Well as usual I'm writing on the fly. Yesterday the market was a washout. I did go to a assisted living facility and give a talk to a great group of folks, but when I headed to market it was pouring outside. I drove to where we hold the market and saw that most of the vendors were inside their cars looking out. After looking towards the sky and seeing that it might not end for awhile, I headed for home.
So today I thought I would just try to catch up.
It still looks like rain today and I've been in and out most of the day and somehow avoided getting wet. Out in the bee yard my two new queens seem to be settling in very well. The hives are pretty calm and the bees are going about their business just as usual. I've put feeders on both of them because the honey flow isn't in right now and I just want to make sure they have some food.
Last Saturday we took honey off the hives for the first time this year. We ended up with more than we did last year but as usual it is never enough. Jim's mom and dad came over to help with the extraction process. I don't think they realized how much was involved. Jim's mom, Helen, figured out right away that it was just like cutting corn off the cob and went to work doing her thing while the rest of us divided up the remaining chores. Before too long we were done and all the honey was safely away in buckets waiting to be bottled. Some of our hives are on a friend of ours property so we bottled up a gallon of honey right away as a form of payment. We saw our friends Saturday night and they were more than pleased with their "take" of the harvest. We also sent Jim's folks home with some honey to thank them for their help.
While we were in Kentucky I noticed some new items that I could bring to the market so when I got home I started to put together what I had and find out what I needed. Turned out that I didn't really need too much to make them so Beeswax Christmas Ornaments just got added to our Market Product List. I think they are pretty cool, Jim on the other hand just rolls his eyes.
So while it's raining today I'm in the garage working with beeswax. I'll take some photo's and upload them later.
Hope your day is as great as mine has been!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Bee Yard Update
Things have been unexpectedly quiet around here lately. The bees just haven't been as busy as they have been in years past. Usually I'm starting to take off honey, and while I do have some honey supers ready to come off, I just don't have enough to go thought the whole bother of getting the extracting equipment out yet.
My comb honey isn't ready yet either. Last year I was taking comb honey off before I did anything else. I'm getting worried about how much honey I'll be able to get off of the hives this year.
The bees just haven't built up as quickly as before. I called my Uncle and he said that he was in the same boat, the late winter freeze put a damper on things. Hearing those words out of his mouth made me feel a little better about things.
I've been going to market every week and have made a ton of new friends, I've been invited to go into a retirement home and talk about bees and bee keeping to some of their residents. I've gone into class rooms and shared all kinds of information with kids but I've never actually done something like this before. My husband just laughed when I told him I was a bit nervous and he said, "What the heck is your problem, you talk a mile a minute to anyone who will listen to you at the market, at least there you know that you'll have people coming to hear what you have to say that are interested." At first I thought, "Hey this might not bee so difficult after all," then I realized that he insinuating I trapped people into talking to me about bees in the market who weren't interested. I started sulking a bit but quickly pulled myself out of that mode and jumped into trying to come up with something that those folks would enjoy. This couldn't have happened at a better time because Jim and I are headed to the HAS Heartland Apicultural Society meeting this Wed. I'll have a whole lot of opportunity to find things there that I'll be able to share with those folks.
I know I rant and rave about what a great meeting this is, but to tell you the truth, it really is just as great as I say it is. While I'm down at the market each week I have a lot of people who are interested in becoming beekeepers stop and ask me how get started and I tell them the most important thing they can possibly do is find a local bee group and then plan on attending the HAS meeting. I know there are lots of other meetings, but this will be the third meeting for me and every year I go, I come away with a ton of knowledge. I tried to explain it to someone just today, and I don't think she really believed me. Look, where else can you spend three days surrounded with a ton of knowledgeable people, for a very very very reasonable amount. (About 450.00 both both Jim and I, that includes hotel, conference registration, meals and the fuel to get there) Here is a link to the meeting program so you can see for yourself.
www.heartlandbees.com
My first meeting made me realize how important it is to go to things like this, so you can talk to other beekeepers about things that you just don't understand. The great thing about it is that the people I've met there have always been more than willing to help me out, and I've never felt like anything I've ever asked was stupid. Ok, maybe I should phrase that a little differently. At least no one there ever made me feel stupid, now matter what I had a question about.
So we are headed out Wed. and will return late Friday night. We are doing it that way so I can be at the market next Saturday for our big "Corn Crazy Event". I just love the Erie Street Market. They have a whole lot planned for next Saturday and I just don't want to miss it.
But all this traveling has kind of put me in a bit of a bind. Do you remember when I went to the Beekers General Store in Pemberville Ohio last year? Well, they invited me to be a part of their Christmas in July event next Saturday and I'm trying to figure out how I could possibly do both. I'm putting a link to the store and if you'd like to see a really cool place, this is right up your alley.
Beekers General Store
I'd hate to miss either of the things that are going on next week, but since I'm leaving on Wed, that only leaves me a few days to get ready for both of them. My mind is spinning right now. It's times like these that makes me wish I had a twin, but to tell you the truth I don't think the world would be able to handle two of me.
I also had someone who looked at the site email me and tell me that the font size and fluorescent colors weren't that great. I'm trying to figure out how to make it more appealing, and really appreciate the comment.
My comb honey isn't ready yet either. Last year I was taking comb honey off before I did anything else. I'm getting worried about how much honey I'll be able to get off of the hives this year.
The bees just haven't built up as quickly as before. I called my Uncle and he said that he was in the same boat, the late winter freeze put a damper on things. Hearing those words out of his mouth made me feel a little better about things.
I've been going to market every week and have made a ton of new friends, I've been invited to go into a retirement home and talk about bees and bee keeping to some of their residents. I've gone into class rooms and shared all kinds of information with kids but I've never actually done something like this before. My husband just laughed when I told him I was a bit nervous and he said, "What the heck is your problem, you talk a mile a minute to anyone who will listen to you at the market, at least there you know that you'll have people coming to hear what you have to say that are interested." At first I thought, "Hey this might not bee so difficult after all," then I realized that he insinuating I trapped people into talking to me about bees in the market who weren't interested. I started sulking a bit but quickly pulled myself out of that mode and jumped into trying to come up with something that those folks would enjoy. This couldn't have happened at a better time because Jim and I are headed to the HAS Heartland Apicultural Society meeting this Wed. I'll have a whole lot of opportunity to find things there that I'll be able to share with those folks.
I know I rant and rave about what a great meeting this is, but to tell you the truth, it really is just as great as I say it is. While I'm down at the market each week I have a lot of people who are interested in becoming beekeepers stop and ask me how get started and I tell them the most important thing they can possibly do is find a local bee group and then plan on attending the HAS meeting. I know there are lots of other meetings, but this will be the third meeting for me and every year I go, I come away with a ton of knowledge. I tried to explain it to someone just today, and I don't think she really believed me. Look, where else can you spend three days surrounded with a ton of knowledgeable people, for a very very very reasonable amount. (About 450.00 both both Jim and I, that includes hotel, conference registration, meals and the fuel to get there) Here is a link to the meeting program so you can see for yourself.
www.heartlandbees.com
My first meeting made me realize how important it is to go to things like this, so you can talk to other beekeepers about things that you just don't understand. The great thing about it is that the people I've met there have always been more than willing to help me out, and I've never felt like anything I've ever asked was stupid. Ok, maybe I should phrase that a little differently. At least no one there ever made me feel stupid, now matter what I had a question about.
So we are headed out Wed. and will return late Friday night. We are doing it that way so I can be at the market next Saturday for our big "Corn Crazy Event". I just love the Erie Street Market. They have a whole lot planned for next Saturday and I just don't want to miss it.
But all this traveling has kind of put me in a bit of a bind. Do you remember when I went to the Beekers General Store in Pemberville Ohio last year? Well, they invited me to be a part of their Christmas in July event next Saturday and I'm trying to figure out how I could possibly do both. I'm putting a link to the store and if you'd like to see a really cool place, this is right up your alley.
Beekers General Store
I'd hate to miss either of the things that are going on next week, but since I'm leaving on Wed, that only leaves me a few days to get ready for both of them. My mind is spinning right now. It's times like these that makes me wish I had a twin, but to tell you the truth I don't think the world would be able to handle two of me.
I also had someone who looked at the site email me and tell me that the font size and fluorescent colors weren't that great. I'm trying to figure out how to make it more appealing, and really appreciate the comment.
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