They Survived After a week of Arctic blast temperature here, we have a balmy 60°F temperature this morning though raining. The rain will continue for the rest of the day and is expected to stop by Saturday morning. But 60 degrees Fahrenheit is high enough for the honeybees to come out of their hives and start cleaning themselves. This weekend the temperature is predicted to … Continue reading Happy About The Honeybees
Never Been So Happy To See Dead Bees We have over a foot of snow on the ground and it is threatening to drop another 8 to 10 inches this weekend. The snow itself is not bad for the honey bees but the frigid cold that follows may wipe out our hives. We have seen a few days and nights of single digit temperatures this winter and … Continue reading Honey Bee In Winter
The Third Swarm The first hive swarmed again on the morning of June 7. This is the third time within a month for this hive. I think I should start naming the hives since I’m going to have five of them, and maybe more if they keep on swarming. I didn’t expect to have this many hives since our property is not big, though we … Continue reading Not Finished Swarming
Start A ‘Beezy’ Season We came out of winter with two out of three hives having survived. One hive was wiped out by starvation. Then one of the surviving hives was attack by skunks. It was the smallest hive that I didn’t think would pull through the harsh winter. I was really discouraged and guilty too, as a matter of fact, by the whole situation. … Continue reading Bee Swarm
Signs Of Life This winter is erratic and harsher than usual. The temperature swings this season have been like a trampoline. From below zero to 5oº F. in just two days recently. We have had plenty of snow this year; around two feet in the last two weeks alone. My friends and colleagues have been asking about our bees. They know I’ve wrapped the hives … Continue reading Honey Bees In Late Winter
My Way of Wintering the Bees This is my first winter as a beekeeper. I’m trying my best to help my bees survive through the winter. There is a lot of conflicting information out there about wintering the hive, especially, when it comes to insulating the hive. One apiarist suggested that it’s not necessary to insulate the hive in winter since it will confuse the … Continue reading Wintering the Bees
After being Beat Up By Two Storms A little over a week after Hurricane Sandy rolled over our area, a Nor’easter rolled right in and brought us 6″ of snow over night. After the storm cleared, the temperature slowly creeped up to mid 60° F, and then the rain hit today. Not much left of the garden, really. Some leaves are still holding on to … Continue reading November Garden
After ‘Sandy’ Left Hurricane ‘Sandy’ hit the northeast coast of the US last Monday, October 29. The eye of the storm made land fall on the New Jersey shore to be exact, but the effect of it is wide spread. In Lower Manhattan, from 34th street down, lost power that Monday night and most of the area just gained it back the following Saturday. Further … Continue reading First Round. Hurricane Sandy 1, Neighborhood 0.
The Bees Have Arrived The post office called at 7:00 am today to notify me that my shipment of bees is at their station. I’m required to pick it up. The bee company won’t ship bees to the house since the shipment cannot be unattended. They were shipped in a screen cage, approximately three pounds of them in there. My neighbor and I were fascinated by … Continue reading Home Sweet Home
Petals and Wings 