The time is nigh

-Posted by Isaac

Lock up your daughters! Look who's back in town.

The Seth man! Back from the Air Force and now officially trained in EOD. That's Explosive Ordinance Disposal, for you civilians. That's right, like one of those guys in The Hurt Locker, Seth is a military bomb man.

Which is good news because this week we were disposing of varroa bombs. Seth helped for a full day, but then he had to run off. He's due in South Korea by mid-August and before that, he's got girl matters to attend to in Washington state. He's busy! (Like an old bull who's work is never done.)

This week, and for the next month, our target is this:

And really, over the next four months... it's time to do something about the mites!

You don't have a mite problem, you say?      

Bahahahahahah! Everyone has a mite problem! Everyone with a beehive, that is. If you really don't think you have mite troubles, and are a bit green to beekeeping, then this blog post is for you!

(No, I still don't know the blog audience. And the one "like" or comment I get every six months doesn't help much. I assume that there are beekeepers in this group, and I also assume that you're somewhat new to it, simply because a more career oriented beekeeper wouldn't take the time to read a bee blog with corny jokes. I know I wouldn't!)

The varroa mite photo and caption above is from this month's Randy Oliver article in the American Bee Journal. If you are interested in learning how to keep bees alive, I would highly recommend subscribing to ABJ. And reading Randy Oliver! (If you like to talk about beekeeping and chickens and woodworking and gardens then get that other magazine.) 

This is for those of you who want to do more than talk about beekeeping while your bees die in the meantime. In this post we confront enemy #1-- Varroa Destructor.

 Check for mites- Not exactly necessary this time of year because, yes, you have a mite problem! But just to show you, and to see how much of a problem you have, here's how you check. Find a strong hive-

And pull a frame of brood. Young bees give a more accurate mite count. 

Take a second or two and look for the queen. If you find her, than pull another frame, dummy! 

You need about a half cup of bees (300) to do this right. I like to bang them off the frame into a pan, then scoop them up. From there, they go into your alcohol wash. 

(If the bee police didn't come after me for the knee stinging video, than this will surely do it.)

Isopropyl alcohol works fine. If it helps, you can pretend that you're only getting the bees drunk. (See... corny!) But in actuality, you're killing them. Dummy.

Shake your wash about 30 seconds. You are removing the mites from the bees.

And take a look.

Wow! Look at all those mites! If you see over 9 mites (3%), you have a problem. The above picture is a little deceptive. That is actually five hives worth of mites. We don't like to waste our valuable alcohol, so that day we simply reused it, subtracting the previous total from that particular hive's wash. Seth has good eyes. And he can do math. A bonus! 

With Seth's help, I like to do a mite wash on one or two hives per yard. It's good to keep track of certain hives through the fall, know your numbers, and make sure your treatments are actually doing something.

When I'm by myself, especially this time of year, I don't bother mite washing as much. Maybe two or three washes the whole day. Why? Because I already know I have mites! And it's time to treat. Believe me! Vox Clamantis in Deserto. Am I the lone voice crying in the wilderness? It's time to treat those bees!

Yes, it's time to treat! This sort of came up a month ago. We had a bunch of beekeepers out, including the great Pickaway County bee inspector Bill Huhman. The subject of the day: MITES.

One old fella asked, "If you're telling us we already have mites, and we already know we're going to treat, than why are we wasting our time with these washes?"

Bingo! The old fella nailed it.

Whether or not you feel like doing a wash, by August you've got mites. Or you will soon. Trust me. Mites are real!

And mites are hell on bees.

Sure, a mite wash will tell you the extent of the problem, but if one hive in the apiary has a mite load, they'll all have mites eventually. Disease and crashing colonies will soon follow. You can take mountains of time and do a lot of washing... or you can just treat. And that's what we do.

Treat those bees.- This time of year, with the supers on, we go through tons of formic acid.

Don't let the skull and crossbones fool you. It's just acid. But don't put your nose on it!

As you can see, in August the hives get the full dose.

If I have it, and because I'm already in the hive, I like to throw in some protein. Hey, kill two birds.

A week later the protein will be gone. And (hopefully) most of your mites.

To find out, go ahead and do a wash. Did it work?

Even if it did, don't let your guard down. It's only August, and those little devils come back! From now until December, Ms. Varroa Destructor will be a big concern.    HELL IS REAL- ?? - Hotly debatable. But there's no debate about mites. I'm telling you, VARROA IS REAL! And varroa is hell. 

It's time to treat those bees!

Project Week

-Posted by Isaac

The girls are looking strong.

And they've been working hard. With the onset of the soybean bloom about three weeks ago, we've seen some filling of the supers. July brings on the summer nectar flow. Unfortunately, this July also brought us a monsoon. Our little Pickaway paradise was pounded with seven inches of rain in less than five days.

The chickens did not enjoy.

During the thick of it, about a week ago I took a little trip to Kentucky. I was in a hurry.

Only in Kentucky...

A rush to find dry land. Amazingly, south of Cincinnati they had not seen a drop of rain. It was a nice respite for a few hours. And I had a chance to talk bees with the ever charismatic Clay Guthrie of Dadant. He's the branch manager, I'm sure some of you beekeepers know him. 

Not a vacation this time. (Tough gig, this beekeeping.)  

Business trip. I had to blow a wad on protein- 4000 pounds of it.

I pulled out of there after 9pm. Too much bee talk. It looks like I have a big Dadant sign on the truck... and I may as well have. We hand them enough money. Maybe I should proposition Clay for some sponsorship, NASCAR style.

Every summer for maybe the last five years, I've been feeding supplemental protein. Dad was having trouble reasoning the huge expense.

But I no longer question it. The results speak for themselves. We've got two months until the goldenrod pollen, and I don't want our girls going downhill. I'm sure I'll have more to say about this in future posts.

So that's the perpetual summer project- keeping bees healthy. But this week I got busy on some other stuff. Something that was supposed to happen last winter, finally took shape- a walk-in cooler.

This is a 10'x10' cooler that will stay at 40 degrees and hold our naturally granulated and cinnamon honeys. Also we'll be able to fit things like pallets of protein feed. Really, anything that needs to stay cool.

In years past, I've relied on my sister Becky to store the protein over the summer. As you know, she's a big time organic farmer. She and husband Justin run Tilley Farmstead, and I guess this year they must have tired of me taking up their cooler space because they gave me the insulated panels. Thats right, absolutely free!

A new 10'x10' walk-in will set you back somewhere in the neighborhood of $6000. It's looking like I'll have the thing built for around $1000. Thanks guys! Of course they wouldn't take payment. So I've decided I'm going to pay them back in beer for the next 100 years. So far, so good. And it looks like it may not take that long.

At the moment, only one of them isn't pregnant.

I've experienced this time and time again, and it continues to prove true: It's not what you know, it's who you know. Or, to be more specific, it's not how much money you have, it's how much money who you know has. Fortunately I know some wealthy produce farmers.

They gave me so much, I still have a big pile of panels left over. If anyone out there is looking to build a walk-in, I've got them! (For a scant $200/panel) 

(It's how much money who you know has...)

Ok, kidding kidding.    Seriously, I'd love to get rid of these ugly things if anyone is interested. (For the same price I got them- beer.)

Project #2 - the barn

I've been wanting to put a lean-to on the back of the big barn for a while now. A second time this week, I gave my dollars to a supply business and drove home grossly overloaded. This time it was lumber.

It's mainly for equipment storage. (At least that's what it will say on our taxes.) You beekeepers can attest- More storage!- A never ending problem.

But also, our little princess is almost eight years old and for half her long life she has begged for a horse.  She's relentless. 

And someday by God, she'll get her horse. She is a princess, after all.

But a horse has needs. Not the least of which being shelter. So this week I began work on the shelter part. Meanwhile the goats get a free pass to escape every time I open the gate to put up another board.

Which would normally be a problem. It's hard to find a goat herder these days, being such a specialized skill with qualified applicants few and far between. Fortunately after an exhaustive search we found a promising candidate. 

Cool, a cow.

-Posted by Isaac

Cow #1: "Did you hear about the outbreaks of mad cow disease?"

Cow #2: "Good thing I'm a helicopter."

Helicopter

This week, Jayne and I had a chance to take a bike ride in Amish country. We saw cows. Lots of cows.

And many more interesting things. If you ever get a chance to bike (or run) the hills of Holmes County, you won't regret it. For one, it's beautiful up there. Picture book scenery around every turn, and if you're lucky you'll pedal by several groups out and about. And, what's more, you'll probably receive some "Amish stares" from the kids. We never tire of those. Also, it's nice and slow. If you're biking, everything else is moving at your pace or slower. On the back roads, you see about as many horse and buggies as you do cars.

So I thought I could get out of this week's blog with a simple video. No not the cows. Something weirder. I just wanted to plug Amish country and, well, cows with the one above. Plus it was short. Plus YouTube was having a two-for-one sale.

No, the weird one is at the bottom. It's got bees, it's got beehives, but it's not about beekeeping. Nor is it about honey or Honeyrun Farm. We're trying to sell you nothing! Imagine that. In fact, it's way off subject. (Like last week's fairy tale.. hehe)

But it's interesting. And maybe somewhat cool... in a homeopathic way. You'll see. But if you want to call it weird, that's ok too. Somebody said as much in an email the other day:

(Name changed for added weirdness.)

Eli Rumspringa (Not her real name) thought she would do us the favor of some free website analysis while making a sales pitch for more FREE website analysis.

Don't you love it? 

I mean, she's right, our website could use some help. (Who's couldn't?) And comparing our social media efforts to "lame ducks" may or may not have been right on target. I don't know, that's Jayne's department. (But I'm sure Jayne enjoyed the insult.)

The thing that got me, was calling this blog "simply weird." It made me pause. Is it really? Maybe Eli Rumspringa (name changed for special effect) is right. What do you think, Best Beloved? Do fairy tales and talking cows and car killing Giants not sell honey? Is it really that weird? Or is she just making a hell of a sales pitch? Maybe I need to get me some of that FREE analysis.

Cow #1: "Mooooo!"

Cow #2: "Agreed."

So the following video is a little peek into how bees have helped me in other ways. I personally thought it was Facebook worthy, but Jayne cautioned me. You never know who's watching and what's going to get shared a thousand times. What if someone calls the bee police? I could wind up in handcuffs... you know, there are some awfully weird people out there.

Once upon a time,

-Posted by Isaac

oh Best Beloved,

a beautiful princess

in a land far, far away,

traveled with a longing in her heart.

This was not so very long ago, Best Beloved.

The land through which she traversed was a magic land.

Magic filled the air and the water. 

The princess found magic in rock and snow and fire.

But all the while, there was a longing.

Her wanderings took her to enchanted places

where she met astonishing Giants,

and charming Dwarves. 

Both would bask in the warm glow of her admiration. But our princess, Best Beloved, was no fool in the forest.

Indeed, it was unwise to provoke the wrath of the Giants.

This was truly a magic land. 

At the day's end, both the roads and the last rays of sunset would kiss the world a soft goodbye and tumble into the sea. 

And our princess would lie upon the earth and listen to the whispering starlight. 

Each new day would bring a new search. Something was calling to her. Something almost forgotten, almost remembered, a hidden yearning.

What could it be?

This is not a fairy tale, Best Beloved. To be sure, our princess did not ache for a handsome Prince Charming.

No, she had clinched that deal long ago.

And certainly her Prince remained ruggedly handsome, what with his tight fitting cashmere sweaters, but she had found him to be only intermittently charming.

Something else was calling to her. Softly. Deep and true, she could feel it. Something not made by the hands of Man. Something wild, untamed.

As you may well know, Best Beloved, there is no wilderness quite so untamed as the roiling human heart.

Her treasure was out there. Calling. An unsolved riddle just beyond reach. Through the woods she journeyed.

Up and over the peaks,

through the high deserts, the fruited valleys, out to the rocky coast cloaked in fog, where the sky kissed the sea.

And still, her treasure eluded her.

But the princess remained steadfast. It existed! It was out there, just beyond her grasp. Something wonderful. A marriage of nature and Man, a blissful union of earth and sky and sunshine.

There were fleeting moments when she thought she had found it!

Alas, a quiet sip told a forlorn story- it was not this for which her heart called out. But oh so very close!

Our princess pressed on.

What else could she do? 

Up and down, the days they came. Like waves on the shore. The adventures of daylight slipped into tranquil evenings as soft as glass.

And it came to pass, Best Beloved, that one misty morning in the forest of Giants, our princess happened upon an undiscovered side pocket in her travel pack.

Her heart leapt in surprise! Here it was! The wellspring of her longing! 

She knew it immediately, and the forest bathed in her rippling laughter. 

She had been carrying it all along! And what better timing than to find her treasure just before the morning coffee.

The princess rejoiced!

And all the world with her.

So we see that our princess had searched for, and unknowingly carried her treasure the entire journey. By following her wandering heart, the journey itself became the treasure.

Such as it is, Best Beloved, with you and I and the Great Riddle of Life. Boundless adventures await- days of enchantment and hardship, warm sunshine and cold rain. You will find teachers and false prophets. Whatever your treasure, you will follow its call to the ends of the earth. 

And when the questions remain unanswered, when trials and troubles fall like a storm, when your 'happily ever after' seems just out of reach...

don't forget to check the side pocket!

The End.

Tulip Poplar

-Posted by Isaac

The first week of June we jumped into pulling honey and extracting. The spring honey looks like this:

A combination of nectars in this area-- Autumn olive, bush honeysuckle, and black locust. The result is a gorgeous honey. Light, luminous, almost radiant, with a delicate, floral and somewhat unique taste.

Just a few weeks later, we finish out the spring harvest with this:

What a change! This is the Tulip Poplar-- Dark, rich, somewhat musky... a product of the woods and hills of southeast Ohio.

We've got 45 hives down there, and this year they kicked butt!

Best tulip poplar year I've ever seen! We must have hit the weather just right. Almost every super looked like the photo above.

In fact, pretty quickly it was evident that I didn't put on enough supers.

Most years it's a pain. Having bees an hour away for the sole purpose of producing a speciality honey... it's a gamble. Sometimes it barely pays for itself. As you know, taking care of our girls involves more than just pulling honey.

But this year I drove home from the Tarlton yards in a very good mood. 25 hives done, 20 more to go. What would the Bainbridge yards bring?

More of the same! 

Awesome year for the tulip poplar! It kept us busy extracting another two days. The change in honey house aroma was incredible.

With only 45 hives producing this wonderful dark honey, no, we don't make enough to wholesale. But you can still find it every week at the farmer's markets. And some of the smaller stores- check out Produce And Provisions in the North Market.

It makes a great gift, and for me, a great conversation-- something truly unique from the hills of southern Ohio. I've got a couple pounds riding with me in the bee truck. You just never know who you'll run into.

With the tulip poplar done, we pretty much call it a wrap on the spring harvest. Three weeks of intensity finished! 

What to do? What to do? I can think of some things. 

Celebrate, for one. Yesterday I threw a big party and invited all my friends...