First Apple

That's right...our first apple.  From the tree our friends gave us.  So proud of the lil (bug free!) bugger.

Orientation Flights

Late in the afternoon, young bees sometimes rush out of the hive together to take their very first flight into the outside world.  Called "orientation flights", these flights involve the bees flying out and up over the hive in figure-eights, in order to imprint upon their little bee brains where their home is in relation to the world and all its landmarks.  It's a lovely thing to sit and observe, just as I did yesterday as the temperature began to cool off after a scorcher of a day.

Honey Time

Well, the bees have been working hard and we decided to steal some of their lovely honey.  Extracting for the first time was a lot of fun...

Frames of honey removed from the hive.

A borrowed basket-style extractor.

I am admiring the bees' handiwork.  Smells good!

Uncapping the comb with an uncapping fork. Next comes loading the extractor, spinning out the honey, letting it settle in the tank below for a day or more, then finally, bottling.

Some jars 'o honey... From 11 frames we harvested almost 40 lbs of honey!  Thank you, bees.

Dogwoods and dandelion are blooming and asparagus spears are poking up. Its that special time of spring. In the garden, we are mowing and turning under the cover crops that have grown since the fall (hairy vetch and winter rye). Then we will cover with newspaper and compost until planting time, giving the organic matter time to break down and feed the soil. I planted an apple tree (Pink Lady) last weekend. Will give her a photo shoot soon. Happy spring everyone!

Pollen Party

Some bees with dandelion pollen, some with maple...it doesn't matter what kind of pollen you are into, the party is ON!

Well....hellloooo pretty lady!

Water? The Ladies turn their noses up at the water I provide for them near the hive. They prefer to alight on potted seedlings and suck water from the soil mix. Good thing we use organic methods!

Its 70 degrees!

Garlic is up in full force as the picture shows and lettuce, spinach, cilantro, and more that overwintered at Garden Dreams is full grown and hiding under row cover to beat the heat!

This weekend it was in the 70s and I was able to look in on our two beehives. Spotted the queen in Hive A as we call it, waddling around doing her thing and lots of healthy brood and young bees to prove she has been hard at work. I didn't see the queen in Hive B, but saw plenty of proof that she was hard at work as well. Both hives are bringing in orange, yellow, and green pollen from maple, weeds, and whatever else they can find that is blooming. And boy are they finding it...as I watched them this morning they were bringing in huge loads. Very cool.