Green is Good!

 

 

Plenty plentiful for the honeybees. Weather is cool

and partly cloudy. Hive #3 working the sugar water and hopefully Bee Bee Queen is working the comb.

 

 

 

Birthday BEEsiness!

Happy Birthday Big Guy! 

Thank goodness for the sweet things in life.

The honey to our hive...and so much more.

Good News...

We picked up a NUC this morning and installed before noon.  Look closely and

 you can see the queen...we'll just call this gal Bee-Bee Queen so as not confuse

 her with the other two queens in the apiary. 







 
This NUC has a little of each...capped brood & honey.  It seems small compared to others so we will feed until they no longer take the sugar water.

93 NUCS delivered from a NC Apiary Saturday morning to area beekeepers.  That's alot of bees!



Who Knew???

Ben and Jerry are working the honey thing

right into their frozen yogurt.  Yum!!!

P.S.  We will be picking up a NUC this Saturday...that will make three hives in the bee yard.  We are excited!

The Sweet Spot

Thanks to Lorianna, we are official!

Here's what happens when you pull out frames loaded with honey...we made a ding in the capped honey and the bees had a food fest.  Did you know a bee has to consume 8 ounces of honey to produce 1 ounce of wax?  Eat up girls and seal the honey up why don't ya!

Both hives are looking good.  Hive 2 storing honey on the fringe of the
brood frames to feed the young but not working the honey supers yet. 

 

 

 
 

Chicken Coop Envy

Might just have to substitute the real thing with a rain catcher

Early Saturday morning we set out to run errands and decided to tour a few Chicken Coops on the Ninth Annual Raleigh Tour D'Coop.  It's a great way to learn about chickens and see lots of really neat gardens while supporting Urban Ministries of Wake County (www.urbanmin.org).  No, we can't keep chickens where we live but it's always nice to see what other folks are up too. 





Groovy garden and check out that fence.  This plot was going up hill and lined in bottles. 

 

Just what I want for the bees...a fresh water pond to keep them hydrated. 
Dave's not buying my theory! Two envy's...chickens and a water feature!

Thanks to Walt and his wife, I have a new ground cover.  The families on the tour are so gracious and willing to share everything about their chickens and even a plant or two.  Walt took the chicken thing to heart as you can see.

A popular chicken on the tour and supposedly Dotty here lays a small egg that wins BEST in taste...Way to go Dot!  Did you know that a chicken only lays eggs consistently for 3 or 4 years then it's spotty from there on out.  

Artichokes almost ready to harvest. 
This garden was all out front and fabulous.




Loved this garden.  This family went vertical in
 their raised beds. 





These are a few of my favorite things...

Lots of flowers in bloom and more waiting in the wings.  A very hungry caterpillar munching on our parsley and Myrtle our turtle has returned. 

What's your Passion?  Passion Flower...



Blueberries...ready soon!

Broccoli

Lenten Rose



Shasta Daisy...Carried this on our wedding day almost 29 years ago!

Hexagons...those bees are really smart!

What Is It About Bees And Hexagons?

by Robert Krulwich

May 14, 2013 9:50 AM

 

READ THIS!

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/05/13/183704091/what-is-it-about-bees-and-hexagons

 

 

What if I said, You're the Bee's Knees?

 

Do bees even have knees?

 

 

 

 

Can you spot the Bees Knees loaded with pollen?  Watch closely. 

 

 

Female worker bees carry pollen on their knees into the hive for nutrition.  The pollen is a source of protein and the honey provides carbohydrates. 

 

 

What is the origin of the phrase 'the bee's knees'?

The phrase was first recorded in the late 18th century, when it was used to mean 'something very small and insignificant'. Its current meaning dates from the 1920s, at which time a whole collection of American slang expressions were coined with the meaning 'an outstanding person or thing'. Examples included the flea's eyebrows, the canary's tusks, and one that still survives - the cat's whiskers. The switch in meaning for the bee's knees probably emerged because it was so similar in structure and pattern to these other phrases. http://oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/what-is-the-origin-of-the-phrase-the-bee-s-knees




Blooming Beauties!

Plenty of flowers blooming in the garden.  The bees are happy!

A beautiful rose tree in memory of Dave's mom, Marge

Spider Wart

Figs under construction...yum!

I can see a bud or two...hydrangeas here we come!

Smoke and Fire...

                

                                                            

Smoke and Fire...it's into Hive #2 to make sure the Queen is laying in a good pattern and there is plenty of brood. 



Hive #1...Got HONEY!  All but one of the eight frames is full.  Hopefully, the bees will finish out this box soon and move up to the next honey super and do their magic.  Unusual cool weather and rain for the better part of  last week may have put a damper on honey production. 

 

 

Hive #2...Just what we wanted to see...lots of brood in a good pattern and the Queen looking regal and busy!