Honey the way it was meant to be
Would somebody please explain why I find this advice plastered all over the internet? “Table scraps are, at best, junk food for your chickens. Scraps should be offered sparingly as an occasional extra-special treat, and the chicken’s primary nutritional requirements … Read More »
The hen house isn’t fully automated, but I’d like to think Mrs. Tweedy of Chicken Run fame would be impressed with our new automatic hen house door opener. Now we can go on vacation without worrying about whether the chicken … Read More »
Life is happening! We removed the row covers from the strawberries planted last September, and they are blooming like mad. I just love this time of year! Dreams of life and growth and possibility spring forth … Read More »
It is amazing the difference three weeks makes in a bee hive. Colonies that in late February looked “pretty good” today are booming along. In fact, I added boxes to several of the nucs that were filling all available space … Read More »
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 »