bears as they rest in the evening. (I hope.) I don't love lamb's ear because of it's shaggy flowering habit, but I spent the first part of the week transplanting lamb's ear so the bees will have plenty for next season. I could pull up half of the bee balm and still have enough to share with half the county, but I won't do it. In fact, I transplanted more this week. Same thing with the borage that self-seeded all over the garden. If it had a bee on it, and it always did, I left it. Thankfully, it's done and already in the compost. The list could go on.

Yeah, I'm crazy, but my bees have rewarded me with some beautiful tulip poplar and sourwood honey. But more than that, the honeybees, along with everything else that flies in my garden space, have given me a peace that I've never before experienced in my many years of gardening.

One of my favorite stepping stones says "How lovely is the silence of growing things". My garden is not silent. It hums with life.

Owls and Coyotes and BEARS! Oh My.

2009-08-16T10:45:00.006-04:00

We live in an area of great natural beauty that is home to a wide variety of wildlife. We often hear owls and coyotes calling at night. Deer and wild turkeys are seen frequently and occasionally we spot a bobcat. There are also many small animals such as foxes, raccoons, possums, skunks, squirrels, rabbbits, chipmunks, etc. And then there are the bears.

Part of the appeal of living in the mountains is knowing that you will see bears in the summer. We learned a long time ago that you don't leave a birdfeeder out at night or you won't have a feeder in the morning. We also learned not to leave garbage cans outside. One Thanksgiving, a hungry bear finished off the turkey carcass we left in the garbage. We could see the imprint of his huge backside in the snow where he sat and feasted on the remains of our dinner.

I had not seen a bear this season and I was a little sad, but also glad they were not bothering my beehives. That had been a huge concern when I decided to put the hives in my garden. But just recently my daughter had seen several in the area when she was hiking and my husband came in and had seen one just a few miles up the road. I started thinking, oh no, I may be in trouble. Sure enough, that same evening we were out on the porch eating dinner when the dogs went crazy barking. I immediately headed for the garden and there they were - 2 BEARS headed right for the hives. Thankfully, with the dogs making such a noise and us yelling, they took off.

After all the commotion died down, we turned on the electric fence to make sure it was working properly and much to my horror, it wasn't working! (We only turn it on during the night since the dogs and I are in the garden and around the hives so much during the day.) My husband determined that the transformer had probably burned out and since it was late there was nothing we could do to replace it. I knew I'd have to rely on the dogs to guard the garden and hives for the evening. They did a great job and thankfully the bears did not return that night. I headed to the farm store first thing the next morning and by mid-day the hives were once again protected by an electric fence. I've never really been convinced that the fence would deter a hungry bear, but after working with it for a while, my husband confirms that it will. He's still glowing in the dark after being shocked. :)

August is a beautiful month here. It's just different somehow. The skies are bluer, the days are noticeably shorter and it seems like all the wildlife is starting to prepare for the cold weather they know is coming. The bears included. Jack, our big, black, flat-coat retriever has decided he wants to stay outside at night. Even though he can't get in the fenced garden at night, he knows he had a job to do. The bears are out there. You can hear them in the surrounding woods in the quiet of the evenings. It's where I live.

Busy August Days

2009-08-12T15:12:00.004-04:00

I've been reminded recently by family and friends that I haven't posted anything for a while. When I looked, I couldn't believe it has been almost a month. Well, things are good, but I've just been incredibly busy with the garden, bees and life in general for the past few weeks.

This picture tells a lot of the story. I've been canning green beans. There will be a later post on the great greasy green bean adventure. I've also harvested my first honey and made my first wax block. What fun! The wax is pure, golden yellow and smells wonderful. I'll use it to make candles for the holiday season.

Seems like everything I've done recently has been filled with excitement, but the biggest event was the first of the bear sightings in the garden. I'll tell that story later, also, but thank goodness for our dogs, Jack and Ansley. I still have 2 beehives in tact thanks to them.

The much needed rain has quit so I'm out the door to pick more beans, cucumbers and tomatoes. I have a lot of catching up to do on this blog and I promise myself I will get it done. I created this blog to be a better record-keeper, but I'll never be Thomas Jefferson. :(

The Blue Ridge In My Backyard

2009-07-16T13:22:00.004-04:00

We lived in the small town of Kernersville, NC, before moving to Cashiers 10 years ago. During the summer the temperatures would often be in the 90's and on Sunday afternoons we would head for the Blue Ridge Parkway for a picnic to escape the heat. We could be on the Parkway in Virginia in about an hour. Since moving to Cashiers we've not had to escape the heat because it never really get hot here. Last Sunday we were just looking for something to do and decided to to go on a picnic. We grabbed some beer for the cooler, headed north to Sylva to pick up some chicken at the Bojangles, (we don't have fast food restaurants here either) and headed to Waynesville to access the Parkway. We were there in about 45 minutes. Although it had threatened rain and was cloudy some of the day, the weather was great for relaxing. It didn't take me long to remember why I always took a sweatshirt to the Parkway. The temperatures were high 60's all day.

Sourwood in bloom. Our area of the mountains is known for the sourwood honey produced here. As you look out across the mountains, the white blooms on the trees stand out very prominently in a vast sea of green. I didn't notice this tree at first, but when we sat down at the picnic table my husband said "look behind you." There it was, buzzing with bee activity. All of the views on the Parkway are spectacular. This photo was taken at about 5000 ft.

Whenever we drive in the mountains sometimes the distances are not far, but it takes a while to get to our destination because of the curvey mountain roads. I didn't realize how close we actually are to the Blue Ridge until we can upon this map at one of the ranger/rest stops. Although it is hard to read because of age, the sign points out Whiteside Mountain and Yellow Mountain. From this point at 5700 ft., Whiteside is 27 miles and Yellow is 22 miles. Our house is located between these peaks at 3700 ft.

The view toward Whiteside and Yellow Mountains. We're out there about in the middle of the picture. If you notice, the tree in the foreground is dead. Unfortunaty, there is a small pest called a wooley adelgid that is killing all the hemlock trees. It was painfully obvious on the Parkway. Everywhere we looked there are hundreds of trees that are now skeletons. There are lots of scientists working on the problem, but so far there are no good solutions for fighting this small pest. We have probably 20 hemlocks in our yard right now that need to be cut. They will become firewood for the winter.

We continued our drive towards Cherokee where the Parkway deadends into the Great Smoky Mountain Parkway. From there we headed towards Gatlinburg about 30 miles west. The Oconoluftee River runs along the Parkway and the drive is beautiful. We weren't really going to Gatlinburg, just enjoying the ride and after a few miles we turned around to get back on the Parkway, finish our chicken and head back home. After we had gone just a short distance, we noticed several cars pulling off the road very hurredly. We stopped also and soon found out why cars were stopping. There was an elk grazing beside the river! The elk are being reintroduced to this area and evidently are doing well. I was fortunate that my camera was at my feet and was able to get a couple of pictures before it wandered back into the woods.

We debate sometime whether we will stay in the mountains or maybe someday move back closer to civilization , but after a day like this on the Parkway, we both know we will never be far from this great treasure that is truly in our backyard.

More Bee Photos

2009-07-11T15:41:00.007-04:00

Our Smoky Mountain Chapter Beekeepers met Thursday night and our speaker was my friend, fellow Master Gardener and beekeeper, Gary Bradshaw. Gary is a former commercial beekeeper with over 800 hives and also taught college level courses in beekeeping. He is now retired with 4 hives. His topic for the evening was bee diseases, mites, pests, ect. I'm not going to go into all the gorey details. Any beekeeper out there right now should know what bees are facing. What I am going to note is that Gary's plan of action for his bees is to do nothing. He is not treating for anything. Period. At his last inspection he saw no sign of varroa, disease, or anything else to note. I'm impressed.

My daughter is an excellent photographer and she shot the first 2 pix of the workers on the face of the hive. Their pollen baskets are so full they almost stagger. The hive was wet because I had watered a few plants this morning. We should have rain this evening and tomorrow. We need it. I'm going to have the most awesome crop of cukes I've ever had this year thanks to my buzzy friends.

Bee balm is in full bloom and has become quite the favorite.

Here I come.

I like this picture because it looks like I just pasted the bee in. I didn't. Just happened to get a lucky shot. Lamb's ear is just about finished blooming.

Ora and Walter

2009-07-07T11:19:00.009-04:00

I did a hive inspection this morning and am very pleased with the bees in Ora and Walter. Ora has been a little slow to build-up, but this morning I saw 4 frames in the new super being drawn with comb. I can tell just by looking at outside activity that this colony is really starting to grow. I have confidence they will fill at least one super with honey.

Walter is, in a word, amazing. The bees have filled 2 supers with honey and 8 of the frames in the super I added last Tuesday are already drawn with comb and the workers are busy on the remaining 2. I had to feed Walter all last winter because there were no honey stores. (I didn't take the honey, there was just none there because of the poor season last summer for bees.) My plan right now is to leave at least 1 honey super for Walter, and if Ora does not produce at 1 full super of honey, I will take 1 from Walter to add to her for the winter. If production continues as it is now, I hope Walter will fill 2 more supers. Well see. The following are some pictures of what the bees are loving in the garden right now. Not shown is the feeding frenzy on the cucumber and squash blooms. The sourwood is also starting to bloom.

Headed for the hostas.

Loving the lamb's ear. The buzz around this plant is almost like standing next to the hive.

Bees on borage. Borage is an herb and also one of those plants that once you have it, you have it forever. It self-seeds and is everywhere, but is well worth having because the bees do obviously love it. Very hard to get a picture of working bees. They just won't sit still for me. :)

I'm going to post a picture of Walter's new super in the sidebar. My husband built this box and did a great job on it. He also said it was about the ugliest thing he had ever seen after I painted it. I have to admit it is sort of day-glow yellow, but that's what you get when you mix green and yellow paint. I used what I had. The next one will be red. Bees don't seem to care and I'm not Martha Stewart.

The Old Watering Hole

2009-06-29T19:16:00.004-04:00

(There was supposed to be a video of my bees on the fountain, but I've been trying since last night to upload and it just won't do it. So please look at the older post of the bees on the fountain and imagine it in motion. Thankfully, I'm a much better gardener and beekeeper than I am computer genius.)

I posted a picture of the bees on the fountain a few days ago, but I thought this little video might be entertaining. The girls are thirsty! They are also very protective of their water source. Much buzzing going on around my head. They are capping honey in the top super on Walter, and Ora is filling out nicely in the brood box. I had added a super to Ora a couple of weeks ago, but decided a few days later to remove it. I had inspected and there was not a lot going on . Anyway, this past Saturday I put it back on. There are 7 frames filled in the deep hive body and I didn't want to risk them running out of room as they fill out. I'll also add another super to Walter this week. We still have sourwood and goldenrod to bloom and there are lots of flowers and vegetables blooming in the garden and surrounding property.

My resident handyman spent the afternoon building shallow supers. He had done some remodel work to the house during the winter and had saved some nice pine siding. Being an engineer, he had no problem reading the plans and building the supers from this wood. You can find the plans at http://www.beesource.com/. Tomorrow morning I'll head to the farm store to purchase frames and foundation. Guess I know how I'll spend my afternoon. But it's a nice way to spend a day. I love to build frames.

Just got back from the store. Very breezy this morning and the temperature is a wondeful 68. Great afternoon to build frames.

I hope to start harvesting summer squash and cucumbers from the garden this week. The lettuce is almost gone. It got hot - well hot for us anyway - 82!! We need rain. The pole beans are 7 feet tall and covered with blooms. It may be the end of July before they are ready, but I can green beans and will have plenty for the fall and winter months. I planted bush beans for the first time this year, and they are doing well. I'll do a whole bed of them next year. They are the Blue Lake variety. My tomatoes are small but pretty. Most are cherry variety. Again, it will probably be late July or August before they are ripe. I have a stepping stone at the entrance to the garden that says "Patience". I read it and remind myself everyday.

I've been harvesting new, red potatoes, but they are about gone. One of the pests I didn't plan on having this year was a chipmunk. They have eaten almost as many potatoes as we have. I've been reading about growing potatoes in bags that you hang and will probably try that next year. As I've said before, I don't give up easily on anything in the garden. The one good thing that's come from the potato bed is tons of earthworms. When I planted, I added lots of compost and several layers of wheat straw. When I push back the straw, I see worms that are about the size of small snakes. What an incredibly fertile bed that's going to be next year. BTW, sometimes I do see a snake. There is one just about every morning. I wish I could see a chipmunk hanging out of it's mouth. =) (Sorry if I offended any small varmint lovers out there.)

I know this has been a very strange post, but sometimes things just work out that way. Just gives us a reason to laugh.

Brassicas and Other Garden Notes

2009-06-20T15:06:00.007-04:00

I saw this gorgeous bug flying around in the garden and I was fortunate enough that it sat patiently while I took some pix. Enlarge and look at the pattern in the wings. I wonder if it's some kind of dragonfly? Much earlier in the season, I planted broccoli, brussel sprouts and cabbage. None have done well. Out of the 9 broccoli plants, I was able to harvest 4 heads before they bolted. It was very good. Wish it had done better. The cabbage was showing no signs of forming a head and was wilting in the heat (80) so this morning I pulled it out. The brussel sprouts were tall, green plants but no sign of sprouts. So it's also gone. I'm not sure why the brassicas are not producing for me but I saw a friend this past Saturday and she said couldn't grow broccoli and cabbage either. If I decide to try again next year, and I don't give up on anything very easily, I will plant earlier. I always risk the chance of late freeze and snow, but I think brassicas can stand some cold. One side of my compost box is almost empty so all the plants I pulled will go in there and will be a good green start to that pile. Nothing wasted. Will be doing some reading on brassicas before next season.

I spent the morning putting out compost and fertilizer in the garden. The green beans got a dose of fish emulsion. Peppers and eggplant also got fish emulsion along with some compost in which I mixed triple superphosphate. I have a couple of pretty bell peppers and I want to keep them healthy. Some of the tomatoes got just fish emulsion. Others got f/e plus the compost mix. Also added the same to the cucumbers and squash. This is the first really good fertilizing I've done since planting. Some years I have used lots of Black Kow manure on the garden but this year I'm experimenting with just using compost that I make and the basic fertilizers I have mentioned. Trying to save money.

A Walk Around My Garden

2009-06-18T15:21:00.006-04:00

I have a cold and didn't feel like working in the garden today but because I can never stay out of my garden for long, I took my camera and just enjoyed the view. Hope whoever is looking will, too. Remember to click on. Butterfly or maybe moth, I don't know, on the wild daisies.

Roses on the arbor at the garden gate. I'm not very good with roses, but these are doing well.

There is a mason bee on the catmint. It's not a very good picture of a mason bee but the reason for that is that if you think honeybees are always in motion, think honeybee on lots and lots of caffeine and you have a mason bee. They are nesting in the box I put up a couple of months ago.

Life is so hard for Kobe, relaxing under the catmint. Kobe very seldom goes out of the house, but he's smart enough to know to head for the catmint when he does. Good stuff for cats!

Honeybee on Bachelor Button. This is one of their new favorites. If you ever plant a Bachelor Button, you have them for life. I never appreciated them until I saw how much the bees love it. Being a beekeeper gives you a whole new perspective on gardening.

I can't believe I'm actually going to admit this after complaining for the past few months, but we needed rain. We got it last night. A storm blew in across the mountains from Tennessee and we got a couple of inches. It's thundering in the distance now so I guess round 2 is on the way. I posted the June picture in the sidebar and I'm amazed at what has happened in a month. My garden is ordered chaos at best. I like it like that even though my husband begins to worry about this time of year that I might not make it back to the house. I ofter hear him humming "Down In Jungleland." Thanks Bruce Springsteen.

Hive Update

2009-06-16T11:10:00.009-04:00

I have a fountain in the yard and the bees are taking lots of water from it. Click on the photo for the best view.

I checked the hives this morning and everything looked good. Ora is not filling out much, but this was a split and progressing much like Walter did last year at this time. I had a strange occurence a few weeks ago, and I'm not sure the bees in Ora didn't swarm. I know there was a swarm because I heard and saw it, but the bees didn't cluster in the tree they swarmed to. At this point I'm beginning to think it might have been Ora, because Walter is thriving. I asked my experienced beekeeper friends and they said it is possible for a hive to swarm and then return to a hive because maybe the queen did not leave with them or maybe the queen was killed during the swarm, i.e., eaten by a bird. Anyway, I'm not concerned about Ora. I should also note, I'm not raising bees for honey, but for pollination. If I get honey, I'll be very pleased, but I won't take honey from the hives for my purposes if the bees need it to survive the winter.

I had added a super to Walter a couple of weeks ago and in my post on May 27 (I think) the comb was just being drawn out. This morning, the comb in most all the frames is drawn and there is lots of honey in the middle frames being capped. Walter struggled last year because of drought and dearth, but I definitely think I'll get lots of honey from this hive this year. There is already enough honey in the first super to leave for the winter. Again, I won't take what I don't need.

Beekeeping is turning out be such a rewarding, learning experience for me. I have had to turn down lots of bees this spring because I didn't have the boxes built to hive new swarms. I'll spend the winter building bee hives.

As an afterthought, the trees that are or have been in bloom recently are tulip poplar, locust and holly. I'm beginning to see the bees working in the flowers that are blooming in the yard and garden. The mountain laurel also bloomed heavily but I didn't notice much bee activity in them. I'm told that is a good thing since mountain laurel is poisonous. However, I'm also told nobody would eat laurel honey because it tastes so bad. Also, my blueberies are loaded with berries but the honeybees didn't pay much attention to them. The bumblebees did all the work there.

Dinner From The Garden

2009-06-10T20:03:00.004-04:00

The new potatoes, boiled and covered in butter and parsley, were delicious. The lettuce has been beautiful this year. The temperature has barely reached 80 yet so it hasn't bolted. The green beans I served came from last year's garden. I love to can. Hopefully, the fresh honey will come soon. Walter Bee is doing quite well.

June Gardening Newsletter

2009-06-03T13:14:00.000-04:00

For the gardeners, our June newsletter. Enjoy.

http://jackson.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/50/June-July%20HGN%202009.pdf

June/July HoneyComb Newsletter

2009-06-03T13:09:00.001-04:00

Our June/July HoneyComb Newsletter. Interesting reading for everyone.

http://jackson.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/50/June-July%202009%20HCN.pdf

New Comb In Walter Bee

2009-05-27T17:02:00.009-04:00

I added this super to Walter Bee a couple of weeks ago and the workers are drawing out nice white comb. Click on the pictures to get a good look at the wax they're building on the foundation. Sorry for the blurs. Needless to say, it had rained all morning and I think a raindrop must have found it's way onto my camera lense. I didn't remove all the frames, but could see down inside that the bees were working quite nicely in the center.

Pretty white comb.

I very briefly removed the yellow super and could see a tremendous amount of activity in the gray box. Lots of honey.

Ora Bee with her new super.

Basic Frame-Building

2009-05-27T16:33:00.003-04:00

This really is very simple, but building frames is one of my most favorite aspects of beekeeping. I love the smell of the wood and the warm fragrance of the wax foundation. Below are the parts of the frame ready to be assembled. Top bar, bottom bars, side pieces. My hive tool is in the picture because I use it and sandpaper to smooth rough edges. Side bars are glued and nailed, with 6 nails, to the top bar. I use lots of glue. When loaded with bees, wax and honey, frames are heavy.

Bottom bars are in place. Also glued and nailed with 4 nails. There is a small space between the bottom bars. I'll drop wax foundation in this space and secure at the bottom with the remaining bar. I use a compressor (staples) to complete this. Makes it fast.

Ten frames completed and dated and ready to hang in the small super. The foundation is etched with a hexagonal pattern. The bees will draw out the comb on this foundation. I'm considering some frames in my next super without foundation. The bees will still draw out the comb.

Ready to go on Ora Bee.

Wild Mushrooms and More Rain

2009-05-26T13:29:00.004-04:00

I know I sound like a broken record, but it's just rain, rain, rain. Too many inches to even keep track of anymore. We had tremendous thunderstorms last night between the hours of 10 and 2. Not much sleep going on. However, storms are cool to listen to here because we live in a valley between mountains. The thunder echoes off the peaks and rumbles forever. My garden is growing well in spite of, or maybe because of, the rain. The bees are working the tulip poplar between storms. I found these mushrooms this morning. The big orange ones have been growing for a couple of days. The little brown ones literally sprang up overnight. We don't eat wild mushrooms because I don't know which are safe. I'll stick to the shitake I'm growing.

There is a slug on one of the mushrooms in the picture above and a really pretty black and orange bug in the picture below.

I considered starting building an ark this afternoon, but have decided I need to add a super to Ora Bee and need to build frames. So I'm out the door to do just that. I'll post "Basic Frame-Building 101" tomorrow. :)

"30"

2009-05-19T09:51:00.004-04:00

That was the temperature at 7:00 am.

My husband suffered a serious injury to his arm last summer and had to have emergency surgery to save it. When the surgeon came out of the operating room to talk to me his words were "We stepped over a big snake. The arm is OK." Well we stepped over a snake last night. Thankfully the frost was light and, as far as I can tell this morning, everything looks fine. I did make a last minute decision to cover tomatoes, peppers and eggplant and dahlias, but the bulk of the garden was not protected and is good.

The temps tonight will probably be high 30's, but after that it looks like clear sailing. I hope no more "snakes" in the garden other than the 2 living there that I see almost everyday.

Spring? In The Mountains

2009-05-18T14:33:00.005-04:00

The good news is that the drought if officially over. Of course it didn't exactly take a meteorologist to figure that one out. We've had rain in epic amounts since the first of the year. Over 8 inches so far in May. The bad news is that the temperature was 35 this morning and frost is predicted for tonight. I've been trying to decide if I want to try to cover plants in the garden, but have decided against it. There is so much growing, it would be impossible to cover everything. I'm just going to let Mother Nature take her course and see what happens. Although we had the coldest winter in recent history, my perennials look better than they ever have. The hostas have doubled in size from last year. The pink flower is a campion rose that my Mother and aunt shared with me a couple of weeks ago. I had a lovely visit with them and came away with a lot of treasures in the form of flowers, seeds and items my grandfather, Walter, had made. I'll post more on that later. By the way, Jackie, all the plants are doing quite well, including the money plant. Let's hope for the best tonight.

Hostas surrounded by our native, wild sunflower.

Potatoes are looking great. I'm also growing some in wire cages. Walter and Ora Bee on the hill.

My little garden angel smiling over more hostas. Hope she's not crying over a pile of mush in the morning. There's nothing worse than frozen hostas. Calendula is sprouting in the box behind her.

Daylillies, lettuce, hostas and phlox. All my beds are filled with a combination of herbs, flowers and vegetables.

One of my reasons for this blog was to record the name of everything I plant, the date on which it was planted and the date it germinated. I've been so busy in the past couple of weeks that I've fallen behind on recording that information in the sidebar. I hope to catch up soon. It's supposed to rain again by the end of the week, so maybe then.

Both Walter and Ora Bee are doing well. I've only been able to do one inspection, because of the rain, but the bees in Walter are making honey in the super that I left on for the winter so I added an additional super this past Saturday. The Tulip Poplar is blooming. Ora is not ready for a super yet. Hope to be able to check later this week. Again, depending on weather.

Ora Bee

2009-05-09T16:32:00.002-04:00

Marshall Rice lives about 10 miles from us, and with over 200 hives, is the largest beekeeper in Jackson County, NC. I learned early last week that he had bees for sale. He has been busy splitting his colonies in an effort to keep them from swarming. I had assembled and painted my new hive a couple of weeks ago and all I needed were the bees. On Thursday evening we headed to his house to pick up a split.

Here I am opening my new hive box while Marshall opens the box containing my bees.

My brood box is open and ready for 5 frames of bees, eggs, brood and queen. We did not see her majesty, but Marshall found her earlier and marked her with a white dot. There are some of his hives up on the hill in the right of the picture.

Lovely frame of bees. Marshall is lifting the frame with a tool that I do not have, but will soon invest in. This frame lifter makes it very easy to grasp a frame filled with bees.

We waited until almost dark to get the bees so that most of them would be in the hive and not out working, but there were a few stubborn ones that just did not want to go into the new hive box. Marshall patiently smoked them and soon most all settled into their new home. We taped over the opening in the inner cover and inserted a wire screen on the front opening of the box to prevent any bees from escaping and make our drive back home uneventful.

We had rain Friday morning, but by mid-day it had stopped and the new colony was out. I watched as they made orientation flights. Small circles at first and then on each subsequent flight a larger circle until they were finding their way out into the woods and garden to forage. There was pollen coming in by afternoon. That's the wire mesh on top of the hive we used to cover the front entrance.

Ora Bee has settled in quite nicely next to Walter Bee. Ora was my grandmother.

Stream After The Rain

2009-05-09T07:51:00.002-04:00

This is the music I garden to.

Jenny and Randy's Garden

2009-04-27T15:14:00.003-04:00

We spent the weekend in Chapel Hill with our son and daughter-in-law, Randy and Jenny. Although the temperature was in the low 90's, Saturday was a great day to start a garden. We headed to the Carrboro Farmer's Market early and bought tomato, pepper, squash, cucumber and chive plants. Then onto Southern States for a few more herbs and supplies. My husband had been CH a few weeks ago and he and Randy built a box for compost and started digging this bed. We started with an area of about 8 x 10 feet.

After a trip to Lowe's, the bed grew to a nice finished size of 8x12.

Jenny is serious about digging the holes for the tomato plants.

Compost is already off to a good start with leaves and kitchen scraps.

In the small space we planted 4 tomato plants, 6 peppers, 2 squash, 2 cucumbers, 2 basil plants, 4 chives, cilantro, and also a row of green beans along the back edge. Randy and Jenny worked in lots of Black Cow and also added my favorite organic fertilizer, Plant-tone, to each plant. They spread newspaper around each plant and mulched with bark. They also added a center path of pine straw. A good soak with the hose and the garden was finished!

We also planted a small herb garden, but when I went to get a picture, my memory card was full. I know the kids will keep me updated with pictures of both the herb and vegetable gardens. I also failed to get a picture of Randy at work, but I understand there are some posted on Facebook. I'll check those out later.

We had such a good time doing this, but by 4, we were all ready for a rest and a cold beer. I tried Jenny's favorite Magic Hat #9 and did it ever taste good. Randy and Jenny are coming for a visit in June and I expect to see squash and cucumbers from their garden!

Bees In The Garden - Honey and Mason

2009-04-22T14:54:00.007-04:00

I spent last Saturday morning at the Appalachian Growers Fair with my daughter and granddaughter. It's a unique fair celebrating local farmers and growers. There was an open-air plant and produce market and crafters and artisans were also demonstrating and selling their wares. A local band entertained with bluegrass music and storytellers were on hand to delight the children. I had a chance to visit with my friends, Kelley and Quintin, who own Balltown Bee Farm. They've had 2 swarms already this year. They were able to catch one, but the other was too high and was lost. I was delighted when my granddaughter, 20 month old Savanna, went to their observation hive, pointed and exclaimed "BEES." I also had good visits with my friend and local county extension agent, Christy, and also Ellen my friend I gardened with at The Community Garden for the previous 2 years. I miss the Community Garden, but with my involvement in the Harvest Project, it was just more than I could do this year. Maybe next year I'll go back.

The Mountain Heritage Center had a display on Mason Bees. Mason bees are solitary, sting-less bees that make their nests in small holes. They don't make the holes themselves, but use holes made by woodpeckers and other insects. Mason bees collect pollen when they visit flowers and make a ball of pollen to put in the nest. They lay an egg on the ball of pollen and seal it with mud and then continue this same procedure until the hole is filled. Masons have been pollinating my garden for the past several years, so I thought I'd give them a home in which to nest. The box is just a simple block of untreated wood into which holes are drilled at a depth of 5/16 and at least 3/4 apart. (Those are inches.) Cover with a roofing shingle and hang it at a height of about 3 feet off the ground. It should, like a bee hive, face the southeast to catch morning sun. Mason bees would be a great alternative for people who want bees in the garden but cannot raise honeybees. If the masons do nest, it will be interesting to see what interaction they have with my bees.

Honeybees love dandelions and mine are working them heavily. I love the color of the bands on this girl. Make sure to click-on to see all the lovely details.

Her pollen baskets are loaded and all the fine hairs on her body are covered with pollen.

Look at that beautiful orange pollen.

Again, I love the color.

There is not much going on in the garden right now. Our nights are still very cold - 35 for the past two mornings. We are supposed to have very warm weather beginning tomorrow and I suspect with the amount of rain we've had everything will finally start to bloom. I won't plant summer vegetables until the middle of May. Our average last frost date is May 15 and sometimes even that is iffy. The tulip poplar should be out soon. That will be our first major honeyflow.

"April is the cruellest month"

2009-04-13T13:53:00.004-04:00

Poet T. S. Eliot wrote those words and they certainly apply to the weather in Western NC and probably a good part of the rest of the nation. By the way, the poem wasn't really about the weather.

We had strong storms Friday night, but thankfully were spared some of the most severe weather. There were several tornadoes reported to the south of us in the upstate of South Carolina. Saturday was clear, but fairly cool and breezy. I worked some in the garden and had the chance to photograph this little baby bird. It didn't show any fear. Not sure, but I think it's a pine siskin, or if not, probably a goldfinch. We have lots of both. Sunday dawned clear and sunny. By mid-morning it was mid-50's and by afternoon 62. The rain washed away a lot of the pollen in the air. We've had high pollen alerts for the past few days. The honeybees are loving it and the hive was exploding with activity. Noticing a lot of white pollen coming in now, along with the brilliant orange and yellows. Still not a lot blooming in the way of flowers other than daffodils and pansies, but there are several apple trees in bloom about a quarter of a mile up the road and I suspect they are working these tree. Tulip poplar should bloom soon.

I have been dividing and transplanting lots of perennials. Also putting in some new beds where we took down some trees in the fall. I hate to cut trees, but these were shading some of the garden and also the area where Walter Bee is located. It's important that the hive gets sun as early as possible in the morning and cutting these trees allowed that to happen. It's nicely shaded in the afternoon. I did lots of fertilizing. I use an organic product called Plant-tone on just about everything. I've also been adding bonemeal and/or super phosphate to day lillies and irises. Also anything I transplant, I use fish emulsion to water in the new roots. So far, no problem with a bear but I'm being very careful to mulch everything heavily to help cover the odor. I admit the stuff does stink, but does it ever make things green! (I hope I didn't just jinx myself with the comment about the bear. They are still my biggest fear for the bees..)

The cilantro seeds I planted have germinated. Even though the weather has been so rainy and cold, the lettuce I started from seed looks good, also. I planted potatoes a couple of weeks ago and can see tiny sprouts pushing through the mulch. Broccoli and brussel sprouts don't mind the cold and are growing nicely. Rhubarb is beautiful. All the herbs are growing except for the rosemary, which is dead. I've never been able to get it to overwinter. I'll replant mid-May.

Although it's almost 2:30, the temperature is barely 40 and it's raining. What more can I say? T. S. Eliot already said it.

Notes and Photos Continued...

2009-04-09T10:32:00.003-04:00

Oh, No, Not Again!

Thyme and chives. Herbs don't seem to mind the snow.

Walter Bee in the snow. A sharp rap to the side reassured me all was well inside. Bees humming! By Wednesday the honeybees were out foraging again, but there were a dozen small bees on the landing board. I think they may have been young bees that froze. I had a good look at them up-close and could see no sign of deformed wings or mites. This morning, even from a distance, I can see the colony buzzing with activity.

The buckets and boxes in the foreground are covering young broccoli and brussel sprouts plants. When I uncovered them yesterday, everything looked good. No damage. To the left of the scarecrow is bee balm. I think it liked the snow. This morning it looks like it grew 4 inches overnight. The bee balm was gorgeous last summer and by late summer stayed covered with butterflies. I think my bees are going to love it.

Young lettuce covered with boxes. Again, no damage. I didn't cover the lettuce I started from seed because the area was too large. But all the very small plants look fine.

Our temperature was 32 this morning. I didn't recover anything in the garden last night. This morning, all is well. I actually think cool weather crops like some snow. I know it provides an insulating cover against the cold. I'll revisit these photos next year just to remind myself not to plant too early. I hope this has been our last cold spell, but I'll not be too confident until May.

Notes and Photos From The Past Week

2009-04-08T15:40:00.005-04:00

Saturday and Sunday were beautiful and I spent a lot of time in my garden and in Brevard at the Harvest Project garden. (See http://www.harvestproject-bgc.blogspot.com/) The honeybees were quite active over the weekend. They are bringing in every color pollen imaginable. The inside of Walter Bee must look like a rainbow. Still not quite warm enough to do a good inspection. I love to click on the photos for great close-up views of the bees. I received an email from Christy, our county extension agent, letting me know our Honey Comb News is now available online and in color. There is always an interesting beekeeping article included. I've posted the link in the sidebar and will update as I receive new publications from Christy. BTW, she is awesome at her job and always available to answer questions. Thanks Christy for everything you do. http://jackson.ces.ncsu.edu/files/library/50/April-May%202009%20HCN.pdf

Lots of daffodils and pansies blooming in the garden.

Marley in the phlox. She loves being in the garden. Maybe she'll catch the vole I suspect is chewing on some roots.

Thanks to all who commented or emailed me with information about the owl. The photos generated a lot of interest. I learned, among other things, that he is a barred owl. I keep hoping to get another glimpse of him, but so far, no luck. I also keep saying he, but maybe it's a she. As I asked my friends, Alice and Dane, who are world-class birders, how do you tell? Maybe someone can answer that question.

As I said earlier, the weekend was beautiful, but then Monday came. At 9:00 it was 45, at 12:00 it was 35 and snowing. It got worse. I'll continue this post...

Owl On The Stream

2009-04-02T19:38:00.003-04:00

I live on a heavily wooded acre and a half of land in Cashiers, NC. There is a beautiful trout stream that flows the entire length of our property. It's been raining for days, but I stepped out on the deck this afternoon and something caught my eye in the woods. I realized in a hurry that it was an owl. I quickly ran and grabbed my camera. We hear owls calling just about every night, but very seldom see one. I didn't have any idea if I would be able to get close enough to get a photo of this one. Very quietly, and in the rain, I crept down the yard. I'll let you see if you can spot this beautiful bird. Good luck.

This is my front yard. There is an owl in this picture. Click on and maybe you'll see him.

A little closer now. I'm walking very quietly, but he has already spotted me. Do you see him in the lower left-hand side of the picture? He sees you with one eye.

See him now? Picture is blurry. Rain and excitement! But I'm getting closer...and then he flies.

Here I am! Lucky me, he flew to a tree that was much more out in the open.

Am I not beautiful!!! And then he spread his wings and flew away.

I'm glad it rained again today. I think the woods were so deep and dark, this bird was hunting trout in the stream. We have lots of songbirds in the yard and at the feeders, but I don't often get to see an animal this gorgeous. Maybe he came to brighten my day. He succeeded.

It's Raining, It's Pouring...

2009-03-27T15:13:00.007-04:00

I've not been in the garden or seen a bee since Tuesday when I took this photo. It's been raining since then. Click on the photo for a good shot of the honeybee's proboscis. Bees cannot survive without water, and believe me, there has been no shortage since late Tuesday night.

We have had extreme drought conditions in Western North Carolina for the past couple of years. The rain we've had should make a huge dent in the deficit. I complain when the skies are grey for such long periods of times, but I know the rain is very beneficial. My husband says I "B and M", which translates to Bitch and Moan, but I'm a farmer - it's required of me!

I'm headed to the farm store tomorrow, rain or shine. Sunday is forecast to be nice and I'm going to set out some lettuce, broccoli, cilantro and parsley plants. I've planted some lettuce and cilantro seed, but I like to do seedlings, too. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of my seeds have washed away. I'll also plant my potatoes. The bed is ready except for the addition of some bone meal.

There is always an upside to long periods of spring rain in the mountains. The temperatures will warm to the 60's next week and the yard and garden will start to "green" before my eyes and the honeybees will be out working again!

Garden Journal and Things Smart Beekeepers Don't Do

2009-03-23T19:18:00.005-04:00

I wanted to open Walter Bee today to inspect, reverse the inner cover and remove the grease patty. The weather had been mild this morning and I felt early afternoon would be a good time to go in, but after I had been in the garden for a while the sky started to cloud and the wind to blow. The bees were still out flying and bringing in pollen so I decided to open the top and quickly reverse the inner cover and grab the patty. I got as far as the inner cover. There were bees all over the top of the super and the grease patty, so I very hurredly closed the hive. First mistake. When I reversed the inner cover and put it back over the grease patty there was a gap of about an 1/8 of an inch between the top of the hive and the inner cover and the outer cover was sitting at a bad angle. Bees were pouring out of the top. Not wanting to leave the hive so open and vulernable, I decided to go ahead and smoke and finish the job of removing the grease patty. I went to the garage to light my smoker since the wind had picked up. A smoker does what it says it does - it smokes. Which would have been okay except for the fact that while the smoker was smoking away in the garage, I was looking for my hive tool. I've been very organized with my equipment, but could not find it anywhere. I decided a screwdriver would have to do. (Still haven't found my hive tool.) When I got back to the hive, I quickly smoked and calmed the bees, opened the cover and inner cover and removed the grease patty. Since I was in and the bees were calm I wanted to continue with a brief inspection. Screw drivers don't really work like a hive tool and I was trying my best to pry the frames apart in the super. This is about the time my smoker quit. Not good. Bees are beginning to get angry. Thankfully I had on my veil. I managed to get 2 frames loose in the shallow super and was pleased to see some capped honey and also was able to peer down in the brood box and see lots of bees. I've been stung only twice in the year I've been keeping bees and both times because I did something stupid. I was very lucky today. I didn't get stung. Lessons learned -smoke the bees, don't light smoker in the garage, locate all equipment before lighting the smoker, make sure smoker is going to stay lit, take your time, make sure the skies are bright and sunny, no wind, screwdrivers don't really work like a hive tool, the list could go on. Thankfully, I'm a better gardener that I am a beekeeper.

Daffodils in Bloom!

Red Maple Budding Out

I planted some lettuce seed in the garden today. I dug this small bed, spread some seed and covered with a bucketful of compost. There are feral cats in the neighborhood and they like nothing better than to dig in freshly dug earth, so on top of the compost I sprinkled some blood meal. It is usually effective as a deterrent to critters. I'll see if it works for cats.

This is my potato bed. I'm going to plant on top of the soil and cover with mulch, leaves and staw, but I did dig two trenches about 4 inches deep and filled them with compost. I'll probably plant the tubers this weekend. I want to add some bone meal to the soil before I plant and did not have any. Sometimes I put out potatos too early. They come up, but there is always a chance a late freeze will kill the leaves that have sprouted. They recover, but black foliage is not pretty in the garden.

Rhubarb Smiling At Me!

Good March Days

2009-03-22T15:44:00.006-04:00

This has been a great garden and beekeeping weekend. Our Smoky Mountain Beekeeper's Assoc. hosted a beginners bee school on Saturday. We were fortunate to have Jennifer Berry as our instructor. Jennifer is a long-time beekeeper and bee researcher at the University of Georgia. I saw her last May at Young Harris College Bee School. She is not only very knowledgeable about her subject, but also very lively and entertaining. She did a great job of covering the basics of beekeeping such as biology, equipment, diseases, and pests. She spent a great deal of time on varroa mites since this is the probably the most serious problem facing bees right now. I was very encouraged that she is strongly advocating natural solutions to the problem of varroa such as sugar shakes, drone comb and the discontinued use of chemicals in the hive. I was even more encouraged last week when I learned from some of our senior beekeepers that they are treating their bees without use of chemicals and not seeing any difference in their losses. Researchers and beekeepers alike are acknowledging that we are killing bees with chemicals and pesticides.

Jennifer also spoke of small hive beetles, which I am not seeing, but she did say that they lay their eggs in grease patties in the hive. Since I have a patty on the hive now, I will remove it soon. Don't want a SHB problem. I wanted to inspect Walter Bee today, but although the temperature was low 60's, there was a good breeze so I decided not to open. Maybe tomorrow. I'll also do my sugar shake when I open and also reverse the inner cover. The bees are quite active right now and I'm anxious to know what's going on inside the hive. I'm still feeding sugar syrup, and will continue to do so, but I changed the ratio of sugar to water to 1 to 1.

Another interesting topic that Jennifer covered was the poisons that we are bringing into the hive with the use of wax foundations. Wax foundation is made from wax that major beekeepers sell. Since most of these operations are using chemicals on the bees, those chemicals remain in the wax made into foundation. Her solution is to use plastic foundation, which bees do not seem to like. But she sprays the plastic with a 1 to1 ratio sugar solution and her bees are drawing it out sucessfully. She also suggests turning over all foundation every 5 years, which she does by removing 2 outer frames, adding 2 in the middle, each year, until all 10 frames are replaced. I will date my frames when I open the hive. Busy spring coming up!

I spent today in the garden. March is such a frustrating month for me. The days are gorgeous, but our temperatures have been in the low 20's for the past 3 nights. Frost all 3 mornings. I'm so anxious to start planting, but know it's waaaay too early. I did transplant several things today. Moved some phlox, bachelor buttons and daylillies. We dug out the lillies last fall and threw them in the woods, but they came up so very pretty on top of the soil I decided to put some of them back in the garden. Lots of perennials up and I'm throwing lots of compost around anything I see. Also put out pine straw in my first bed. I'll fill it out this week with lettuce, parsley and cilantro. All my beds are a combination of flowers, vegetables and herbs. I garden in such a small space and can't bear to waste an inch of soil.

Bee Video

2009-03-15T15:22:00.005-04:00

This is not an exciting video, but I was experimenting with how to actually post. It's just bees flying on a cool, Sunday afternoon. I was surprised to see them since it's been so rainy, but I guess they were as anxious as I was to get out. Anyway, it took forever to upload this video, but now I know how to do it. Still so much to learn about bees, cameras, blog.......

Rhubarb In The Rain

2009-03-15T13:37:00.005-04:00

After 2 days of wet weather, I was itching to play in the dirt this morning, so during a break in the rain I decided to fertilize my rhubarb. Ideally to get the most out of your plants, fertilize 3 times during the year. In the early spring, (March or April) is a good time before any growth begins and this I had done earlier when I applied some compost. Fertilize again just after the growth appears and at the end of the harvest season. The fertilizer should be worked well into the top of the soil and watered in. Compost on top will provide food over the dormant period in the winter. I sprinkled blood meal around each plant and watered in with some fish emulsion. I then spread a bucketful of compost around each plant and mulched with hay. I hope I didn't put up a "Diner Open" sign to the bears with the fish emulsion. I'll be very careful with it's use this year because I don't want to attract bears to Walter Bee. These are my 3 lovely plants. I'll follow their growth with my camera.

I have a recipe for an orange-rhubarb quick bread that I want to try with my first harvest. I'll pass the recipe along if the bread is good!

Rambling

2009-03-10T16:21:00.003-04:00

I took this picture last week during the snow. The cardinals really stand out against the white snow. The weather has been spectacular the past 3 days, but our forecast is for snow, sleet and freezing rain on Friday. Such is March in WNC...

I hope the next pictures I post are of the daffodils blooming and not more snow.

The bees are loving the weather, and there lots of perennials poking out of the ground. I've learned not to worry about the emerging flowers if we have a late cold snap. Other than the freeze we had a few years ago at Easter, things always come out just fine. Nature has a great way of looking out for herself.

We have a bee meeting on Thursday night and I have lots of questions for the experienced beekeepers. I've been feeding the hive and wonder if it's time to remove the food. The bees are bringing in tons of pollen. Also need to know when to reverse the inner cover. I'm planning to split this hive and need to know when to do so. Although all beekeepers have different ways of doing things, and no two will tell you the same thing, I always come away from the meetings with information I can use.

The Harvest Project in Brevard is getting off to a good start. We have a volunteer workday scheduled for Saturday. Hope the weather cooperates. The young gardeners are anxious to get their hands in the dirt. I'll meet with them on Friday and take pictures and get some of their thoughts to publish on the blog. Check it out at harvestproject-bgc.blogpot.com.

I'm very excited to report Miss Jenny is going to be starting a garden in Chapel Hill. She is my lovely daughter-in-law. She got started this past weekend with a compost pile. I'll be going to CH soon to help her with the planting. Go Jenny and Randy!

The Hive is Alive!

2009-03-08T16:21:00.003-04:00

What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday the temperature struggled to get out of the 20's and 3 inches of snow fell. Yesterday and today, the temps have been close to 70 and the sun is shining brightly in a clear blue sky. The bees are loving it! They are bringing in lots of pollen. If you click on the pictures below, you can see their pollen sacs are full. I think the bee on the bottom board was so heavy with pollen she was struggling to get inside the hive. Anyway, she did a great job of posing while I snapped several pictures.

My mimosa tree came last week and I planted it this past Thursday. I also planted some liatris corms. I'm experimenting this year with growing perennials from seeds, roots, corms, and bulbs as opposed to mature plants. Lot less expensive. I bought 20 liatris corms for $4 as opposed to $3 or $4 for 1 plant. I'm so very anxious to get lots of things started, but I've learned from being in the mountains for 9 years that it's way too early. As nice as the weather has been the past few days, winter is not yet over.

Snow and Skunks

2009-03-02T13:58:00.004-05:00

March came roaring across the Southeast yesterday. This is my garden at dusk. It snowed all day and we ended up with about 3 inches of the beautiful white powder. I checked Walter Bee this morning, and although the bees have not been out since Friday, I can hear that nice hum coming from the inside. I put the boardman feeder on today, but I think it will be tomorrow before the girls venture out for some relief and food. Temps should return to the 40's and low 50's for the rest of the week. When I walked to the garden, I noticed juncoes on the entrance to the hive. I suspect the are eating the dead bees they can reach. Thankfully, I didn't see too many dead on the top of the screened botton board.

My little garden angel is once again wrapped up in her snow hat and coat.

I think the mystery of the critter in my garden is solved. After checking my trusty Google search engine, I learned that skunks do indeed love bonemeal. When skunks forage in the soil, they make a very distinct circular pattern and this is what I observed around my pansies. Looks like mini alien crop circles. :) I like to use bonemeal, but will consider using super phosphate instead. It accomplishes the same thing - strong roots and blooms.

Catching Up

2009-02-27T13:10:00.002-05:00

The last week of February has been typical. Two days of a dusting of snow and several mild days in between. It's been raining since last night and will probably continue through tomorrow and then turn to snow on Sunday. Looks like after Monday, we will get some warm days again. Hope March is going to be mild.

The bees have quite active on the days when the weather has been mild. Yesterday was low fifties and there was a lot of activity. They are feeding and bringing in some pollen. I took a quick peek under the inner cover and saw lots of bees. I'm beginning to be very encouraged that the hive will make it safely through the winter.

We spent last Saturday with our friends Kelley and Quintin at Balltown Bee Farm. They hosted a shitake log workshop. About 30 people attended. We innoculated 200 logs with shitake spore. I forgot my camera, but Sue and Pat were kind enough to forward their pictures to me. Thanks! Follow this link to some great pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=Catspaw851&target=ALBUM&id=5305639001424713857&authkey=kCGpa4De6j0&authkey=kCGpa4De6j0&feat=email

Notice all the beehives. Kelley has about 50! and I'm jealous. I hope to be so successful.

I planted some pansies on Wednesday, but when I went to the garden this morning, something had rooted them out the ground. Whatever the critter is, it also dug some dahlia tubers that had overwintered and took a few bites. I used bone meal when I planted the pansies and have had trouble in the past with the dogs digging, but the gate was closed last night and the dogs were not out. I hope I don't have voles, but I'm not sure they would cause that kind of damage. If anybody has any thoughts, let me know. Anyway, the pansies were not damaged so if it happens again, I'll just plant them in my flower boxes on the deck.

My experiment with starting seeds indoors was not successful. All the seeds germinated, but because my light is high above the seedlings, they are just stretching up and flopping over. I'll stick with planting seeds directly in the ground or buying plants from my local farm store. All is not lost, however. I'll put everything in the compost pile.

I'll be in the garden next week with my camera. Everywhere I look there are perennials beginning to show through the soil. The daffodils are up a couple of inches and a few already have big buds. Can't wait to see those first lovely yellow flowers!

Greg Rogers at Smoky Mountain Beekeepers Meeting

2009-02-16T12:32:00.004-05:00

We were fortunate to have Greg Rogers, a local professional beekeeper, to speak at our February meeting of the Smoky Mountain Beekeepers. Greg manages over 300 hundred hives and, like most beekeepers, is experiencing losses. He spoke of treating his hives with chemicals and also using softer treatments. The losses continue with both. I'm not sure there is a good answer to the ailments bees are facing right now. I will continue to treat organically. So far, my hive seems to be holding it's own. I know the numbers are small, but they are surviving this very cold winter and on days when the temperature permits, are out flying vigorously. Another cold, snowy week is forecast. Greg also demonstrated how to split a hive. I plan to do this in the spring if my hive is strong enough. I'm going to let them raise their own queen. I'm not keeping bees for honey production, but rather for pollination purposes. I don't mind if I lose some time while they are raising the new queen.

"A Sky Burial"

2009-02-10T13:41:00.001-05:00

A lovely passage from A Recipe for Bees, a novel by Gail Anderson-Dargatz.

"Most bees dies outside, while foraging. But some die inside the hives. The undertaker bees carry the dead body through the hive and deposit it outside the opening. They leave it there a day or two until it's dried out a bit, so it's lighter. Then one of them collects the dead bee and flies into the sky, away from the hive, where it drops the body. Isn't that a fitting funeral for a bee? A sky burial."

Describes my bees' recent behavior perfectly.

Seed Starting

2009-02-08T14:47:00.004-05:00

I started 2 flats of seed today. I think the picture looks like big pans of brownies, but it's actually lettuce, cilantro, parsley and pansies. I should have enough seedlings to share with the young gardeners at the Boy's and Girl's Club and some for my own use. I'll post follow-up pictures as the seeds emerge.

The weather is spectacular. Yesterday and today the temps have been close to 60. The bees are quite active. They have consumed almost a half quart of sugar syrup in the last 2 days. I'll keep feeding until I'm sure they can survive on their own.

Not much else today. Just enjoying the weather.

Life Inside Walter Bee

2009-02-07T14:39:00.005-05:00

February weather is truly tricky. Our high mid-week was 15, today, it's almost 60. Needless to say, I am loving it and so are my bees. I've been wanting to get a good look inside the hive and decided today would be a good one to risk taking the inner cover off for a short time. I didn't smoke the bees because I how much stress they've been under due to the cold weather. I very quickly removed the outer cover, removed the inner cover and snapped these pictures. I got about 15 seconds before they let me know, in a very loud way, that my presence was not welcome.

As you can see, there are a good many bees in the hive. (Again, based on what? I'm not sure at this point what is a lot. I need a second hive for comparison. Will have it in the spring.) Also notice the grease patty has not been eaten. I'll leave it on for a while. I don't think it's doing any harm. Need to read up on the grease patty again. I can see some drawn comb in the shallow super, but I don't think there is any honey. This was a very quick inspection. Regardless of the lack of visible honey, the hive is alive and has been extremely active for the past 2 days. Looks like the weather will stay mild for the next several days and I will continue to feed for as long as I need to do so.

The girls have done an excellent job of housekeeping over the past 2 days. Not a dead bee in sight. I noticed this morning they are not content to just drag the dead out and drop them to the ground, they literally pick up the bodies and fly them away from the front of the hive.

This is propolis the bees had built up in the opening of the inner cover. This cover needed to be repaired, so I removed it and put the new one on. I cleaned the propolis and left it on the bee stand. Am curious if they will clean it up and use it inside the hive again. There is also some propolis between the frames in the shallow super. I have a feeling I'm going to have quite a clean-up job in the spring.

I planted my peonies this afternoon. Dug a nice deep hole, worked in a bucketful of compost and set the roots in the ground about 2 inches deep. There are some pretty red buds on the roots. Hope they do well. I hope to get some seeds started tomorrow.

Will Winter Never End?

2009-02-05T11:21:00.003-05:00

Of course it will, but at this point it's just cold, cold, cold. More snow and very cold temperatures for the past few days. One yesterday, zero this morning. I checked the hive earlier today and was again reassured because I hear a lot of buzzing going on inside, but I also see lots of dead bees on the screened bottom board. I think this is normal since there has been no housekeeping since Sunday. Thankfully, the long range temperatures are predicted to be in the 50's for the next ten days. This has been the coldest winter we've had in Western NC for a long time. If Walter Bee survives, I will be most impressed with that little hive since I know their numbers are small.

I created my little bee from a link off The Park Seed Garden Journal. At least she looks happy. She's not out in the cold!

Sunset

2009-01-29T13:54:00.004-05:00

After complaining about the rain all day yesterday, I was rewarded with this beautiful sunset last night. The picture doesn't do it justice, but the sky was a gorgeous shade of pink. Today the skies are bright blue, the temperature is 42 and the bees are out working and enjoying the mild air.

I bought seed for lettuce, cabbage, parsley, cilantro, broccoli and pansies this morning. I hope to get them started over the weekend. I also bought 2 peony plants. Well, not really plants, but the little bareroots that come in a bag. Maybe it's a rhizome. (Some master gardener, huh?) I've wanted to grow peonies for quite sometime, but just couldn't bring myself to spend $15 - $30 dollars for a plant. I'll do some research this afternoon and find the proper name for what I bought and what to do with them. I know peonies need deep soil and room to grow, so I should be able to find a good home for them. I planted some small rhubarb plants last year, not knowing what to expect, and they did great. I moved them in the fall and this morning I pushed back the mulch and saw some nice red buds poking through the soil. There's a lot of life under all that brown.

Rain

2009-01-28T13:23:00.003-05:00

I know we are suffering from severe drought in the mountains, but it has been raining heavily all day and it's depressing. The good news is that the past weekend was fairly mild and the bees were out and also taking sugar syrup from the boardman feedeer. I know the boardman is not the preferred way of feeding for a lot of people, but it has worked well for me. Every time the weather is nice enough for the bees to be flying, they are very actively feeding. I checked the grease patty yesterday and I don't think they are eating any of it. Looks like our weather will be mid-40's after this rain moves out and at that temperature my bees are always busy. When I lifted the inner cover to check the grease patty, I'm pretty sure I saw capped honey in a few of the frames of the shallow super. As soon as we have a mild day, I'm going to pull out a frame and inspect more closely.

I have gotten involved in a new garden project that I'm really excited about. I'm going to be supervising a group of 5th graders at the Boy's and Girls's Club with a program called Harvest Project. There is a nice garden plot at the Club and this group of kids, with the help of adult volunteers, will plan, plant, water, weed and harvest. The kids will get to choose what they want to plant - vegetables, herbs, flowers, etc. They will get to decide what they want to do with their harvest. Some ideas would be to plan a dinner at the Club for parents, sell at a local tailgate market, or show at the fair in September. The local 4-H agent is also going to be involved. Our first meeting with the kids is scheduled for February 23. Our goal is to start spring vegetables, weather permitting, March 15. To follow our progress I've set up a blog. The web-site is
www.harvestproject-bgc.blogspot.com.

One of the goals I've set for myself this year is to start more plants from seed. This weekend I'm going to start some lettuce, cabbage, kale and cilantro. I have a spot on my potting bench in the garage that should work well. The garage is heated and there are fluorescent lights above the bench. I'll plant enough seeds for myself and for the kids to get started with at the Boy's and Girl's Club.

Recycle and Compost

2009-01-24T15:43:00.005-05:00

Today was another nice one, so I decided to do some work in the garden. I cleaned the ashes out of the fireplace this morning and added them to the compost boxes. I also had a few perennials to deadhead and added those clippings. I compost all my kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc. In the summer we add grass clipping and in the fall, leaves. Although my compost is not hot in the winter, it is breaking down nicely. Takes a lot of turning, but it's worth it.

We always throw the Christmas tree in the garden after the holidays. I cut all the limbs off today. We'll cut the trunk and use it for firewood.
I mulched around the blueberry bushes with the limbs and also covered any daffodil sprouts that I could find. Also worked in a small amount of bone meal around the daffodils.

The bees were out again today. They had a great day yesterday as we warmed to the upper 50's. Not quite that warm today at mid-40's, but certainly nice in the sun. I'm always heartened when I see them out. They have survived one more winter day. I'm also beginning to think my behavior is much like theirs. If it's cold, rainy, snowy, I want to be someplace warm and cozy. But if there is blue sky, sunshine and warm breezes, I want to be outside!

Busy Bees!

2009-01-22T13:55:00.003-05:00

The sun is shining and it's warm! I looked out at Walter Bee this morning and the girls were out in force. I immediately put the feeder on. They are almost in a frenzy, feeding, cleaning out the hive (lots of dead bees from the past very cold week) and bringing in small amounts of pollen. I think they are as glad as I am for a nice day. The weather should continue to be mild for the next few days. I hope the really cold weather is over.

I peeped under the inner cover to see if they had eaten any of the grease patty and it did not seem they had. There were a few bees showing some interest. I think it's just been too cold for them to break the cluster, but they seem to be surviving in spite of the elements. I'll continue to check the grease patty.

My new camera finally arrived yesterday. This has been a very gentle hive to work with. Because I'm so comfortable working in very close proximity to them, I hope to be able to create a very good picture journal. Sometimes pictures do speak louder than words.

When I got Walter Bee I told a friend that I knew I would always be a gardener, but not sure how I would do as a beekeeper. Believe me, I'm hooked! I can't wait for spring to get my second hive.

Cabin Fever

2009-01-21T12:45:00.003-05:00

This is the longest really cold spell we've had in a long time. We were at 5 again this morning, but at least the snow is over and the sun is shining. Walter Bee is located at the top of the slope in my garden and when the sun shines, it warms up pretty rapidly.

I checked the hive a few minutes ago, and although I see some dead bees on the screened bottom board, I again hear that reassuring hum from the inside. I thought about using the boardman feeder on the outside, but don't feel comfortable trying to lure them out at eat. I'll give it another day. We're supposed to be mid-forties and I always see them out taking cleansing flights at that temperature. The boardman did not work on the inside of the hive. TOO COLD! It will be interesting to see if the girls ate the grease patty. I might get a peek tomorrow.

I have some repair work to do when I feel I can open the hive. The inner cover has come apart on one corner and one of the frames in the deep hive body has come apart at the bottom. (I can see it hanging down when I look inside the entrance.) This is the area where I saw the cluster so I know there is a lot of weight. I'll probably go ahead and get a new inner cover since I'll need another in the spring when I split this hive. The frame is going to have to wait. There is no way I would disrupt the cluster in this cold weather. Now would also be a good time to get the components for the new hive and start assembling.

I still don't have my new camera. Maybe UPS is worried about getting down my long, frozen drive. We're not having any trouble with 4-wheel drive. Hopefully it will come today and I can have some new pictures to post.

More Snow

2009-01-19T12:01:00.001-05:00

We got 2 inches of snow on Friday and it's snowing again today. The prediction is for 2 to 5 inches. I've been hoping for a cold, snowy winter, so I guess I'm getting my wish.

I checked the hive this morning and heard the bees buzzing inside. I've not seen them flying for several days. I'm still concerned about them having enough honey to survive the winter, so I added a shallow super over the inner cover and put the boardman feeder on top of that. I'm not sure that makes sense in writing, but I know what I did for future reference. But anyway, the bees can get to the food without having to leave the hive and I did not have to open the hive and expose them to the cold.

I'm going to have another hive in the spring. I can say I see a lot of bees flying or a lot of dead bees, etc., but in comparison to what? I think my hive is weak, but in reality, it may be strong compared to another. My friend Kelley, who owns Balltown Bee Farm, is going to teach me how to split my hive when the time is right in the spring. I hope I have enough bees left to actually do so.

The snow is falling heavier than ever. I hope I get my new camera this afternoon so I can get some good pictures. I didn't take up knitting, but pulled out some old cross-stitch I had never finished and am working on that. I'll build another fire in the fireplace and sit and stitch!

Cold Winter Days

2009-01-16T12:38:00.003-05:00

It's 12:40 pm and our temperature is only 10. Two when we awoke this morning. It's supposed to be even colder tonight. The garden is brown and the bees are tight in their cluster. I hope the temperature warms over the next few days and I can see them flying again. I'll breathe a sigh of relief knowing they've made it through these extremely cold days and nights. The only thing green in the garden is the rosemary.

I'm going to order a mimosa tree and some horseradish from Stark Bro's this afternoon. One of my fondest childhood memories is the fragrance of the huge mimosa tree that grew in my grandparents yard. They had a big farm in Cleveland, Georgia and I loved it there. It broke my heart when they sold it. I was 16. I'm not sure how a mimosa will do in the mountains of WNC, but I'm going to give it a try. The catalogue says good in zones 5 - 10 and I'm in 6B. The hummingbirds will love it and hopefully the bees will, also.

I've grown horseradish before and although it can be invasive, I love the flavor of the freshly grated root. I'll give it a place of it's own to grow. I started a rhubarb bed last year, and the plants did quite well. Again, a dedicated bed because rhubarb is a long-lasting perennial.

I'm just rambling today because I'm bored. I think I'm going to have to learn to knit!

A Moment of Panic

2009-01-14T14:06:00.002-05:00

Our temperatures again rose to the low 40's this afternoon after being in the low teens last night. I saw a few bees flying and decided today would be a good day to add a grease patty. The patty consists of a 3 to 1 sugar to grease ratio. I also added some organic honey and a bit of peppermint extract so the bees would be attracted to it. When I lifted the inner cover, I did not see any bees and my heart sank. I had been seeing lots of bees in the shallow super. I decided to go ahead and check the deep hive box, and much to my relief, there were the girls clustered in the front left-hand quadrant. I quickly put the patty on top of the frames and almost immediately the bees were drawn to it. This will hopefully be another source of nourishment for them during these very cold days, and it is also a teatment for mites. I'm not doing any chemical treatments on this hive. I'm an organic gardener and I wouldn't treat my garden with chemicals and I will not treat my bees. There are excellent organic options available for both.

Botany Bees

2009-01-13T11:17:00.002-05:00

I found this poem yesterday as I was finishing Ross Conrad's book. It sums up very beautifully why I started keeping bees and why I can't wait for spring.

Botany Bees

Full many a tomato plant

Would never blush nor bear,

Without the bee to gallivant

And shift some pollen there.

She travels in the honey line,

But sets the vines aglow;

Which shows the finest things we do

Are not the things we know.

I do not care for honey much,

And yet I prize the bee;

The fair tomatoes that I love,

She makes 'em blush for me.

-Chicago Daily News

Fascinating "Bee-havior"

2009-01-12T13:43:00.004-05:00

No, that's not a real bee, but one of my best Christmas gifts this year. My daughter gave me this beautiful painting of one of my favorite subjects - HONEYBEES!

I watched my bees for a short time late this morning. The temperature is about 42, but although the sun is shining, it's a cold 42. They fed on the sugar syrup, but at almost 2:00 they are already back snug in the hive. I watched one little bee exhibit the strangest behavior until I figured out what she was doing. After much wiggling and scratching on her part, I realized she had a small piece of debris on her little bee feet. She worked diligently until it fell to the ground. After closer inspection, I realized that what she was cleaning off her front door step was the remains of a wing from one of her sisters. Bees are fastidious housekeepers. Maybe this will rub off on me!

I'll worry some about Walter Bee this week. Our temperatures are forecast to be very cold and maybe some snow on Tuesday and Thursday. I continue to hope there is enough honey in the hive for my fascinating friends to survive until spring. I doubt I'll see them feeding again this week.

Bee Education

2009-01-09T13:11:00.004-05:00

Our temperatures have warmed to the lower 40's this afternoon. I was relieved to see the girls out and about after a few days of really rainy, windy and snowy days. I'm a member of the Smoky Mountain Chapter of Beekeepers and at our meeting last night, most everyone was reporting their bees to be flying and bringing in small amounts of pollen. Though our weather has been rainy, it has been fairly mild, so the bees are getting out for cleansing flights. Some of the beekeepers are feeding, others whose bees have a good supply of honey in the supers, are not. It was also mentioned that the bees are looking for sources of protein and some are adding protein patties. I'm already feeding because of low honey stores in my super. I'll consider doing the protein next week.

I'm excited because I learned of 2 upcoming events for out Chapter. Greg Rogers is going to be our speaker in February. He's a very knowledgeable beekeeper in the Asheville area. I heard him speak when I went to bee school in Asheville a couple of years ago. Really looking forward to hearing him again. Also, Jennifer Berry, from the University of Georgia, is going to do a beginner bee school for us in March. I attended one of her sessions at Young Harris bee school last year in May. She is doing wonderful work in the field of honeybee research. Should be another great learning experience for anyone in attendance. I'll check on the dates for both of these events and post later.

I'm trying to take advantage of every opportunity I have to learn more about beekeeping. But I'm also learning that just by having a hive and observing and working with my bees on a daily basis is absolutely the best way for me to understand this wonderful and fascinating art of caring for honeybees.

Snow

2009-01-08T13:36:00.004-05:00

Two inches of snow fell yesterday. Our weather has been very rainy in December and the beginning of January, so the white stuff was a welcome change. I've had an entrance reducer on the hive for the past few days because of the rain and high winds, and when I checked this morning, the entrance was completely blocked with snow. I'm not too concerned about the ventilation because I'm using a screened bottom board, but I was careful to brush away all the snow from the entrance. I hope our temperatures will warm some over the weekend. The bees have been taking cleansing flights on

days when the temperatures are in the mid-thirties and sunny, and I'm hoping to see the girls out and about. I'll feed with the boardman feeder if I see them flying. If not, I'll start using a baggie feeder inside the hive.

My little angel has overseen my gardens in good and bad weather for many years. I hope she will protect Walter Bee.

To Feed or Not to Feed

2009-01-07T14:31:00.003-05:00

There is a saying that if you ask 10 different beekeepers a question, you'll get 11 different answers. This is also true of all the books I'm reading. There doesn't seem to be any constant other than the fact that bees are facing some pretty tough times in the form of pests and disease. In deciding whether or not to feed during the winter, I have chosen to do so. I knew in the fall that my hive was weak, but I hope with my intervention, it does not die of starvation. My rule of thumb has been to feed with a boardman feeder on the days the bees are out and flying. So far, this has proven to be successful. I'm seeing very few dead bees and on warm days, which might be 38 degrees and sunny, the girls are quite active. Beekeeperlinda posted that January and February were difficult months for Atlanta bees. I fear March and April in Western NC. Just when you think winter could be over, these 2 months can be brutal.

I Bee Looking at You

2009-01-05T14:40:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my daughter, Melanie, who took this incredible picture. Also thanks to Jenny, my daughter-in-law, who helped me set-up this blog. They are both very talented, creative young women.

Brief History

2009-01-04T08:10:00.000-05:00

I began beekeeping with a nucleus hive of 5 frames in May of 2008. Walter Bee was located in a community garden about 25 miles from my home. I was hesitant to put the hive in my home garden because I live with black bears. I averaged working the CG about 3 days a week and was encouraged to see my bees working and bringing in pollen immediately. There was a good water supply nearby in the form of a flowing river. The bees drew out the comb in the deep hive body fairly quickly, and after about 3 weeks, I added a shallow super. Although the bees worked very hard all summer long, they only drew out comb in 4 frames in the super. Western NC is suffering from severe drought and although I did not realize it at the time, I probably should have been feeding the hive by late summer. Rookie mistake. Because of high gas prices and time committment, I made the decision in the fall to give up my plots in the CG and bring Walter Bee home. On November 9th, after my husband had installed an electric fence, I moved the hive to my garden. I have become a much better beekeeper since then.

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-02T16:20:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my blog. I am a Master Gardener and Certified Beekeeper in Western North Carolina. This will be a journal of my experiences for the coming year. I'm a very good organic gardener and a very novice beekeeper. I hope to pass along some good gardening tips and will probably scream for help with the bees.

This is my garden on the first day of 2009. It's always very sad-looking in the winter, but if I push back some of the mulch I can already see signs of life. A few daffodils are already trying to find the sun and the lenten roses are sending up new sprouts.

If you look closely in the back of the picture you can see my beehive. This is Walter Bee. My blog is dedicated to my grandfather, Walter, who taught me so much about life and gardening, although I didn't realize it until it was too late to thank him. Much more about him as time goes on.

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow." -Proverb from Guinea