Bees Arrivals

Spring is the time for BEEKEEPING. I love bees. They are very industrious, bring pleasure to their watchers, pollination to gardens near our home and if we are lucky honey next spring. I had bees last year but they did not survive this past winter. They made it all the way through to early spring but succumbed to a dampness issue. Since then I have taken a Beekeeping class at the extension and feel more prepared to provide my bees with a safe and comfortable hive to over winter in. Just before the bees were to arrive we made a trip to Swan's Honey in Albion, Maine to pick up the deep supers, frames, wax foundation tops, bottom boards, bucket feeders, etc....... When we got home I had this.

I had put together frames and hives last year so this was not a daunting task. It is actually pleasurable to assemble the equipment.

The frames fit perfectly and they looked square. The books always say this is a task for January. Ok, I do have a tendency to procrastinate a bit. It was the end of May.

Then we took the equipment out in the sun to give a good coat of paint for protection.

The bee yard is about an acre away and I didn't want to drag all the equipment in several trips. This wagon is perfect. All loaded and ready to go.

I took everything out the night before and assembled it in place. We went to pick up the bees early Saturday morning. It was cool and they were quiet. I set the nucs on top of the hives and opened the entrance so the bees could fly during the day. I made a mixture of 1 1/2 part sugar to 1 part water and poured it into the bucket feeders after it cooled. Late that afternoon I suited up and lit my smoker and took off to visit the bees. They are Carnolian bees, mild and non aggressive girls.

I transferred the 5 frames from the nucleus colony into the center of the super (bottom box) in the same orientation that they were in when I brought them home. I then placed 3 frames on one side and 2 frames on the other in effect sandwiching the nuc frames. They were very active, checking out the new digs. I had to make some corrections to the hive with shims to help level the front of the hive slightly down to allow moisture to travel out the front rather than seep to the back to become a problem.

The next day was bright and sunny. The girls were out and about busy with their building and collecting.

Welcome to the new arrivals. They made themselves right at home. Now the flowers are complete.

This is Izzy our no tailed cat. The Vet said that she was born that way and has a sort of spina bifida syndrome. She has a problem with renal crystals necessitating a switch to urinary tract formula for all of our cats. Now she is healthy and happy. She is a foundling that was dropped off at a neighbors house. She has become part of our family. She loves to wander the fields with me taking pictures. Here she is in her jungle cat pose. This Sunday is the last class in beekeeping. We will meet in Bucksport Maine in a bee yard to take a hands on view of bees. Hopefully I will be able to locate a queen. I have yet been able to find her on my frames. Wish me luck. Have a wonderful day, much love and best wishes from Mainely Ewes Farm. Oh, we have a big, huge surprise coming Monday.

Kelly

Well, it has been awhile and there is lots to tell. I went down to NH on the 14th for my grandaughter Mia's 6th birthday. At the time my Aunt in NJ was very ill and coming home on Hospice and I was trying desparately to get my 85 year old mother down to see her one last time. It was a terrible situation and we couldn't get there in time. She passed away Sun morning. We could't get there and Mom was just devastated. I did, however get to spend some great time with the kids. I was the babysitter so their parents could go out for valentines night as I had previously promised. Returned home late Sun evening and when I got to about Augusta I called to see if anyone wanted anything from the store on my way. Teddy was home from college and said "noone is here, Kelly fell and is at the Hospital." After a very brief rain, on top of a ton of snow, the driveway was a skating rink. Kelly only got to the "Watch.." part of watch out for the ice. She now is the invalid of the week with a broken arm. It is very painful and a week and a half later she can barely move her fingers. So I am at work and she is off for 4-6 more weeks, if all heals well. Actually we have 3 nurses out with ice and snow related injuries. Welcome to Maine. She has Jasmine and Ted up from NH for this week of school vacation and is enjoying the time with them. We got 26 inches of new snow on Sun and Mon. Still digging out, trying to make paths to the barn, woodpile and propane tanks so they can be filled. Yesterday we went to our first beekeeping class in Ellsworth, about an hour away and she was miserable by the time we got home. The class however, was great. Understand we have had bees for a year but this is the first class available. Thank God for the internet. This weekend is the basketball finals for Teddy and Thomas College is currently #1 in the division, so we will try to get to this. Keep you all posted as I am able. Thanks all your support - Alex

Back at last

Well what do you know, the computer at work decided to let me on. You never can tell what its going to do. I know it has been quite a while but let me try to get all that we have done in some sort of order. In July we picked 19 quarts of strawberries and made our first preserves. Well we made some preserves and some syrup. Pectin , it seems is magic and we are novices at its control. We have about half the jars (about 25) that are just too soupy to be called preserves. But its good on ice ceram. And the freezer has a goodly amount in their natural state. Our chickens have matured nicely. We now get about 30 eggs a day and are selling them. We are talking to a caterer and that would be sweet if they want 12 dozen a week. We got 25 cornish cross roosters to raise as meat birds and I will not be sorry to see them go. All they do is eat and sleep. And they are not nice when you go in to feed, they peck at your legs constantly and spur you. So I say " to the freezer with you old buggers" and I will keep my affection for my sweet brown hens. Ted built us another set of nest condos as 9 was not enough. The girls were pushing and shoveing and laying eggs everywhere. Now they are much happier. The weather has been an issue for us all summer. It rained here in upper Maine for a month straight, every day. No one could get hay cut. Well some did but not us. The fellow who was supposed to cut our hay does not like to square bale but has both a square and round baler. He gets half the hay for the job. This year he thought he had a lease on a much bigger field a so kept putting ours off till the rain started. When it finally ended we had hay and weeds and his lease fell thru so he came and cut ours. Then his square baler wouldn't work so he round baled everything, except sheep want dry hay and we have no tractor to move round bales. So we have an empty barn and round bales sitting out in the rain. He on the other hand can use round balse and has the tractor. Go figure. So Kelly and I have decided to go to the USDA and jump thru their hoops in the hopes of getting a loan for a tractor mow bar, rake , and baler. With 20 acres of hay we can do our own. So additionally, due to weather, high grass, and general lack of funds we still don't have our fence posts in or fence wire purchased and up. We did , however make a trip down to Skowhegan and check out the Tractor Supply Company. What a candy store! They tell us one is coming to Bangor next year. I can't wait. We have a pellet stove paid for and are waiting and waiting for Lowes to get it in. We've been 5th on the list for a month. Pellets are also reserved thru our feed store. The sheep are coming in January so we have much to get ready. The second side of our old barn is now all cleared out and just a few repairs needed for the sheep to come. I have to build a bunch of doors before winter gets here. Now kelly has decided to get some dairy goats. I have to find out about mixing the goats with the icelandics and what the differences in care are. Her Soap making is going great with many different kinds of wonderful all natural goat milk soap. Selling well. If we can ever figure out how to get the web site up and running you can all see it. Now she is going to make bath bombs and maybe lotion. I have started making cheese. So far Mozzerella and ricotta and soft chees spreads. A neighbor has goats and lots of lovely milk and is going to teach me to make cherve though I still can't pronounce it. Lets see what else... Teddy, Kellys youngest is off to college this last weekend. Phones and says he loves it so that is good. The house sure is quiet. The bees are doing well according to Kelly. I still look from an allergic distance. The back of the house has the siding completed and all the kitchen cabinets are in. We built a huge island around the chimney and it has lots of custom stuff like tall sheet pan cabinets and cutting board slots and soda can bins and is all tiled. We took down the wall that was so cold in the kitchen last winter and found..surprise, no insulation at all. nothing, just the ouside boards from when that end of the house was a barn 160 yrs ago. So it is now insulated and sheetrocked but has yet to be painted. All the bedrooms upstairs are finished. Floors are done, walls painted and decorated. Thats 5 rooms. All that is left up there is the hall and the yet empty bathroom. Someday!We did end up with some tomatoes squash cabbages brussels, lots of Italian peppers and onions. The grape vines are ok as are the raspberries but the blackberry didn't make it. The blueberry bushes look fair. Our asparagus patch lots like it will be ok too. Some of the trees are already changing. The days grow perceptably shorter up here and I made a big double batch of homemade bake beans. Must be fall coming. I am headed to NH in Oct for my eldest sons wedding and have been clothes shopping, which I hate. but I finally have something to wear. Kell'y birthday was last week and mine is in 2 weeks and so time marches on, right over us. All her kids were up last weekend which was loads of fun. Good to see them and the grandbabies. well thats it for now. Glad to be back. Alex