Archive for the ‘Bees’ Category

15
Nov

Standing By

   Posted by: Mikko Tags: , , , , , , , ,

talkingbuffalo

The bees are holding steady.

Five days ago, we found them completely under siege; hundreds of bee bodies laying everywhere, fighting bees rolling around trying to sting each other to death, tens more trying desperately to guard the entrance while troops approached ready for battle. As beekeeper, I felt helpless and vulnerable and guilty for somehow failing my tiny sisters.

deerwatching

That night we attempted a bold maneuver and cloaked the hive in netting, making sure that they had food and water inside the bounds of their temporary fort.

Each day I would find hundreds of bodies strewn about the platform that the hive stands on, with several drowned bees floating in the sugar water and water bucket. At the entrance were a steady stream of live bees coming to push out the dead.

merrybears2

Yesterday, amidst the pouring rain, after 3 days of being veiled, we uncovered the hive. We refreshed the water, removed the food and swept away the fallen soldiers.  We crossed our fingers and we waited.

Today the temperature reached into the 60’s and sunny.  Incredible for mid-November.  The bees were out and pissed!  I called Roberta, my mentor, for advice.  I had been avoiding this call for fear that I would be scolded for having jeopardized the hive in some way.  I knew that, up to this point in the siege, we had done all that we could do.  Now I needed to know if my instincts were right.

She told us that our idea of the netting was “ingenious”.  This was a brilliant strategy to give our bees some time to fall back and replenish themselves, while getting the robbers frustrated enough to leave.  The fact that our bees were now aggressive was a good sign, they were on their guard.  Trying to get into the hive, and smoking them in the process, would only lower their defenses and make them vulnerable to another attack.  It was best to wait a few days, then go into the hive and see how much honey had been robbed.  While the bees were able to regroup, they were not out of the woods yet and we needed to watch for more robbers, re-net if necessary, but most importantly,  see if the honey losses were severe enough to warrant feeding them through the winter.

By now you have realized that the pictures you are looking at are not of bees.  These are shots from our trip to the American Museum of Natural History that we took this past September.  First, I had decided to put these photos in because looking at pictures of dead bees is quite depressing.   I now realize that there is another reason.  Many of these creatures died by the hands of man.  And yet, all of the creatures that died, did so in order to help further educate humanity on their lives.  In a way, isn’t that what my bees are doing for me?  Do I have the right to determine whether or not they live, through the way that I choose to care for the colony?  Is my education, and the education of my family (and my blog readers) enough to justify the death of the entire community of a life form?

cafesittin

This is a picture of my kids sitting at a Starbucks in NYC, before we went into the museum.  On the walk over, they had collected the leaves that they liked the best and were spreading them out on the table to examine.  Here they were, in what some would argue the #1 metropolis in the world, buzzing with people and cars, in wall to wall concrete, and my kids were collecting leaves.

holdingleaf

This is why I keep bees.  It breaks my heart to sit and wonder if, by my ignorance, others might perish.  However, I know that the ultimate goal is not to collect honey or be named “World’s Best Beekeeper”, but to instill a love of nature and a respect for others in my children.  If I can raise a generation that appreciates how honey is made and what it takes to care for something as small as a honeybee, then maybe future generations will be safe from the ignorance of their ancestors.

whalevssquid2

While the battle continues on, so do the lessons.  Life can be mean and painful and hard, but we respect and honor Nature… all of Her.  There is no good and there is no bad.  And we are a part of it all.

daddysdream

I can’t tell you what is going to happen with my bees.  What I can tell you is that I am so very grateful for the opportunity to stand by as it does.

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10
Nov

Under Siege

   Posted by: Mikko Tags: , , ,

beesontarp

The hive is being robbed.  This means that the colony was weak and area bees from other colonies (feral or farmed) are stealing out the honey and killing the bees in the process.  If left unchecked, they will rob out every speck of honey and my colony will be left to starve to death.  Tonight Brian and I will be draping nets over the hive to keep out the robbers.  We’re hoping that by putting food and water in the netting, but containing the hive, they will get a chance to come back and fight off the robbers that return.

I feel awful.  I was checking in the hive in October and thought that they were strong.  With a deep brood and a medium brood, there remains a deep and a super of honey to last the colony through the winter.  I had only checking as far down as the top brood through September to make sure they were doing ok.  When I spotted a couple of mites in Sept. I decided NOT to treat the bees, hoping that they could handle the pests themselves.  I comforted myself with the knowledge that they were able to keep the mite population down to only a couple, that I had seen.

I also decided that perhaps it was best to let the bees alone to do what they do best.  I didn’t inspect into the bottom boxes, thinking that leaving them alone was better than messing with their space.  At last check, in October, the population was large and the boxes were filled with honey.

Now, there are at least 100 dead bees scattered about the opening of the hive and a major battle being waged.  I feel as if I neglected my job, rather than limiting my presence for the good of the colony.

I’ll keep you posted.

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22
Jul

Celebrating The Day

   Posted by: Mikko Tags: , , , , , , ,

Good morning.

Today is my birthday. My first birthday wish was to write a new farm blog.  Ok, second… good coffee was the first.

rainingagain

I just noticed that the plastic is still on the window of the chicken shack for insulation.  Normally this would have been removed to make sure that the shack didn’t get too warm and was well ventilated.  However, this really isn’t a concern this summer.  If anything it has kept the damp out.  As my 2 year old says way too often these days, “It’s raining?  AGAIN?”

So, given that today is the day that I entered into the world, let’s celebrate the new loves that have entered into the farm!

Introducing Michael, Jermaine, Tito, Janet, Chocolate Pudding and… I Don’t Know!  The Accidental Farm Koi!

koiinbucket

No, they don’t live in this bucket.  Actually, when I went to purchase Chocolate Pudding (who, incidentally isn’t a Koi but a Black Moor.  Terribly inconsiderate of me to mislabel like that.) and I Don’t Know, the people at PetSmart were grilling me about tank size.  Gotta love people that take their job seriously.
No, they live here:

upgroundpond

Think the people at PetSmart would have believed me if I told them that the fish were going to live in an ‘above ground pond’?  This is Brian’s creation.  The “most redneck idea he’s ever had”, as quoted by him.  It started out as an experiment in catch water collection.  Now it is a budding farm enterprise, complete with Japanese livestock and water flora.  Oh, and did I mention that the 2X4s holding it together are buckling and the tarp is sweating through?  Hear that?  That’s the sound of the excavator coming down the driveway to dig the pond that we hadn’t anticipated. Sing it with me now!  A-C-C-I-D-E-N-T-A-LLLLLLLLL FARM!  Hey, at least there aren’t tiny Nigerian goats eating my gardens right now.

Seriously, I’m pretty excited about the pond.  It will be an extra source of water, perhaps we can figure out a way to raise Koi for sale and even figure out a way to produce an aquaculture system from it all.  Maybe hydroponic veggies?  I’m all for the funky, far out farm animals.  But they have to earn their keep.  No free rides here, Baby.

Next up: Ziggy The Wonder Dog!

theboys

Ziggy is the black lab on the right.  The grandpa on the left is my baby, Graham Guiness Cook.  In case you didn’t know this, he was named Graham because he’s “a cracker dog!”  Still chuckle over that one.  Graham is 9 years old and our first baby.  He is getting up there in age, kinda like his owners, and it was time to consider getting another friend for our farm.  Kills me even to type words that imply he will be gone some day.  Anyway, I did NOT want a puppy.  Especially since I’m potty training the 2 year old.  She gets priority.  So, when our friend Brian Daigle asked if we would take over the care of his dog… his already trained, leaving puppydom, loves children … dog then we could not say no.  Ziggy is really happy.  We’ve taken walks, he’s free range about the yard, has a new doggie best friend and kid cuddles… yeah, he’s happy. There really are no accidents.

KeepinNLovin

Today, provided the weather is good, I need to get into the hive. I so love my bees.  I love beekeeping.  I love the community of it.  I love the beauty with which their cohesion and complimentary existence flows.  I love the smell of honey and warm wax that floats up out of the comb.  I love having to test the smoke against my bare wrist, just like sampling a baby bottle, to make sure that the smoke isn’t too hot for them. I even love seeing their tiny little faces all poking up and looking at me, which tells me they are getting pissed and I need to use a puff of smoke.  But I would be lying of I said that they didn’t scare me to death.

openinginner

I hate being scared.  I hate feeling exposed and raw and vulnerable.  I know it challenges me and makes me a better person in the end.  I hate feeling lost and out of control.  And helpless.  I hate helpless.

As I was typing this, Merry has broken out into a rash and has a suspicious looking bite mark on her back. We will be visiting the pediatrician this morning.  This past week my sister was diagnosed with Lyme’s disease and has Bell’s Palsy as part of the fallout.

Beauty is buried within the moments of fear.  I believe it is up to us to dive into that fear and swim towards the beauty.  Doesn’t make the water any warmer though, does it?

For my birthday, I want you all to pray for the beauty.  That you celebrate the day and when the moments of fear fall upon you, you gather your strength, take a deep breath and swim towards the beauty.

While I was examining Merry’s rash and bite, for the first time, Merry used her potty. There are gleeful shouts as the girls race about the house celebrating her big girl status.  Time to go.  I must celebrate the beauty.

mybeauties

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