Maine

[Gallina Sarda]

So very cool that you have bees! One of my fondest memories is of me and my grandma sucking on the honey comb together - yum!

This is my second time around as well. My first year it was a horrible summer for nectar gathering so the girls didn't have enough honey to make it through the winter. Last year was pretty good. I didn't harvest any honey though. I wanted to make sure the hive had enough food to make it through the winter. Hopefully this year they will be established enough that they can share. The last warm day they were busy doing housekeeping so I know they are still doing okay.

 

[Widget]

So very cool that you have bees! One of my fondest memories is of me and my grandma sucking on the honey comb together - yum!

Oddly enough I really don't like honey. I do make a mean baklava though. One of the few non chocolate sweets that I love.

I have the bees for the work they do pollinating. Hobby beekeepers are becoming so much more important with all the problems that the commercial honey producers and pollinating services are having with disease and die offs.

 

[jerseychix]

That so cool about the bees. There was a hive on our property when we bought, but, by the time we figured out what it was, got an beekeeper out here, it looks like it was decimated by mites. It will be a miracle if they make it through the winter. But the beekeeper thinks it was a feral hive from a farm down the road, rather than honestly wild bees.

Part of me really wants to keep bees, and get the honey, which we all love. And part of me pretty much wants to fall over in a dead faint the idea.

 

[echosrevenge]

Quote: I used to be a dog trainer when I lived in Seattle, I understand the importance of socializing right! I'd be happy to come bearing apples and carrots sometime when the trails are clear, just let me know a little in advance so I can get hold of a car for the day.

gonna go hang with some horses! Iceys are some of my very favorites, too...

 

[Widget]

That so cool about the bees. There was a hive on our property when we bought, but, by the time we figured out what it was, got an beekeeper out here, it looks like it was decimated by mites. It will be a miracle if they make it through the winter. But the beekeeper thinks it was a feral hive from a farm down the road, rather than honestly wild bees.

Part of me really wants to keep bees, and get the honey, which we all love. And part of me pretty much wants to fall over in a dead faint the idea.

Working the hive can be intimidating. The bees are LOUD. But for the most part they aren't aggressive. If you accidentally squish one then the others get a bit testy. Slow and steady is the key. And when the workers are out gathering nectar and pollen they are less likely to become aggressive. Their goal is to forage not attack. In general they attack only to defend the hive.

 

[Widget]

I used to be a dog trainer when I lived in Seattle, I understand the importance of socializing right! I'd be happy to come bearing apples and carrots sometime when the trails are clear, just let me know a little in advance so I can get hold of a car for the day.

gonna go hang with some horses! Iceys are some of my very favorites, too...

At this rate I should start making a schedule.

 

[buckabucka]

I posted this back in September, but it may be worth revisiting for all the future beekeepers:

I know a few things that can go wrong in winter, since Jack had bees and things went wrong:

Do not open the hive constantly in the winter, even if you find it fascinating. The bees will freeze.

Do not let the bees run out of sugar water. They will starve.

Do not get a styrofoam hive for warmth and forget to vent it. It will mold.

Do not forget to treat for mites, or the bees will die.

Do not develop a life-threatening bee allergy (that ended our stint with bees)!

 

[Dita Von Cluck]

At this rate I should start making a schedule.

That's what I was thinking! It's funny how this seemed to snowball...

 

[buckabucka]

Congratulations on the job, Widget!

I think horses are pretty, but you won't have to schedule me in for riding. For some reason, I've always been afraid of horses, and dogs make me kind of nervous too.

Unfortunately, I joined the Chicken Addicts support group, and they are total enablers. I have 40 chickens, 30 imported hatching eggs arriving here soon, and my own eggs that I plan to hatch. Plus a few white layers from the feed store...

 

[lazy gardener]

We live next to a field and often see turkey buzzards flying around. Those worry me! I never think of foxes being around since I hardly see them but then a week or two ago, I was awoken in the middle of the night by one.

They're officially on my list now!
Oooo! I'll definitely be making a trip to Metcalf's! Or perhaps I should wait until I have a coop set up so I won't get heartbroken if(and most likely when) I get tempted.

I wish they had a website like Longhorn does but I suppose thats just as well.

Wow, I also nearly fell out of my chair at your generous offer! I love to ride so I might have to take you up on that. And, of course, I wouldn't mind pitching in with cleaning, feeding, etc. either.

Congratulations!! Thats wonderful news!

Haha I got a good chuckle out of that! I've been fairly warned--chickens are like potato chips: can't stop at one (or three or six...)

Stopping at 1 or 3 or 6... fried, boiled, or barbecued??? sorry... sick chicken humor.