Beekeeping newbie

BEEKEEPING

End of April

Beehives were brought home about a month ago, or so.  New nucs bought from a production beekeeper.  The nectar flow is on right now, they should be good to go.

Mid May

At this point I have checked on the hives at least once.  Wasn't too sure of myself when opening the hives and panicked a little when the bees reacted to me opening the hives.

A week later on the 15th, again I went back to check on their progress.  I see they've been very busy.  I am realizing that the hives are almost out of room.  Rule of thumb is 80% full means they need more room.  At this point I was unprepared for adding a second deep.  We picked up the deep boxes without frames from a yard sale, but have no frames.  We honestly didn't think we'd need them, at least that's what the beekeeper told us.

I then got online and ordered frames in the hopes that the bees are going to hang in there til I add the deeps.  In the meantime, I took out the plastic feeders that came with the nucs and replaced them with empty frames - the man we bought the deeps from gave me a few frames to show me what types there were available; thank goodness he did, cause I did use them to give the girls a little more room to work.

Yesterday:  May 23 and today-

UPS delivered the box of frames.  Yay!!! disaster averted and not too soon.  Started putting together the frames, glued & nailed.  Then I had to run fishing line through them for support and brushed on beeswax on the top wedges for the girls to start on. Whew....got it done before noon today.  Glad there was a little breeze in the air cause it's been hot, and it get's hot in those coveralls ;).

This is the Josephine Hive.  It is the stronger of the two.  This hive took to foraging faster and stronger.  Had brood hatching and layed, right away.  This hive has 10 bees returning with pollen to every one or two of the Maddie Hive.  It is a couple of weeks ahead of the other Hive.  Here you can see they're busy and pretty calm.  See the gray colored frame on the left end?  That is where the feeder was, that is an empty frame that I put in to buy time til the frames came.  Next picture:

Yup that's the empty frame, not so empty anymore.  Amazing that they did this in less than a week.  The hive was full with honey, nectar and brood.  Beautiful.  They sure are glad that they got an addition to their condo.  

 This box (below) is the second deep going on top.  I have removed a honey frame and put it in the top box, next an empty frame.  I then added a brood frame in the center, and an empty next.  I added another brood frame and moved the honey over instead.  So, I have EHEBEBEHEE.  

It was great to be able to look at each frame and see what they've done in this short time.  The nectar flow is dwindling at this point, but the occasional rains bring new blooms.  We are surrounded by a National Forrest and there's plenty for them to forage from.  

Here they are with their new additions.  The Josie on the left and the Maddie on the right. 

potholders

potholders
Originally uploaded by NcTxweaver

Here are the finished potholders. The black one is the free-motion embroidered one. It is red on the backside.

quilted potholder

quilted potholder
Originally uploaded by NcTxweaver

Thought I would share my latest endeavor - free motion embroidery/quilting.

Loving it.

How-To: Simple Quilted Potholder : Daily source of DIY craft projects and inspiration, patterns, how-tos | Craftzine.com

How-To: Simple Quilted Potholder : Daily source of DIY craft projects and inspiration, patterns, how-tos | Craftzine.com

Soap and chairs, newest projects to show off ...

Here is a picture of the old caned chair with the honeycomb patterning and what appears to be someone's foot had gone through it. The second picture is the chair after having recained it. You cant see it in this picture, but I ended up with a herringbone pattern, don't ask me how.

I still have to add the binding cane around the edge, but was so excited that I had to share.

Also, I've recently found my old recipes for making lye soaps which I loved to do a few years ago. I thought I'd try a different process. I started making soaps using the double boiler hot process method, however; I felt that I was loosing too much of the glycerine in the process. After making the base I would then rebatch into several different scents and herbals.

Now I've tried the Crock pot method and I'm sold on it. I found an old crock-pot and give it a go. It takes about an hour from start to finish and I have a dozen 4oz bars when done. This picture shows three different soaps each one batch.

L to R: Goats Milk, Lemon zingers, Oatmeal-honey-goat's milk.

I'm so glad to have had a few hours to play. Yahooooo!!!!

HAPPY July 4th !! What happened to the fore fathers?

Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men

who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,
and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;
another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or
hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,
and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants,
nine were farmers and large plantation owners;
men of means, well educated,
but they signed the Declaration of Independence
knowing full well that the penalty would be death if
they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and
trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
British Navy. He sold his home and properties to
pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British
that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
He served in the Congress without pay, and his family
was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,
and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,
Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown , Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that
the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson
home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General
George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,
and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying.
Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill
were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests
and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his
children vanished.


So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and
silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: freedom is never free!

I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many
people as you can, please. It's time we get the word out that patriotism
is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer,
picnics and baseball games.

(sent to me by the mother of a serviceman).

on vacation and what did I see ....?????

While winding down for the last of the looooonnnnggg drive home, I was flipping the channels on the hotel tv and came across a very informative PBS documentary. Food, Inc. by Robert Kenner Director/Producer.

Wow, what an eye opener. I agree that we are in a commercially driven state of mind --"sheep". It is up to us to make choices, just like we would morally (good vs. evil/bad).

Holidays, Birthdays, Vacations are other forms of commercialism. Why is everything so complicated anymore? When did life become so "complex" and why do we have to make an effort to make the right choice? Because, if we don't we become "the sheep".

I work for Walmart, I love my job and the people that I work with and for. They are given a good review by organic farmers in this PBS documentary - their effort to supply the demand for better options.

Take a look: PBS "Food, Inc." documentaries with a point of view.