Package Bees- Addendum

-Posted by Isaac

Can’t we all just get along?

Following Brian’s comments on that last post, I began thinking about a scenario that often happens with package bees. It occurred to me that this oft repeated scenario is beneficial to both the package folks and anti-package beekeepers. And so often we help each other while pointing fingers and dismissing the other party.

Give me a minute to take you through this:

-Package Bees (Pro-package beekeeper installs a package.)

-Honey (Package builds quickly into a hive and produces a box of honey off the wonderful spring flow.)

-$$$ (Pro-package beekeeper rushes around extracting and selling the wonderful honey.)

-Swarm (Because of the rush, the hive isn’t resupered in time. Bees swarm from lack of room.)

-Bee Removal (Swarm annoyingly ends up in a garage wall. Anti-package beekeeper gets a call.)

-$$$ (Charges for the removal, and places bees in the backyard apiary.)

-Overwinter (Takes the “wild” hive through the winter.)

-Queens (This anti-package master beekeeper breeds the progeny of the hardy overwintered stock.)

-$$$ (Sells locally adapted queens from wild and hardy overwintered stock.)

See how easy that was? This happens all the time. We really can get along. To the benefit of each party.

Now how about you try it? I’ve taken care of the hard part—beekeeping.

I can think a number of other issues tearing this country apart— guns, drugs, immigration, abortion, racism, sexism, taxation, healthcare, income inequality, etc… you name it. Get to work! I want solutions! Compromise! Nuance!

Granted, none of these are quite as complex as the beekeeping problem. That’s why it took me a few days to figure it out. But you can do it!

The package bee conundrum

-Posted by Isaac

It was a big week on the bee farm. We got our package bees installed.

For the last three years on the last week of March, I’ve had the good fortune of driving down to Georgia in the tough little Ranger and coming back loaded with bees.

Bought 120 this year— about all that would fit! I look at it as good fortune because it’s really hard to get packages this early unless you’ve been in the business for years and years. And I’m still a relative newbie. It’s an enjoyable quick trip, 12 hours down, sleep, 12 hours back, and if the weather is suitable we’re giving those bees a home the very next morning.

For us, buying packages has been a real shot in the arm. It’s helped in so many ways. But I hesitate in even posting about it because, as you may know, the bee world is divided on this. Some, maybe even the majority of beekeepers are quick to cuss and spit when the subject of packages comes up.

So it’s a conundrum. Should I tell you about it? Will it make you hate us?

We obviously fall in the ‘packages are awesome!’ camp.

Because it’s such an fun little adventure, I think I’ll go ahead and show you the process. But I won’t turn my back on you ‘packages suck!’ people. I’m going to try to acknowledge many of your thoughts and misgivings. How about I make a list? The good and the bad of package bees…

While you go over the two lists and figure out where you stand on this divisive issue, I’ll simply caption the photos with explanations of what we’re doing. You know,… for those of you interested, but undecided. Pick a side, you spineless lily-livered centrists.

Prepping the hives. A little protein, a little syrup.

Package Bees- The good:

-A fun trip to the south

-Quick and easy way to fill dead-outs

-You’re starting with a clean slate (No varroa)

Each package comes with a newly bred queen. She goes in first. (Having pulled the cork from the candy plug.)

-New young queens

-Added and mixed genetics

-Many early drones for your own breeding endeavors

Take the can of syrup out and shake the bees in. (About three pounds) A spacer helps…

-The bees are on the upswing and ready to go, filled with southern enthusiasm.

-It’s spring! You haven’t had to deal with frozen toes and mud as you take them through the winter.

-They’re fast! A March package on drawn comb can actually make honey in May.

…the spacer helps keep them in as they go down

Package Bees- The bad:

-It’s too easy. You should have to earn your beekeeping stripes.

-You really don’t know what you’re getting into.

-We’re creating 4-H projects, not enough disciplined lifetime apiarists. Bee-havers, not beekeepers.

One after another… 120 seems almost endless.

-These are “weak” southern bees with inferior genetics.

-We’re polluting our strong, hardy overwintered Ohio stock.

-Who knows what kind of diseases those packages hold?

A warm body attracts a few passengers on a cool morning.

-You and your packages are the reason the bees are going “extinct.”

-You and your ilk are knowingly unleashing a plague.

-You are solely responsible for a host of ills, including but not limited to: rampant ecological destruction, the insect apocalypse, climate change, the Spanish flu, both world wars, the 2008 recession, and Donald Trump.

-Oh yeah, I almost forgot—original sin. Your fault!

Done in four or five hours. Another hour to clean up the mess.

So where do you fall on the package bee spectrum? Are they bad or good? The curse of the beekeeping industry? Or the savior?

Maybe you’re just still indifferent. It is what it is, right? Say what you will, many a lifelong beekeeper (including this one) got their start with a package.

Maybe having a 4-H project isn’t such a bad thing.

Onward past the Ides

-Posted by Isaac

Some days are diamonds.

We’ve had a few of those haven’t we?

Thinking about the miserable March of 2018, I certainly can’t complain about this year.

On warm days, we’re out. On cold days we’re out.

On the rainy days, we find things to do inside.

In between all this shifty March weather, we get wind.

It’s been pretty intense this year, as some of us have seen close up. The hay barn just outside Darbyville lost its roof.

And Mt. Sterling’s iconic restaurant took a beating.

I remember the last hurricane force winds that ripped through town a few years ago. A big chunk of roof was taken off the same building. I listened the next day as the news was so relevant it made the afternoon talk on AM 610. The late great John Corby commented, “If Ben and Joy’s ever gets taken out, I’ll tell ya, that whole town might as well hang it up.”

Well, keep smiling John, wherever you are. I’m happy to say Mt. Sterling is standing solid, Ben and Joy’s is still kicking, proudly serving up green marshmallow fluff in the eternal lunch buffet. Climate change has thus far proven no match for the Angel Room.

The night of the nastiest winds took a couple lids off our hives here at home. I went out with a flashlight and placed them back, but it made me think… I’d better make it around to check on everybody. The next day, sunup to sundown, I visited almost everybody. About 500 hives. Even though I only found three more lids blown off, it was worth the trip. It gave me a chance check on the girls one final time before we start our April splitting.

If a hive is marked with the brick on edge, it’s big enough to make a split. (To make a nuc or two.) Much to my delight, about 90% are splittable.

And even better, I’d say at least 50% look like this:

A hive like this will make a nuc or two in April and go on to produce a box or two of spring honey in May. (Fingers crossed.) It’s awesome! A complete turnaround from the way things looked last March.

But for now, the weather’s still cold and the many many mouths require ever more calories to make that final push into spring. We burned through our third pallet of winter patties this week.

It won’t be long though. On the good days, the girls are making it out and actually finding what mother nature is serving up. Bill Huhman, our county bee inspector got a closeup of one of his girls loaded with what we think is maple pollen.

The willows will soon follow. Then the deadnettle, the chickweed, the dandelions, and… everything else. Just a few more days!

For now, we cheat. On the nice days our girls here at home have themselves a gluttonous picnic.

Collecting, cleaning, and selling pollen has its benefits— buckets of dust. A winter’s worth of pollen dust provides the bees with hours of snacking and gives us some good cheap entertainment to boot.

Something New - Ginger Lime Infused Honey

-posted by Jayne

There’s a new honey on the block….

And no… i did not pose that little bee on the tag the day I took the photo. She wandered into the photo shoot by her own accord.

For the past few years at the farmers market, our regular customers occasionally wander up to the booth, try a few samples, look at us and question, “Anything new?” The answer, for the past several years has been (with a smile) … “No… nothing new.”

“Same old, same old”.

“We just try to stay consistent, offer what we have, what the bees produce.”

“Oh yeah, we do have these two varieties of infused honey, Lemon Verbena and Lavender.”

(We know! Old news!)

When I pondered my New Years Resolutions for 2019, I decided it was time to try something new. Customers wanted it! Infusions are fun and not difficult, right? Just a little creativity, some time, a little elbow grease working up new labels, jars, photos, product descriptions for the website, advertising on Facebook and Instagram. It’s really not that hard, is it?

Little did I know, one of our favorite Meadmakers in Columbus (proudly brewing with Honeyrun Farm Honey) already makes a Ginger Lime Mead - Copper Knob. They had even gifted us a bottle back in December - it was delicious! Maybe I subconsciously borrowed their idea?

Our Ginger Lime Infused honey has a warm, spicy, citrusy flavor that is great in hot tea, mixed drinks, on chicken or stir fry, or even on cornbread or biscuits. 

For those that lack the creativity to come up with their own recipe, I’ll leave a few tried and true recipes below.

Stir-Fried Honey-Ginger Chicken with Peppers

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Ginger Lime Infused honey

• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, sliced into 1/4-inch strips

• 1/4 cup minced peeled fresh ginger

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 3 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced

• Cooked rice, for serving

• Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving

Directions

1. 1. In a small bowl, stir together honey, vinegar, and soy sauce. Heat a large skillet over high until hot. Add 1 tablespoon oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add chicken and stir until opaque but not cooked through, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate.

2. 2. Add 1 tablespoon oil, ginger, and garlic to skillet and stir until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add peppers and stir 2 minutes. Add soy mixture and bring to a boil. Return chicken to skillet and toss until sauce thickens and chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes. Serve over rice, topped with cilantro.

   -recipe adapted from www.marthastewart.com

For those that prefer a simpler recipe such as a mixed drink or mocktail:

BOURBON AND HONEY GINGER FIZZ

INGREDIENTS

• Ginger Lime Infused Honey Syrup

• 1/2 cup honey

• 1/2 cup water

• Bourbon and Honey Ginger Fizz

• 1.5 ounces bourbon whiskey

• 2 teaspoons Ginger Lime Infused Honey Syrup

• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

• 2 ounces club soda

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a 1-quart saucepan, mix honey and water. Heat about 2 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly until honey is dissolved. Remove from heat; set aside 1 hour to cool. Pour syrup into glass jar, cover and refrigerate until needed. Makes about 1 cup. You may also add extra chopped ginger to this step if you’d like to make it more spicy.

2. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, mix bourbon, Ginger Honey Syrup and lemon juice.

3. Shake until well chilled. Strain into ice filled glass. Add club soda. To make a “mocktail” version of this drink, simply leave out the whiskey and add a bit more club soda, a bit more syrup to suit your taste.

Recipe adapted from https://www.bourbonandhoney.com/bourbon-and-honey-ginger-fizz/

We have a limited batch of our Ginger Lime Infused Honey and once it is sold out, that’s it! (For a limited time at least). We already have our next infused dreamed up and we’re excited to share it with you! For now, we hope you’ll enjoy trying out the Ginger Lime Infusion- and please comment below if you have any great recipes to share with us! Our Ginger Lime Honey is on sale right now- so get it while you can! https://www.honeyrunfarm.com/purerawhoney/gingerlimehoney

Father and Son

-Posted by Isaac

It’s been a week of messing around with wood.

The fence building continues, and when the weather finally turned, we made lots of entrance reducers for bee pallets.

Let me tell you, a little warmth sure makes things more enjoyable.

On hump day we had the week’s most momentous event.

My Baby turned five on March 4th (Talk about a fitting date.) And two days later, Mason turned 11. Cakes were made, compliments of our lovely and multitalented Katie in the honey house.

It’s extremely easy to find great pics of Eden. My Baby can ham it up.

She’s gregarious and lovable. A strong personality, a small body, a big smile. Pictures come naturally. Especially if you capture one baby with another. You’ve got a winner.

But Mason, our oldest, is quite the opposite. Introverted and quiet, broody, somewhat awkward, a weird sense of humor, a cool, standoffish demeanor. Not unpleasant, but definitely not magnetic.

He’s got very little interest in baby animals, or the world beyond, and absolutely zero interest in what his dad does. This could change of course, but for now, he prefers to live in his own world.

He reminds me of the 11-year-old me.

“Smile Mason… it makes you feel good!”

Ok. I’ll assume you’re smiling…

Every Tuesday and Thursday I drop him off at Musical Mustangs, a hour before school. It’s always a very quiet ride. I have a lot to say, and usually pummel him with questions for the first minute or two. Then I give up, and feeling frustrated, turn on the NPR news… might as well overdose with frustration.

Mason wants to arrive ten minutes early so he can read a book.

He’s a big reader. Of Captain Underpants.

Here he is getting all psyched up about his big game on Saturday—

I’ve had the ‘joy’ of assistant coaching his basketball team for two years in a row. It’s almost comical how little he cares about the sport… and how good he is. He can easily hang with the other kids when he decides to. It’s just that the deciding to try, to be normal, is somewhat of an intermittent thing.

Much like Melville’s Bartleby, the mantra of his life seems to be, “I would prefer not to.”

He ignores people. He’s unaware. And he simply refuses to suffer fools gladly. I love him so much. Like I said, I see so much of me in him. I think about my own teens and twenties and I realize he’s coming up on a tough couple of hard-knock decades. At 11, the kid years start to fade away. If you want to make it a smoother ride, you’ve got to learn to fake it. To be agreeable. You’ve got to take some social cues. Nod and pretend to listen to a coach. Smile and say hello to a classmate. Look an adult in the eyes. Learn how to hold a fork… There are so many things! I’ve tried, believe me. It seems to fall on deaf ears. Or am I one of the fools he refuses to suffer gladly?

I was thinking about all this, and an old Cat Stevens song came to mind.

There are two lines in that song that really hit home. Well, maybe three. I had to laugh about the “Find a girl, settle down…” Mason, following my own trajectory, won’t even know what a girl is until he’s in his twenties. He’ll then go through about a decade of awkward heartache until someone takes pity on him. Then maybe he’ll settle down, like his old man.

The obvious line was, “How can I try to explain, when I do, he turns away again.” I feel this almost daily with my son. And I wonder if it was the same with my own father? My dad took took to calling me ‘the professor’, due to my hair-brained, bookwormish and spacey way of going about things. I was never sure of what to think of that. Is it a compliment? Or an insult? I never asked, I ignored it. Like the song says, I turned away.

Another line that got me was, “You will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not.” What exactly Cat Stevens was getting at, I don’t know. But I took it as… Hey buddy, you better adjust, you better learn to fake it, or your future opportunities will tend to limit themselves. I know this all too well. Like me, it’s looking like Mason will have a hard time of it.

Society welcomes the well-adjusted. And even those born somewhat ill-suited to the world seem to learn to fake it. They adjust. The teachers, the preachers, the lawyers, doctors, nurses, dentists, sales people, bartenders, barbers, mechanics, etc.. They all have to smile and be nice. They all put up with fools. Some even relish it— look how many people spend their day on Facebook.

It makes me sad and happy at the same time. Thinking about Mason. I both worry and rejoice. He’s a little me! Instead of winking, I tend to sigh and say, ‘He’s a chip off the old block.’ Then I laugh. I love it!

I probably worry too much. He’ll find his way. Here he is just a few days ago— soloing at the Musical Mustangs concert!

Talent and brains and enormous potential hide under that thick, awkward shell. And, you never know, maybe he won’t even need to learn to fake it. He may just wind up a beekeeper.