Tuesday, July 14, 2015

BEE UPDATE

I know many of you have asked.  Yes, the bees are doing well, yay!  

There isn't much to show, they are building comb and honey stores, thought a bit behind schedule because of the rains.  We're abiding by the the 'don't interfere with them too much' method and so far, they are humming and buzzing along...so that's good.  

English Garden Beehives 
We watch and they are coming in loaded up with pollen and more are leaving to get more so all is good there.  When I mow and edge around them, I come in and do it fast and leave.  I let mother nature blow the clippings away after using the trimmer, not going to hang around with a rake, ha.  

Bee Yard
Above is an angle I haven't shown much before.  This is the rear of the hives and looks out into what we call the bee yard...in the future, with expansion of more hives (hope to have six in total), they will be scattered around in this area.  One thing I've been doing is clearing closer and closer to that large group of trees.  I've created a curved space under the trees that's shaded and will be a great spot for a bench to sit and watch the ladies do their thing.  Cool in the shade and far enough away that I'm not in their flight path.

We still have to decide where the next two hives are going.  At least next time, it won't be fear of the unknown, we'll know exactly what we are doing, well, theoretically, ha!  I'll have some pretty pics of the ladies in an upcoming post.  They were buzzing all over the farm on Saturday.


18 comments:

  1. That is good news. They have plenty of honey makings and they are pollinating as they go.

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  2. Fantastic! I wish I had a place for a hive in my yard. I would love to have one just for pollination.

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    1. They are great for pollination, I wish we had our gardens going this season with the bees but there are plenty of other flowers and things around the property for them to use. Pollination is good for everything huh?

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  3. Thats great your bees are doing good! I like your beehive stands. I just noticed that Attwoods farm store is now carrying unfinished hives. I am watching their add like a hawk now to see if they run the bee stuff on sale! We have one in Tyler which we go to fairly regular. They are carrying Langstroth style hives. I was excited to see this. They have pretty much everything one needs to get started, your basics... But I didn't see hive stand there.

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    1. I found the stands online, slightly pricey but totally worth it. I will email you the link. Keep an eye on the sales, this is coming up on the time of year they start putting hives and equipment on sale.

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  4. what a perfect spot for more hives! what are you going to do with all of that honey?

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    1. I'm not sure, ha. We have lots of people asking for honey, coworkers, relatives, friends, etc. Guess what everyone will get for christmases? HA!

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  5. So glad that all is going well with your busy-buzzy ladies. Bees are sooo important in the web of life - so you’re doing a wonderful thing.
    That spot for the bench will be the perfect place to watch the comings and goings of the hives. And when your bee garden has more plantings, a beauty spot also.

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    1. they are busy. Thanks for that. Yes, need flowers and I'm going to work on that this fall. Just TOO hot now...sigh...

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  6. Great news. And a very tempting place to sit.

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    1. Thanks, yes, the other day I just rode the mower up under there and turned it off an sat for awhile. Shady and cool. ;-)

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  7. Well, I'll bee damned. They were sure out and about in the picture. Four hives times.... I'd like to buy a jar when you finally get some production going. Oh and I definitely don't want the mesquite kind but would like the bluebonnet kind, thank you.

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    1. LOL! I love that!! I will keep you in the loop on honey. They are running behind because of the rainy season we had but hopefully later in the summer we can find some honey.

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  8. Would you like some Four O'Clock seeds? They're very well adapted to your area, and are very attractive to bees - both honey and native. They should bloom from April to October in Texas, and are perennials.

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    1. I would love those! Is it too late to plant them? I like that they are perennials. You are too kind. Thanks!! Email me, houstonray@gmail.com and we'll chat!

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  9. 1st Man,

    Great place for a bench to relax in the shade and spy on your bee's :-)

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    1. Thanks, it just cried out for a bench. And I can keep an 'eye' on them, ha.

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