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Garden Gate:  Extracted honey today for the first time!!!  |
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Peacebird
True Blue Farmgirl
89 Posts
Marianne
Afton
Va
USA
89 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 03 2009 : 3:10:35 PM
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Wow! It was very cool - at least once we got the frames inside...! It was just over 90 degrees outside and my el-cheapo tyvek beesuit turned into a personal sauna when we were out working the hives...LOL! I must've sweated off 5 pounds!
Spinning out the frames on a handcrank extractor was much quicker and easier than I expected. And - surprisingly enough - clean up afterward was a breeze! (I had heard horror stories...)
These hives belonged to a friend, we won't get honey off my hives til next year. BUT I was so excited when I got home that I went ahead and split a nuc off of my booming hive, and so now I have two!
My gorgeous pale pink garden hive with the pretty copper roof, and my new "humble hive" with it's basic flat tin top... 
chickens clucking, bees buzzing, flowers blooming, all is good! |
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1930sgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
233 Posts
Joyce
Alberta
Canada
233 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2009 : 3:27:21 PM
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Sounds just wonderful, Marianne!
Oh...a pale pink hive with a copper roof! Do you have any pictures of this beauty to show us?
Have you tried the honey yet?
Joyce |
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Peacebird
True Blue Farmgirl
89 Posts
Marianne
Afton
Va
USA
89 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2009 : 4:30:42 PM
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(blush) Why - since you asked, yes!
And my new humble hive as well!
As for tasting the honey, I did try a few fingerfuls when wiping off spills! yummy!
chickens clucking, bees buzzing, flowers blooming, all is good! |
Edited by - Peacebird on Aug 03 2009 4:32:08 PM |
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2009 : 7:12:15 PM
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How exciting Marianne :)
Good for you! I love your hives, very sweet looking :) (hah, no pun intended :))
~Sharon
By His Grace, For His Glory
http://merryheartjournal.blogspot.com/ |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2009 : 7:54:07 PM
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Super cool! Nice and neat looking.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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MSDeb
Farmgirl at Heart
2 Posts
Debby
Saucier
MS
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - Aug 03 2009 : 8:25:46 PM
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I really admire you for your hobby.I had some hives out here but never worked them.I like your set up. One of these days maybe I will be able to have honey also. It takes commitment. You are Blessed to have a friend to help teach you.
Love is forgiving and for giving. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22944 Posts
22944 Posts |
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1930sgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
233 Posts
Joyce
Alberta
Canada
233 Posts |
Posted - Aug 04 2009 : 11:00:19 AM
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Oh they're just beautiful! Thank you for sharing your pictures, Marianne!
Joyce |
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Woodswoman
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Jennifer
Altamont
NY
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Aug 05 2009 : 6:07:28 PM
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Good for you!
Up here it has been incredibly rainy so the girls are filling up frames very slowly! I'm looking at this year as a "lets make sure they get enough to make it though the winter, and anything extra is a bonus".
Have you ever seen the movie "Sister Bee"? It is about 30 min. long, and is basically looking at beekeeping through the perspective of several women beekeepers.
Cheers!
Jennifer
Farmgirl Sister #104
"Nature brings to every time and season some beauties of its own".
-Charles Dickens |
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Claude09647
True Blue Farmgirl
761 Posts
Claudia
Our Dairy Farm
Pennsylvania
USA
761 Posts |
Posted - Aug 11 2009 : 3:44:30 PM
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That sounds like it would be very rewarding! I love being self sufficent
"If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door."
http://claude09647.blogspot.com/ |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22944 Posts
22944 Posts |
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Diane B Carter
True Blue Farmgirl
1270 Posts
Diane
Blasdell
N.Y.
USA
1270 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2009 : 10:31:41 AM
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I think if I had a lot of time I would try it, for now I'll envy those who are able to do this facinating work. I'm not sure I would have the nerve either. But I do think it's so neat.
Hope all your days are Sunnydays.
dianebcarterhotmailcom.blogspot.com |
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Diane B Carter
True Blue Farmgirl
1270 Posts
Diane
Blasdell
N.Y.
USA
1270 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2009 : 10:59:53 AM
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I think if I had a lot of time I would try it, for now I'll envy those who are able to do this facinating work. I'm not sure I would have the nerve either. But I do think it's so neat.
Hope all your days are Sunnydays.
dianebcarterhotmailcom.blogspot.com |
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Peacebird
True Blue Farmgirl
89 Posts
Marianne
Afton
Va
USA
89 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2009 : 11:36:45 AM
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Jennifer - Have you any idea where I could find a copy of "Sister Bee" to watch? It is not listed on amazon.... or at imdb.com (internetMovieDataBase)
Farmgirl Sister #661
chickens clucking, bees buzzing, flowers blooming, all is good! |
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EastTXFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
731 Posts
Victoria
Farmgirl #549
TX
USA
731 Posts |
Posted - Aug 12 2009 : 7:47:44 PM
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Marianne, is your lovely pale pink hive the 8 frame English garden hive from BrushyMountain? I am wanting to get 2 new hives and saw the garden hives on the internet. I could not tell if the supers are dove tailed in the picture they had on their website. And congrats on your honey experience.
Begin each morning with a song in your heart. |
Edited by - EastTXFarmgirl on Aug 14 2009 12:55:48 PM |
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beekeepersgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1423 Posts
Luanne
Cresco
PA
USA
1423 Posts |
Posted - Aug 13 2009 : 09:25:18 AM
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Hi Marianne!
Congratulations on your first extracting experience! We use an electric extractor now because we have quite a few hives, but it is still a lot of fun. Also very sticky & messy - but I love every minute of it!
Enjoy!
beekeepersgirl
Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
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gspringman
True Blue Farmgirl
387 Posts
Gail
Bonanza
Oregon
USA
387 Posts |
Posted - Aug 13 2009 : 12:18:27 PM
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Wow, that sounded exciting and scary to me. I love honey but will leave it up to those of you who are'nt afraid of the bees. I'll just buy mine from the locals who have theirs for sale. I do like the looks of your boxes though, very chic.
Gail
Farmgirl #486
Planting Zone 5
http://grammasladybug.blogspot.com/
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MeadowCrone
True Blue Farmgirl
220 Posts
Bernadine
Island Park and Salem
ID
USA
220 Posts |
Posted - Aug 13 2009 : 4:08:13 PM
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I LOVE your hives, I have been begging for Christmas..lol. So tasty and local honey is so good for you, especially if you have allergies.
Gratefully living on the "fat of the land". |
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Peacebird
True Blue Farmgirl
89 Posts
Marianne
Afton
Va
USA
89 Posts |
Posted - Aug 14 2009 : 8:16:42 PM
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Hi Victoria! Yes - my hive is the Brushy Mountain garden hive, and the hive bodies are beautifully dovetailed. I have been very pleased with the service and quality of woodenware from Brushy Mountain. My hives are also 8 frame instead of the standard 10 frame, because I am a small woman and a fully loaded 10 frame hive is heavier than I could easily lift... :-)
My second hive (the humble hive) is also from Brushy, but it is topped with the much less expensive basic roof, and does not have the hive stand with the "front porch"... Not as cute, but easier to talk my hubby into buying... LOL!
Farmgirl Sister #661
chickens clucking, bees buzzing, flowers blooming, all is good! |
Edited by - Peacebird on Aug 14 2009 8:17:47 PM |
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Peacebird
True Blue Farmgirl
89 Posts
Marianne
Afton
Va
USA
89 Posts |
Posted - Aug 14 2009 : 8:20:14 PM
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hey Bernadine - I do hope Santa is good to you!
;-)
seriously - my hubby no longer takes allergy medicine... He used to use it almost year round, now he puts lodal honey in his tea and has no more trouble!
Farmgirl Sister #661
chickens clucking, bees buzzing, flowers blooming, all is good! |
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MeadowCrone
True Blue Farmgirl
220 Posts
Bernadine
Island Park and Salem
ID
USA
220 Posts |
Posted - Aug 16 2009 : 7:42:47 PM
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I can hardly wait! How much do each of those frames weigh when they are full of honey?
Gratefully living on the "fat of the land". |
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Woodswoman
True Blue Farmgirl
512 Posts
Jennifer
Altamont
NY
USA
512 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2009 : 12:33:14 PM
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Here is the website for the Sister Bee video. My boyfriend actually bought it for me-not sure how he heard about it!
http://www.sisterbee.com/
Jennifer
Farmgirl Sister #104
"Nature brings to every time and season some beauties of its own".
-Charles Dickens |
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Peacebird
True Blue Farmgirl
89 Posts
Marianne
Afton
Va
USA
89 Posts |
Posted - Aug 17 2009 : 5:35:28 PM
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Thank you Jennifer! I just ordered a copy!
Farmgirl Sister #661
chickens clucking, bees buzzing, flowers blooming, all is good! |
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Laura Tyler
Farmgirl at Heart
1 Posts
1 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2009 : 4:35:17 PM
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Jennifer, thank you for linking to "Sister Bee!"
I discovered this great thread via ping-back at http://www.SisterBee.com.
Marianne, your joy in beekeeping reminds me of my own when I first started keeping bees in 2001. I hope you enjoy the film. It's about women like us who are into bees, sunlight, flowers, growth, the benevolence that floats up when you lift the lid of a gentle hive... and so on.
With care and gratitude,
Laura
P.S. I wear Tyvek, too. ;)
Laura Tyler, Director
SISTER BEE
http://www.SisterBee.com |
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magnoliakathy
True Blue Farmgirl
453 Posts
Kathryn
Magnolia
Texas
USA
453 Posts |
Posted - Aug 30 2009 : 4:15:51 PM
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Congratulations, somehow, honey fresh from the hive is so much lighter and sweeter than any other honey. This is our third year beekeeping and we are so glad we got started. We joined the local beekeepers association and they have been very helpful. We still have just one hive and might start our second one in next spring. We are using the plastic, ventilated bottom hive stand, to help with air circulation here and I have been feeding sugar water to help with stress from the drought. How is the weather affecting your bees?
When you free your mind your heart can fly. |
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EastTXFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
731 Posts
Victoria
Farmgirl #549
TX
USA
731 Posts |
Posted - Aug 31 2009 : 05:47:19 AM
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Marianne
Thanks for the info. You convinced me! I'm getting the garden hive.
Begin each morning with a song in your heart. |
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Garden Gate: Extracted honey today for the first time!!! |
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Extracted honey today for the first time!!!
I can't wait until we have our own land and can do some bee hives!!