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Kathy A.
True Blue Farmgirl

116 Posts

Kathy
Utah
USA
116 Posts

Posted - Aug 25 2004 :  07:50:09 AM  Show Profile
Hello Everyone , Is there anyone out there reading the forum, who is also a Bee keeper? There is a long chat in the reading room, about the book "The Secret life of Bees" A very entertaining and interesting read. It has rekindled my passion for bee keeping. I am not exactly a bee keeper, more like - the assistant to the bee keeper- but, at one time my husband and I had 200 hives which kept us extremely busy. We are now planning a move to a more nothern cooler climate, and when we do I'll have bees on a much smaller scale maybe not more than 3 or 4 hives. I'd like to chat with other lady bee keepers and I especially need to learn what to do to keep them as organic as possible. Bees are suseptible to disease and mites, and location is a big issue. Of course it's all worth the effort. The Author of the book did an excellent job on researching bee lore, and fact, it's full of fascinating information even if you never intend to get near a hive. I've started my bees wax candle production, and when I get back to it I'll be using low tech (hand crank) equipment, this time it will be more for fun and passion than for profit. Are there others on the forum who have a mild to extreme interest in BEES?

Farmgirl/gardener-Potter/Poet

Kathy A.
True Blue Farmgirl

116 Posts

Kathy
Utah
USA
116 Posts

Posted - Aug 27 2004 :  2:42:05 PM  Show Profile
Hi Clare, Thanks for your reply, About 2 hours after I posted, my husband walked in with the mail it included the Handful issue!! I was pleased and surprised to see the article on Bees at Mary Janes Farm, hope they make it a regular feature in future magazines. The topic of bees and bee keeping is so fascinating, Have you read that book? It's really a good summer read. I don't think there is another insect or animal that gives so many products, and has such an interesting social structure in the animal/insect kingdom. Bees wax alone must have dozens of uses when used with other ingredients and honey can take on the flavors of the flowers the nectar was gathered from. Some of the tastiest honey I ever bought came from the flowers of poision oak. We harvested dandelion honey one year and it was bright yellow just like the flower, it had a sweet honey flavor with a slight dandelion fragrance. We sold Bee pollen, used propolis for colds and sore throats, I always wanted to harvest royal jelly and I thought my husband would be really good at raising queens, this is a little more difficult but may be worth the effort. Anyway Bee keeping will be- back to the future- for me. We have no definite plans for our move North, but we spent several weeks this summer looking at areas in Oregon, Washington and Idaho we were raised in southeast Idaho we may land there, The soil is rich ,volcanic earth and organic garden/farming is at the top of the list with Bee keeping second. Sooo many possibilities, hope I haven't carried on to long. This forum has produced a surprising variety of interesting topics thanks to you and some of the others who are regular posters, I appreciate you all!!

Farmgirl/gardener-Potter/Poet
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl

11381 Posts

Jenny
middle of Utah
USA
11381 Posts

Posted - Aug 27 2004 :  3:53:43 PM  Show Profile
I find bees so interesting! I sure wish I could keep bees..I am, however, very very allergic to their stings..have to carry and epi-pen and all. I hate that. I love to read about them. I have a freind here in town who is just getting started in bee keeping. Lucky!!
I forget exactly where in Utah you are Kathy...was it Provo? Not far from me..well, an hour and 1/2. Tell me about your pottery!!

Jenny in Utah

Bloom where you are planted!
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LadyCrystal
True Blue Farmgirl

593 Posts

Alicia
Rhode Island
USA
593 Posts

Posted - Aug 27 2004 :  5:18:52 PM  Show Profile
I am allergic too,so it is none for me either but I wish I could because I love honey.

Royal Jelly,is that suppose to be great for the skin?

Alicia

Follow your dreams
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Kathy A.
True Blue Farmgirl

116 Posts

Kathy
Utah
USA
116 Posts

Posted - Aug 29 2004 :  08:48:28 AM  Show Profile
Hello Alicia and Jenny, Allergys to bee stings are difinitely a serious problem. My Daughter developed allergys after several years, I've read in the bee journals that sometimes a family member will become allergic even if they are not involved in the process.
Royal Jelly is suppose to be extremely good for the skin and is in some cosmetic products. After I learned what was involved in harvesting it, how small the quantities are and how manipulative it is to the whole colony I changed my mind.
I hope to learn more, especially about how to be more organic with Bee keeping. There are people who are raising queens and brood that are not as suseptible to disease. That would probably be the place to start. Do you cook with honey? I'm not really a very good cook but my recipes I use honey in always seem to turn out better.
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl

11381 Posts

Jenny
middle of Utah
USA
11381 Posts

Posted - Aug 29 2004 :  4:55:28 PM  Show Profile
I love to cook with honey, and always store a years supply. There is alot of local honey here and I need to try that..since we have lived here I have just been using what I had from before. I han't tried canning fruit using honey instead of sugar..but would like to..has anyone done this?
I had a jar of lavender honey one time years ago where they infused the little jar of honey with fresh lavender (had a sprig still in it) and have always meant to do that, since I have lavender growing. It was WONDERFUL!
I have a friend who swore by royal jelly, but I have never tried it.

Jenny in Utah

Bloom where you are planted!
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n/a
deleted

64 Posts

Dave
Vestal NY
64 Posts

Posted - Aug 29 2004 :  5:09:10 PM  Show Profile
Love Honey also, but am very allergic to bee stings. Was stung once on my left hand, and at the time was 6' 2" and 128 lbs. The hand swelled so each finger appeared like it belonged to a 350 lb man, up to the wrist, been bee-wary since. Does not stop me from planting lots of bee-attracting flowers though (smile).......Dave T
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Kathy A.
True Blue Farmgirl

116 Posts

Kathy
Utah
USA
116 Posts

Posted - Aug 31 2004 :  11:52:56 AM  Show Profile
Hi Jenny, I can/bottle fruit with a little honey about 1 tablespoon per quart jar, but if you use a lot of honey it tends to change the flavor of the fruit, not quite so fruity more like honey water. so if you like it really sweet use sugar. I like the idea of lavendar infused honey I'm going to try that. Lavendar is near the top of my list of most useful herbs I absolutely love it.

Dave, Welcome to the forum I enjoyed reading about your chickens and geraniums. I hope you feel at home here, because you fit right in!
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl

1199 Posts

Eileen

USA
1199 Posts

Posted - Sep 09 2004 :  1:59:28 PM  Show Profile
Hi Kathy and all you would be and lovers of bees and bee keepers.
We started bee keeping this spring with 3 hives. Just to see if we would really enjoy the process. We have received a lot of enjoyment watching our hives grow from just the few hundred that come in the bee orders to the many thousands that eventually fill up the hives. Neither my husband nor I have ever been around bee keepers before but a suggestion from the local tree expert in the area got us excited about attempting it. We have a small 5 acre place outside the little town of Quilcene in Washington state. It is gray and rainy a good deal of the year because of the proximity to the Olympic mountains. We are in the foothills. We face south and east. Our property naturally tends toward going back to nature so to speak and we battled blackberry vines for a number of years hoping to somehow eradicate them so we could do something better with the land. There is nothing natural out there that we have found that will kill these 30 year or more old vines with trunks about 6 inches across. Dig them up and you leave a small piece of root that will become a huge trellising vine the following year as if you had fertilised it! The tree man gave us the idea of bees because blackberry honey is so very highly prized in foreign countries. He thought that with all the berries and all the other naturally occuring food needs of the bees that we have here we were prime for a big bee business. Al Steadman who has a huge and thriving bee keeping business helped us to get started and says that we could probably go for as many as 30 hives on our property and more if we have friends and neighbors who would be willing to allow us to house them on their small farms. We are also trying to go organic but have been told that there is really no way to go totally organic with bees anymore, part of the reason for this is that bees forage for a square mile from their hives in all directions and we have no way of knowing where all of the necter and pollen that they gather comes from. The highways and many nearby farms or homes may use pesticides and other non-organic sprays that will become incorporated into the honey. Still we are doing what we can. We will be making a decision about the mites and other diseases very soon. The garden man does not dust his bees but also lost one of his hives last year. I am very excited about this part of our on going adventure in becoming good stewards of our little piece of paradise.
Eileen

songbird
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cecelia
True Blue Farmgirl

497 Posts

cecelia
new york
USA
497 Posts

Posted - Sep 10 2004 :  12:18:33 PM  Show Profile
Just getting around to reading this section. I finally got back to walking at the nature preserve where I volunteer, just about 1 hours ago. I usually don't go at that time of day (1 PM) because I don't like the heat, but I figured it was now or much later in the week or month, the way Sept. is shaping up. Anyway, I found a beetree in the woods! An entire swarm of bees have taken over one of the dead trees and have a nest in a hollow made probably by a pileated woodpecker. As much as I love honey I'm not about to mess with this!

Cecelia

ce's farm
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl

146 Posts

Kim
Pflugerville Texas
USA
146 Posts

Posted - Sep 10 2004 :  3:41:38 PM  Show Profile
Isn't it interesting though? I remember at a family reunion a swarm gathered into the corner of the house along the soffit of the roof. It looked a like a huge moving basket!

farmgirl@heart
Longaberger Lover and all things antique
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Kathy A.
True Blue Farmgirl

116 Posts

Kathy
Utah
USA
116 Posts

Posted - Sep 12 2004 :  08:32:43 AM  Show Profile
Hello Everyone,
Eileen, I was glad to read about your place and your Bees I can tell by your other posts you have a wonderful understanding and appreciation of your place. The Blackberries sound delicious even though they are a problem, I'm so glad you were not able to get rid of all of them and eventually got Bees. Next time I'm in the nothwest corner I'm going to try and find blackberry honey. Maybe someday you will have enough to sell. Bee forage is abundant at your place, if you can support 30 hives. One reason we got out of the Bee business is that we were moving them from yard to yard and it became an awesome task we had 2 ways to go, either scale back to what we could use, or go larger and buy equipment to move them- a tractor/loader and put them on pallets ect. Anyway I would like to have just 3 or 4 hives as you do. Your climate must also be great for bees they don't like rain but over cast is okay and if the moisture and rain fall is enough to keep things blooming I'm sure they are out working away. You are so right about how far they forage and how difficult it would be to be isolated enough to get totally organic. Maybe some areas of Canada? I've read that they really thrive on the fireweed bloom there. I keep thinking about your Blackberries, do you plan to market items like Blackberry jam Blackberry Honey, Blackberry scented bees wax candles? mmmmmmmm Blackberry pie! I really enjoy your posts keep us updated. Kathy

Cecelia, What a chance happening to find a BEE TREE!! It reminded me of the bee charmer in the movie-Green Fried Tomatoes. Just to hear the Buzzz and smell the fragrance as you walked by must have been one of those moments when you -felt- in touch and somehow connected with nature. we are indeed connected all the time but the ahh haa moments are like a bit of magic.


Hi Kim, to see a swarm, for the first time can be intimidating, until you realize they are not angry or possessed just looking for a new, less crowded, home. Sometimes they take off in a swirling mass 2 or 3 times before they decided to move into someones attic or find a bee tree to live in. We always kept bee veils and an extra box in the back of the pick up in case we saw them on the go, and could possibly entice them to move into our box so we could take them home. When the swarm lands it does look like a moving basket. I hadn't thought of that before.

Farmgirl/gardener-Potter/Poet
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl

146 Posts

Kim
Pflugerville Texas
USA
146 Posts

Posted - Sep 12 2004 :  10:58:04 AM  Show Profile
Yes, it was quite fasinating! And intimidating to me. As I child I ALWAYS managed to get at least 2-3 bees stings every summr. I awlays stepped on them, by accident. So I am slightly afraid of them, though not allergic.

I read The Secret Life of Bees. I purchased it after reading the bee article in MJF. i was fasinated by the purple honey she described after the bees used pollen from a blackberry bush(?) or something. I finished the book last night. Reading this link is very interesting and informative. I'll have to seek out other types of honey than just the plain old Sue Bee!

farmgirl@heart
Longaberger Lover and all things antique
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl

11381 Posts

Jenny
middle of Utah
USA
11381 Posts

Posted - Sep 12 2004 :  2:28:37 PM  Show Profile
I thought of the bee tree from "Fried Green Tomatoes" when I read that too. I just love that movie and especially the book!!

Jenny in Utah

Bloom where you are planted!
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl

1199 Posts

Eileen

USA
1199 Posts

Posted - Sep 12 2004 :  3:13:50 PM  Show Profile
Hi Kim
Maybe you have a local farmers market near you that would have fresh local honey. There is nothing like in! The flavors and variation of colors make it so very pretty and tasty. There are a few types of honey that are probably not as good flavored as others but in some areas of the country ones that are highly prized are not enjoyed by people in another part of the country. Everyone has different taste preferences. The local big bee specialist here sells many millions of pounds of blackberry honey to Japan.

Often fyi if you find a swarm of honey bees on your house or in a nearby area it is a good option to call in your local bee keeper, found in the phone book. They often will have ready hives for the purpose of removing swarms to a safe location, for the bees as well as the people, and will often do this for free or a small fee. Many times swarming comes as a result of someone who have hives in the area and one of them gets overcrouded or the queen becomes to old to keep up and should be replaced. A process that should be done every couple of years. Sometimes the hive does their own requeening but it is advisable to purchase a new queen from a qualified specialist.
Bees are so interresting!
Kathy,
I already do market my blackberries when I have time to pick them. I get $25.00 a gallon for the little vine blackberries, from the local restaraunts. They prefer the little vine ones to the big bush ones because the seeds are not so big and the pies are tastier. Sort of like the difference between an idaho mountain huckleberry and a domestic blueberry. A lot more tang and bang for the bite. Each pie takes 8 cups of the berries and they sell for around $18.00 each. I figured out that when I pick these berries I am getting about $4.00 per hour if the berries are not to difficult to get at. Sometimes I have to remove a lot of the big trellising vines to even get at these little diamonds. I am trying to figure out a way of trellising these particular vines so I can get to them more easily and a way to keep the big ones out of the area I want to keep exclusive to the little ones. Next year when things are more organised here I will have time to do the jams and jellies I love to make as well as do my own pies and other blackberry treats to sell at the farmers market. Blackberry truffles anybody?
Eileen

songbird
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Kim
True Blue Farmgirl

146 Posts

Kim
Pflugerville Texas
USA
146 Posts

Posted - Sep 12 2004 :  4:53:05 PM  Show Profile
Yummy!!! Blackberry Truffles sound good!

farmgirl@heart
Longaberger Lover and all things antique
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Kathy A.
True Blue Farmgirl

116 Posts

Kathy
Utah
USA
116 Posts

Posted - Nov 22 2004 :  10:03:39 AM  Show Profile
Hi Everyone, Lately I have come across some information on organic honey. The -Dutch Gold Honey- brand has certified organic honey it gets from areas in Mexico and an island off Brazil where there is no chance of bees gathering from nonorganic crops. I'm still searching for the beekeepers in canada that had certified organic honey I have lost that info.
Certification is extremely difficult to achieve, even if your bees are in the right area, there is a good article on this process in the Bee Culture magazine. http://bee.airoot.com/beeculture/months/03sep/03sep3.htm Eileen, I thought of you because you have bees, the article is interesting even if you can not go organic and the magazine is great if you haven't already found it.
There is a company in Eastern Wa. that is very in tune with the health benifits of bee keeping and it's products. They are knowledgeable about Bee Venom Therapy, propolis, ect. also they have neem products which are mixed with honey, that should be quite potent!! anyway, their website is a treasure trove of info. and products. for people interested in Bees and Bee keeping products. http://www.dancingb.com/index.html ~Kathy
It's fall hope everyone stays healthy!
"When the leaves fall the stiptease is over; things stand mute and revealed" --Annie Dillard
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Sandra
Farmgirl in Training

16 Posts

Sandra
Tazewell VA
USA
16 Posts

Posted - Nov 28 2004 :  08:46:28 AM  Show Profile
Honey...one of my *favorite* things! I don't keep bees but Daddy has kept bees for more than fifty years; my brother keeps them as well and has been for more than twenty-five years. I figure why should I when I can just help them AND get honey <g>. Daddy and Steve have both gotten bees from a swarm and are called upon most every spring by someone who thinks bees are a "bad thing" and want someone to "get rid of them, please". Daddy and Steve are glad to oblige <g>. Our farm is Thistle Cove Farm and we sell thistle honey in our farm store; someone in the next county harvests it.

Kelly in <I think> Kentucky is a good place to get queens for re-hiving. They have been in business for decades and decades and have a wonderful reputation. Although I've noticed the newer postal carriers seem a bit nervous when they hear the bzzzzzzzz from the little box.

BTW, Steve is allergic but bees don't seem to sting unless a person gets agitated and nervous. We work them without protective clothing; Steve will sometimes wear a veil; but lots of smoke and calm nerves are the ticket.

Sandra @ http://www.thistlecovefarm.com...a grasp on the past & a hold on the future...
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Sandra
Farmgirl in Training

16 Posts

Sandra
Tazewell VA
USA
16 Posts

Posted - Nov 28 2004 :  08:53:30 AM  Show Profile
Oh gosh...another thing...call your ag college to find local bee keepers. There's usually a bee keeping society in each USA state as well.

Sandra @ http://www.thistlecovefarm.com...a grasp on the past & a hold on the future...
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl

1199 Posts

Eileen

USA
1199 Posts

Posted - Nov 28 2004 :  09:44:00 AM  Show Profile
Our bees are safely to bed for the winter. This does not mean we leave them alone however. We begin to feed in December if they have too little honey store for the rest of the cold season but they seem to be doing fine. I was surprised to see some of them out foraging last week when we had a few days over 50 degrees. I even still have a few flowers blooming. Today we got our first real frost of the year.
Rodney and I usually tend our bees without bee suits but do wear gloves. We also do not use the smoker. We have only had one problem and it was our own fault. Rodney accidentally dropped the hive lid and disturbed the whole colony. Amazingly enough neither of us got stung. We stood still and apologised to them. They buzzed around us for a few minutes but then seemed to calm right down. I am sure that if we run that we both would have been stung. Bees are really fun to have.
I have never had thistle honey. Is it really good too?
We have a lot of thistle growing here under the blackberries. Our county considers this plant a noxious weed. I cannot figure it out however because it is the primary food source for the gold finch. We also have an abundance of those here. How can such a needed thing be considered a noxious weed? I refuse to get rid of them. I have friends whose horses consider them a tasty prickly treat! It is so comical to watch them eat these thistles!
Eileen

songbird; singing joy to the earth
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bramble
True Blue Farmgirl

2044 Posts



2044 Posts

Posted - Nov 28 2004 :  6:28:30 PM  Show Profile
Although I do not presently keep bees , I have in the past and they are fascinating and a never ending source of interest.In kindergarten I met a girl who remains one of my best friends and her Dad has been a beekeeper all these years. He has always been an amazing source of information ( and honey) and is now starting to teach my son some of his secrets so who knows ... the circle may remain complete!
Eileen--do you not use a smoker because it affects the flavor of the honey?
Also... noxious weeds are usually defined as plants that are so agressive they overwhelm the natural balance of an environment and begin to cause negative impact by their presence( such as loosestrife choking out tributaries and necessary streambeds to the point that run off is diverted out of previously open and running water back into areas that cannot accomodate the backwash and flooding occurs.
As for thistle, I know it is a huge agricultural problem and zaps the soil of alot of crucial nutrients so... given the soil conditions in your area they may want to limit it's encroachment like they do with loosestrife in Minnesota and here in NJ. Bramble

with a happy heart
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Kathy A.
True Blue Farmgirl

116 Posts

Kathy
Utah
USA
116 Posts

Posted - Nov 30 2004 :  1:23:06 PM  Show Profile
Hello Everyone,
Eileen I'm amazed you don't use a smoker with your bees. It sounds like a good idea if you dont feel it's necessary. You and Rodney have really been initiated into the world of bee keeping since you caused a major disturbance and all went well with no stings. I feel the standing still as well as the holding good thoughts for them was key. They are soo intune with their surroundings perhaps they felt your vibrations!
Sandra, you are so lucky to have Bee keepers in the Family, I'm sure you know how fascinating bees are. Once when we were moving some hives (a major disturbance) I got several bees under my veil That was not a pleasant experience and it took me days to get over it emotionally I was really freaked out, but I'm glad I did. Also I left a post for you about Garlic on the swap forum you might have missed it because that's an odd place for garlic. ~Kathy
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Eileen
True Blue Farmgirl

1199 Posts

Eileen

USA
1199 Posts

Posted - Dec 01 2004 :  3:51:44 PM  Show Profile
The story about the smoker is this We first got our hives this past february while I was still recovering from my first knee replacement surgery. I was able to paint the hives and get them prepared for the bees but the bees came in May and I was still not steady enough to take the walk through the blackberries to the other side of our property to work with them so my husband was in charge of tending them. I made all the food for them and he delivered it as well as checked the hives for problems. He always tried to light the smoker but was never successful at getting it going so got frustrated with it. After the first couple of weeks of trying I began to notice that he was not taking it with him. I did not ask however about it because I felt he must have found a way of taking care of them without the smoker. He always put on his bee keepers suit however but I saw him leave his gloves behind a few times. I guess he forgot them and did not want to bother coming all the way back for them so did his business without them. He got stung one time when he accidentally put his thumb on one while opening the top. No big deal. Then summer came and I went with him a few times in my bee suit but it was very hot and he did not wear his suit. So the next few times we went I did not wear mine either. We both always wear our gloves now but seldom wear the veil. Neither of us tend them if we are upset about anything and we always maintain a peaceful mind when working them. I am sure that they listen to our thoughts! They were upset by the dropping of their hive lid but seemed to understand how sorry we were about it.
I am curious, How do bees get into your veil? Ours zip to the suit. I guess maybe they could get under it if we did not have the suit on but just the veil. I have never thought of just wearing the veil before. Funny.
Eileen
[


songbird; singing joy to the earth
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Kathy A.
True Blue Farmgirl

116 Posts

Kathy
Utah
USA
116 Posts

Posted - Dec 02 2004 :  12:17:42 PM  Show Profile
Hi Eileen, Your last post reminds me of the book the Gentle Craft of Keeping Bees. I like the way you think of your bees, it is especially nice for people who only have a few hives and have the time to tend and enjoy them. We have never used bee suits or gloves but always smokers and veils. The night we moved the bees I was wearing a Levi jacket the stiff collar didn't let the veil stay secure under it. That was a long time ago but a lesson I'll never forget! ~Kathy
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Bean
Farmgirl at Heart

7 Posts

Christine
Myrtle Beach SC
USA
7 Posts

Posted - Jun 20 2005 :  11:09:05 AM  Show Profile
Well, all this talk about blackberries is making me kinda homesick. I just moved to Myrtle Beach and my old house had about 20 blueberry bushes and 10 thornless blackberries and a couple of concord grapes and plum trees. We are making plum wine from last summer. we froze it and now we are starting the process. I plan to give the bottles out for my wedding party favors in October. I have two bee hives as well and the blueberry honey was great! We also made a whole lot of blackberry jelly last year. I don't know to much about my bee hives. I was donated them. I just moved them down to Myrtle Beach and i noticed on the bottom board were roches. I have a feeling i should treat them this summer and get them stronger so i don't even need to worry about the honey but i was wondering if you had any suggestions? i have never requeened either am i suppose to do that? I need help! ahhh!

I am 21 and love to cook, sew, herbal remedies, beekeeping, gardening, interior decorating, crafts, singing, working out, riding bikes, and anything with my family and two sisters. I am getting married in Myrtle beach on October 15th. I have two labs and a cat. I love making homemade wine.
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Bean
Farmgirl at Heart

7 Posts

Christine
Myrtle Beach SC
USA
7 Posts

Posted - Jun 20 2005 :  11:19:37 AM  Show Profile
Eileen, I am with you on not wearing the proper suits for beekeeping. Its just too hot! so i just go out in gloves and shorts and a tanktop. I only get stung if i put my hand on a bee by accident and i don't have my gloves on. I have made them mad a few times by jerking one of the supers that were stuck but if you just stand real still and keep your heart rate down then they dont seem to notice you or care about you. When you start to feel nervous is when they get nervous. I think they can sense what your body is saying inside or out. one time i wore flipflops and one got stuck between my toes. oops!
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