Honey the way it was meant to be
So it finally happened. Our neighbors are buying eggs as fast as the hens can lay them. In fact, one day last week when we had no more eggs to put in the roadside stand, a neighbor carried an egg … Read More »
It is pushing 60 degrees today so I took a look in the hives for the first time since last November. It was a mixed bag, but all in all things looked pretty good for mid-February. A number of colonies … Read More »
I am so pleased to be the FACSAP’s 2016 beekeeper. You can access their prospectus from this web page. The FACSAP is a powerful example of a community connecting on a personal level with local farmers. I look forward to … Read More »
The best introduction to our food forest is here. The forest serves as a unifying structure that all our projects feed into. It also epitomizes our homestead goals of self sufficiency and community service. We use the term “forest” broadly … Read More »
I’m excited to offer nucs (small bee hives) for sale. Virginia state law requires that I have my bee yard inspected before selling live bees, so I invited Inspector Bob to visit. In all the years I’ve had bees, this … Read More »
I just read an article in a beekeeping magazine reporting on a study of honey bee queen longevity. The study results tend to support what I have argued for years, which is that colony collapse and the other crises facing … Read More »
We got the broccoli seeds started this week. We’re going to be at a family reunion at a critical period during the seedling starting process, so Angie’s mom has kindly volunteered to start our tomatoes and bell peppers. We’ll be … Read More »
The food forest is going in the side yard, but first I have to deal with a major drainage issue. That culvert in the first photograph collects runoff from 90 or so acres across the street and dumps it into … Read More »
Snow is one factor to consider in designing a hive stand. My bee hives that are on lower stands got half-buried in the snow. The ones on higher stands didn’t get buried, but the entrances did get blocked. My hives … Read More »