A Honeybee Garden
Bees are in decline but you can help restore a healthy bee population right in your own garden by doing a couple of things.
First stop using pesticides and herbicides. There are a number of ingredients that are toxic to bees. If you absolutely must use a pesticide, spray in the evening when bee activity has ceased.
Next, plant a bee friendly garden. To name a few from our garden, bee balm, cosmos, lavender, zinnias, Russian sage, sunflower, poppy, mint, marigold, black eyed susan, and asters all attract bees and have ample pollen for the bees to make honey. Include various heights of flowers and only single form flowers. Those with double forms(multiple layers of petals) have less pollen.
Basically bees prefer a naturalistic landscape to live and feed. Maybe by educating others we can reverse the effects of the decline of bees and learn to live together.
Winters Renewal
Winter is an introspective time. It’s a time of resting the creative mind but also preparing for the work that lies ahead.
We usually spend our winter month’s tidying the flower garden, which requires moving numerous tractor loads, to the delight of my boys, of aged plant material to the compost. Going through the endless seed catalogs and deciding what new and exciting seeds we will plant takes time. Inside the studio the worktables are filled with beeswax, tools and clay for candle making, sculpting and mold-making. As we work, our wood stove glows from within. During this time we also update our website and product information as well as clean and assess inventory. Staying on top of orders is a priority as well.
In these cold winter months we huddle together like the bees of our hives knowing that with winter’s renewal we will be ready for a busy and prosperous new year.
Adventures in beekeeping #2
I wish I was writing to tell the stories told during the long hours of a sourwood honey harvest, but this year that will not bee. Many factors could be cited for the dearth of honey including the rainy weather, our inexperience, establishing new hives, but ultimately I think it’s just the nature of beekeeping. The reality check is we began the season with 8 hives of Russian bees, yet after a succession of mid summer queen supersedures, we now stand with 4 hives. The existing hives are thriving and healthy, which gives encouragement as we head into the fall and winter season. In preparation for the winter I have been feeding the bees regularly and have tested for varroa mites with a powder sugar dusting. We look forward to meeting Spring with vibrant hives and the anticipation of a great honey season.
Adventures in Bee Keeping
This is the year that we have finally brought honey bees to our property in Stecoah. After many years of discussion, the combination of timing and circumstances led to the arrival of eight hives of Russian honey bees this spring on our property, and three hives of Italian bees on my brother’s property.
The story began many years ago when my father, LB, began keeping bees. Curiosity and intrigue brought two hives that grew to four over time. The experiment provided many experiences, some rewarding and some painful, but the lasting memory is of summers harvesting sweet tasting sourwood honey. Time and life changes led to the decline of the hives. After 5 years, it was deemed time to bring back the honeybees.
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