First round of winter

-Posted by Isaac

Ok, enough about Jayne already. Let’s get back to the bees.

I’m killing three birds these days. 1. Winter spacers go on the hives. 2. Supers are stacked in the yards. 3. Honey rent is delivered to land owners.

The work doesn’t end when the cold weather comes, it only changes. I’m alone most of the day, and I guess you could say the work gets more introspective. Thinking about this, brooding about that. I’ve got my thoughts, my podcasts, my truck radio. NPR when I want some news, the AM ‘angry white man’ stations when I want to feel angry. And white.

I’m sure I could speed things up if I brought someone along, but in some ways, that would ruin the whole thing. These short cold days provide a sort of meditation.

Sometimes Facebook provides the entertainment. I always like to check up on the commercial beekeepers page. (Talk about angry white men!) Or I’ll sometimes find something truly remarkable. Here’s something ancient and modern and ugly and beautiful all at once:

Sunset on Mars- Meditate on this a while.

Whoa… deep.

Ok, let me talk about these three birds in more detail. If it’s going to be a dry day, the first thing that happens is the truck is loaded with supers. I can get about 120 stacked on the flatbed following an early morning run and before the kids get on the bus. There’s a handy hour in there if things are going right.

After the kids are off to school, I load up with the yard rent for the landowners I’ll be visiting.

We’ve got 42 bee yards on other people’s land, and this time of year all the land owners receive $90 of product or money. A small Christmas ‘thank you.’

After collecting supers and honey rent, it’s off to the yards. With 120 supers on the truck, I can knock off three or four yards before I have to return for more.

I’ve been storing supers in the yards for a few years now. It makes sense. Opens up the barn for winter work, and even more important, saves a trip in the spring when I really need those supers on the hives. Some yards get a small stack (above).

And some get a big stack.

As you’ve probably already figured, it depends on how many hives are in the yard.

But it also depends on the spring forage. If there is a lot of honeysuckle and autumn olive in the area, I’ll throw another super on a strong hive.

Here’s a yard of invisible bees.

Six yards look like this. These girls are sitting at home right now, waiting to go into the apples in April. I’ve learned that apple pollinators can be really strong (when things go right) after they come out of the orchards in May. As in, you’d better have enough supers.

Here we have the cell phone yard.

Every year these girls show me that the “Cell phones are killing the bees!” theory is most likely bogus. This is an awesome yard. Especially in the spring. Could it be that the cell tower is enhancing the foraging? Hmmm…

So after the honey rent is delivered and the supers stacked, bird number three involves actually popping lids and looking at the bees.

Cold days are the best.

The bees put out moisture as they slowly metabolize their honey stores. You can sort of see this with that ring of frost on the lid pictured above. To prevent the condensation from dripping on the cluster all winter, there needs to be some ventilation. A spacer takes care of this.

The reason that cold days are the best is because I can put the spacer on and check the girls quickly. No smoke, no veil needed. It takes seconds.

I’m also checking food stores. On a cold day in December when the bees are in a tight cluster, looking down, you shouldn’t even see them. They should be under three, four, five inches of honey.

Those that aren’t, the lighter hives where everyone is up high, will be fed a sugar patty in January. They get marked with the brick up. This year, I’m guessing that only about 10% have a brick in the “feed me!” position.

Ideally you have a box of honey on top and a big cluster on bottom. Yesterday it was warm enough to split a few and really check.

(Still working on the protein patty from October.)

Most are looking great. Especially the hives with younger queens.

So that’s my routine of late. It’s enjoyable. It’s peaceable. I’ll do three or four yards in the morning and maybe another couple in the afternoon.

I have to be careful though. If I happen to go in the honey house between trips, they may try to put me to work. It breaks my meditation. On a normal day in December, I’ll find Jayne, Katie, Kristen and Hannah all busy… running around frantically filling Christmas orders. On most afternoons, my second trip involves a drive to the post office. The bee truck doubles as Santa’s sleigh.

Feeling Irrelevant on Open House Weekend

-Posted by Isaac

First and foremost, we had a good day didn’t we?

Clear blue cloudless skies, bright sun, temps in the fifties. Sunday was like a dream. It was so awesome to see the girls out and about. Dare I say happy? If we could only get one of those days every week, I think I could hang on. I think I could bear the rest with no complaining. Is one day too much to ask? Apparently so. It’s looking like thirty degree gray crap for the next seven.

So we’ve been doing a Christmas Open House for a few years now. It’s grown and grown. This year they came from all over, north and south. You came from all over. Thank you!

We ran out of parking. And at one point, even getting to and from the honey house proved tricky.

A day before our gorgeous dreamy Sunday, Saturday brought buckets of cold, cloudy wet crap. Just a dash of water. But it didn’t seem to slow the Christmas shoppers.

In anticipation, we got the place cleaned up and cheered up.

Heated up and brightened up.

Just inside, there was a multitude of free homemade cookies and Christmassy drinks.

And if you wanted to hang around the cookie table, you could get yourself a quick honey bee education. Nothing like sugar to spur an education.

Further on, the big extracting room became a full on store.

Just about every workable space was filled with something.

I do have one nagging fear with this Christmas shop- one of these years, either a great honey year, or someday when we have few hundred more hives, we’re going to run right up against extracting season. Meaning, we’re going to need this space for its original purpose.

What do we do then, dear wife?

And I have another fear. A fear that slowly grows as the years go by. And this year, browsing around this makeshift shop, that fear became even more evident.

I’m becoming irrelevant.

Let me explain as we look around the shop.

My dear wife doesn’t need me.

Me or my bees.

Just look at all the great stuff she’s dreamed up.

Without me.

Without lifting a single super in the summer…

…or feeding a single hive in the winter.

This business was once about the bees paying the bills. Every surplus cent, it seemed, went right back into buying more equipment, which turned into more hives, which in turn gave us more honey. I was happy to bask in the glory of being the (much needed) beekeeper.

Well things have changed, haven’t they? We now sell far more gift boxes than buckets of honey.

It’s called retail!

It’s called wholesale!

It’s not the same as wholesaling honey. Even when you wholesale gift boxes, it’s pretty much like retail.

Now people even come and put their own gift boxes together. We just provide the box.

How easy is that?

All this to say, we are slowly looking more like Burt’s Bees… and a lot less like Burt the beekeeper. Burt is becoming irrelevant.

Let’s face it, anyone can produce honey. Even comb, even infused.

It takes someone special, some combination of business savvy, foresight, and creativity to turn standard old bee products into what I get to witness in my extracting room every December. And what you get to find online all year.

It’s all Jayne.

So what do you think? Will she keep me around? Even if I insist on messing with bees for a few more years?

Way back in the day, Burt insisted on messing with bees. His partner, Roxanne Quimby wanted to look into lip balms and lotions. Burt was having none of it. He decided to sell his third of the business. $130,000.

Do you know what Burt’s Bees is valued at today? I’ll tell you: Right around One Billion!

Oops.

One billion dollars.

Sometime in his later years Burt Shavitz was asked if he regretted selling out so early. He took a nonchalant attitude. He shrugged…. Ah, Burt’s Bees… been there, done that…

…got the t-shirt.

Just happy to be here

-Posted by Isaac

What a load of crap, this weather.

Tis the season… let the complaining begin. For some reason, this year seems a bit worse than usual. I can tell it’s pretty bad when I actually look forward to my weekly Columbus deliveries. I know, some of you have to look at that awful gray mess of traffic every day, and I feel for you. I really do. I don’t know how you go on.

I guess it just makes our rare sunny day that much sweeter.

With the rain and the cold I’m now volunteering almost daily to take big bags of packages to the post office. Just to be warm and dry for a while. Just to feel some kind of purpose on another non-beekeeping day. I can zone out, I can reminisce, I can plan projects, or better yet, I can listen to a podcast. Of late, Joe Rogan and Bill Burr have been parting the clouds. Sam Harris, if I really want to think. And I’m open to suggestions… it’s looking like a long winter.

So did you have a good Thanksgiving? Judging from last week’s heavy grocery store orders, I think quite a few of you basted that turkey and covered those bread rolls with local honey. And believe you me, you’re better for it— having that bottle of golden nectar within arm’s reach— A sure fire way to impress your holiday guests. Trust me on this, it’s a clear sign of intelligence. A mark of culture. A touch of class. A dash of grace. A note of refinement. A stroke of finesse. A kiss of elegance. And of course a conversation piece, as you already know. Regaling your guests with your seemingly infinite knowledge of the natural world… You are wise beyond your years.

And what about the big game? Did you catch the game?

Yes, we sure did. And this year it definitely lived up to the hype, didn’t it? What a rivalry! What a clash of the titans! At one point, red in the face and screaming, it almost came to blows. They had an intense argument over the technicalities. As the official ref, I had to step in and explain that there’s really no difference between P-I-G and C-O-W. You’re still out in three misses. No reason to fight about it.

What a battle! What a weekend! And on a side note, flipping sports, we saw Ohio State beat Michigan.

Again.

For whatever reason, the kids just don’t see what the big deal is. However, they do like explaining why we can’t use the letter M when talking about Xichigan. They learned this in school. And they thought it was important to retain. I’m glad some things are sticking.

Between rainy days, we find things to do.

And we try to beautify the place wherever we go.

Here we have a beautiful dumpster ornament.

And here, Eden models a beautiful hive ornament.

The past two weeks, when it’s dry enough, my little princess has joined me in collecting hives. We’ve amassed quite a few.

We’ll be taking these girls into the apples next April. I’ve learned that it’s much easier to have them all in one place when that call comes, rather than running around at night, fighting the mud in the spring. Plus, it’s easier to take care of them here at home.

Eden entertains herself with my phone while I pick up pallets.

Sometimes I’m just amazed at what she’s able to capture.

If that ain’t fine art, I don’t know what is.

Between yards, we enjoy the fruits (and nuts) of her genius.

Having spent years in sunny Colorado, I sometimes wonder what I’m doing here. Then when I think back I realize, even surrounded by those beautiful mountains, I probably complained at least as much if not more. It was just about different subjects. Not the weather. I found other things— things of my own making. Loneliness and moneyless and general aimlessness probably topped the list. And when I think hard about it, maybe I should count myself lucky that the Ohio weather sits on top of the complaint list these days. What’s a rainy day now and then? One or two or six in a row? Who cares? At least I have a purpose. At least I have a good job.

And you really can’t beat the good company.

Come visit us! Holiday Open House Dec. 1st and 2nd

-posted by Jayne

It’s been a week of WORK here at Honeyrun Farm. For some, more than others. I came down with a nasty virus on Monday and was on the couch until Wednesday evening. Eden got to spend some time beekeeping with dad. I think she enjoyed herself.

Queen of the hive

Katie and Kristen kept the honey house going, filling a large order for corporate gifts:

Today I’d like to take the opportunity to invite you to our honey house for our annual Open House, Dec. 1st (9-6) and 2nd (12-6). For more info- see our facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1208394122641290/

Just like years past, we will be turning our honey house into a retail space. We’ll work around extractors, wax spinners, buckets and barrels to create a shopping area where you can sample honey, view gift baskets and candles, or even create your own custom gift basket if you’d like.

Our employee Katie has a nice collection of holiday decorations she loans out to us to help give the honey house into a fun, festive atmosphere.

I remember when I was a kid, sometimes my parents would take us to an open house because they were giving out free hot dogs. It was usually a farm implement shop, hardware store, or something of that sort. I was always amazed… free hot dogs… really… free?! Well, we’re gonna top the free hot dog and give away free cookies, hot cider, and even have a few raffle prizes we’ll be giving away throughout the weekend. I promise I will not judge you if you only show up for the free cookies. Hope to see you there!

Transition time

-Posted by Isaac

Well, we did the pumpkin thing,

and we did the trick-or-treat thing…

In fact, many trick-or-treat things.

Remember when Halloween consisted of just one glorious evening of walking around town? Maybe you’d spend a few hours (not days!) fretting over a costume. Remember the good old days when it was short and sweet? And made for kids? I know I sound like a grouch, but this business of adult Halloween parties, school candy parties, and no less than three or four kids events is complete BS. It takes a full week! What a bunch of crap.

In so many ways, I feel like my parents’ generation had it easy. I mean, compared to what we have to go through. In holidays, in sports, in politics, in school… in their three TV channels and two newspapers and two genders… in their wall hanging dial phones, no internet, limited fast food choices and 55 mph speed limit… they had it easy! It really makes me wonder.

What will little Arlo be complaining about at 42?

Your guess is as good as mine.

As I write, a cold, hard 22 degree wind whips and screams. There’s ice on the doorstep and the eggs are soon to crack unless I get out there. Winter has arrived.

The wood stove whistles in the next room. We are definitely transitioning. Jayne is on her early Saturday trip to the Worthington Market. Two weeks ago they moved inside, but poor poor sister Becky is still outside at Clintonville. Hope she bundles that baby.

As usual, I’ve got the kids. And as usual, for November, we’ll probably jump into cutting firewood.

We’ve been at it for at least a month. Saturday afternoons. I’ve got to say, I’m impressed with how enthused they get. In about an hour we can do a full load. In another hour, it’s all on the porch. And they stay happy the entire time. Apparently nobody has explained that this is work.

On Wednesday, as the kids were moving another load onto the porch, I took the opportunity to check the election results. The real results. As in, who’s ticked off, who’s happy, who’s pleasantly surprised, who’s talking trash, and who’s moving to Canada. Yes, this can all be done through Facebook.

I came across useful data in the form of a pie chart:

According to Jayne, this is something I need to keep in mind as we move toward 2020.

But that’s a long way off. And in the meantime, we’ve got a lot to do.

As you can imagine, there isn’t much in the way of bee work with this weather. The girls are hopefully fat and happy and clustered for a long winter’s nap. I haven’t peeked in a hive for over two weeks and I’m suffering withdraw. Fortunately I have the wax to keep me busy.

All the cappings are now being rendered into blocks. This is an involved process.

A process with certain perks.

If you’re at all interested in this wax processing, I explained some things in a blog post back in 2016: Wax 101

I can do just a few blocks every day, and I need to hustle along because the candle orders are picking up.

Here is where you find the real work, and the real transition into winter. Pouring and wicking candles, making soaps, salves, lip balms. Packing honey, arranging gift sets…

Jayne, Katie, Kristen and Petyn run around on the many daily tasks.

Lafe and I try to stay out of the way… just keep the floor clean the the wax blocks coming.

The orders come streaming in and we know that the stream will soon become a river. The river will swell into an ocean about a month from now. Everyone wants their holiday beeswax candles.

I guess it’s just something that goes hand in hand with the season.

No, not that. We’re past that spooky season.

I’m talking about the truly scary one. The one where we all go insane.

And on the side, wish for world peace.

Until next time, as Bridger would say, “Peace brother.”