To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.

Barn hives prepped for winter

Here we are in late August.  Change is in the air.  It’s still hot and sunny, but the bees know something’s coming.  They’ve shifted into winter prep.  The queen is focused on building up a population of bees to help her through the winter ahead, while the workers are feverishly gathering anything they can to fill every available space.  While winter doesn’t seem that close just yet consider it from the bee’s perspective.  12 bees spend their short lifetime collecting nectar, all to produce just 1 teaspoon of honey.  To survive a winter in Indiana, the bees need a lot more than that, in the range of 100 pounds or so!  The bees have built up well this year, but haven’t packed away quite as much as they’ll need to get by, so I’ll be watching this closely in the coming weeks.  All the hives are into their winter setup of 3 boxes.  They’ll be organizing things for the cold days ahead. Continue reading “To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”

The great fails of beeswax

Hi everyone! We’re stuck inside thanks to this big snow storm. I hope everyone is staying safe and warm. I was going through some pictures of my journey in beeswax and found so many fails. I thought maybe we should all have a laugh at my expense and view them together. Enjoy!

Continue reading “The great fails of beeswax”

Still finding food

7-1-2017 Bee on Mountain Mint (pycnanthemum virginianum)

This time of year can be hard on bees.  When the ground dries out, so do the flowers.  Luckily this Mountain Mint is providing some nice nectar for the bees today.

Butterfly Weed is in bloom!

The Butterfly Weed is now in bloom, and the bees have found it.  Asclepias tuberosa L. is a relative of Milkweed as can bee seen comparing the flowers of the two shown below.