Maine

[lazy gardener]

Good news is they don't tend to chase you. Maybe for a few feet but once you are away from the hive you are no longer a threat. As for protection the only thing I tend to wear is the hat and veil. You really don't need the suit. Or gloves. In fact with gloves you can't really feel what you are doing and will harm more bees that way. Harmed bees give off pheromones that tell the other bees to defend the hive.

Building the hives is really easy. Painting them takes the most time. Any color will do so I just buy the Oops paint from HD or Lowes. Around here darker colors are better. One since people tend to think white=bee hive but not other colors. So vandals are as tempted to knock them over. And since our weather is cooler than say down south the darker colors help to keep the hives warmer year round.

And some wasps will bother honey bees. They are the predators of the insect world. It all depends on the species and how close they are to the hive.

If you're looking for cheap oops paint check out Habitat for Humanity stores.

 

[lazy gardener]

Yeah really...what is his problem, anyway?!

Ooo..beautiful but kinda scary to think he was doing recon on your coop!


OMG...too cute goats!!


Oh yes, LazyG, if I won the lottery we'd have a lot more animals!

Maine chick 168: Who does the mowing at your house? If he does it, I'm guessing it's a testosterone thing. In my yard, my hubby and I have irreconcileable differences. He does lawns. I do gardens, and everything not lawn unless it requires extra man power. We're always having turf wars about where the gardens end and the lawn begins. He's mowed down high bush blueberries, rhubarb, and once tried to take out a cherry tree. ("Oh, I thought those were weeds.") But I do love him!!! I call him Mr Mows It All!!

 

[CoopChick719]

Maine chick 168: Who does the mowing at your house? If he does it, I'm guessing it's a testosterone thing. In my yard, my hubby and I have irreconcileable differences. He does lawns. I do gardens, and everything not lawn unless it requires extra man power. We're always having turf wars about where the gardens end and the lawn begins. He's mowed down high bush blueberries, rhubarb, and once tried to take out a cherry tree. ("Oh, I thought those were weeds.") But I do love him!!! I call him Mr Mows It All!!

I agree with LazyG. I feel that more gardens equals less lawn to mow. LOL..."Oh, I thought those were weeds." How many times have I heard those words?!

 

[joanie_maine]

OMG the goat pictures are driving me crazy - I want a couple so badly

Guess I'll just try the angora rabbit thing this Spring......I have so little barn space and even less land space.

 

[Mainechick168]

Maine chick 168: Who does the mowing at your house? If he does it, I'm guessing it's a testosterone thing. In my yard, my hubby and I have irreconcileable differences. He does lawns. I do gardens, and everything not lawn unless it requires extra man power. We're always having turf wars about where the gardens end and the lawn begins. He's mowed down high bush blueberries, rhubarb, and once tried to take out a cherry tree. ("Oh, I thought those were weeds.") But I do love him!!! I call him Mr Mows It All!!

LazyG- He mows mostly...but because it's so big, and because sometimes he mows lawns for the school in the summer, I get to do it too. Usually he says I should mow the back lawn..haha. He's been good about the gardens though- although last year he mowed right over the squash that was growing out of my compost! "oops! I totally forgot about that!" was his response....

 

[lazy gardener]

LazyG- He mows mostly...but because it's so big, and because sometimes he mows lawns for the school in the summer, I get to do it too. Usually he says I should mow the back lawn..haha. He's been good about the gardens though- although last year he mowed right over the squash that was growing out of my compost! "oops! I totally forgot about that!" was his response....

Oh Yeah, He hates zuchinni, so I have to guard that by planting mid garden or put a couple of boulders around it. I've gotten smart by placing some pretty hefty rocks at the corners of the veggie garden, especially around the blueberries!!!

 

[farmerfogg]

someone posted this and I just had to share. chicken sweaters!!

I love your chicken sweaters!

 

[Renie]

Then I'll be back in touch in April to schedule a visit to Clover Run Farm and get some advice on which pullets to buy. Thanks for the warm welcome.

 

[echosrevenge]

For those of you who are NPIP Certified, what was the process for Maine? I've been digging hard on the State Dept of Ag website and elsewhere, but can't find any info specifically for Maine on testing costs, etc. Eventually gave up and emailed the state veterinarian, but thought I might as well ask here too while I'm waiting for her to get me in touch with the actual guy I'm supposed to talk to.

How much did it cost?
What do they test for (I definitely discovered that it varies wildly from state to state) in Maine?
Annual testing here like everywhere else, right?
What's the difference between NPIP Tested and NPIP Certified? Testing is an obvious baseline, but ideally we'd like to be certified if it's not horrendously expensive or difficult.

Thanks! We're moving to our new place in a couple of weeks, so I thought this might be a good time to start at the new place totally clean and proper, especially since I don't have to worry about housing for the birds (new place has 2 huge, awesome coops that just need to be swept and scrubbed). Any tips or experiences y'all can share would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Gallina Sarda]

For those of you who are NPIP Certified, what was the process for Maine?  I've been digging hard on the State Dept of Ag website and elsewhere, but can't find any info specifically for Maine on testing costs, etc.  Eventually gave up and emailed the state veterinarian, but thought I might as well ask here too while I'm waiting for her to get me in touch with the actual guy I'm supposed to talk to.

How much did it cost?  
What do they test for (I definitely discovered that it varies wildly from state to state) in Maine? 
Annual testing here like everywhere else, right?
What's the difference between NPIP Tested and NPIP Certified?  Testing is an obvious baseline, but ideally we'd like to be certified if it's not horrendously expensive or difficult.

Thanks!  We're moving to our new place in a couple of weeks, so I thought this might be a good time to start at the new place totally clean and proper, especially since I don't have to worry about housing for the birds (new place has 2 huge, awesome coops that just need to be swept and scrubbed).  Any tips or experiences y'all can share would be greatly appreciated.

Clover Run Farms (Tricia) is an official NPIP inspector. You could probably get a boatload of info from her. I'm sure you could pm her and ask!
Good luck