Chickens and Bees

It is definitely Spring around here! The temperatures have warmed; the chicks are relocated outside, and the honeybees are setting up shop in their new hive. It is not unusual to find a mason jar filled with leaves, twigs, and some little reptile that Big Fish and the children have found on their "snake walks". Snake walks are not to be confused with creek walks. A creek walk has a very important purpose: to obtain bait for the next day's fishing. Bait around here includes salamanders and crayfish. Snake walks are as simple as a stroll in the backyard or a more strenuous hike up the back hill in which many promising looking rocks and logs are overturned in search of interesting creatures. Mama doesn't usually participate in snake walks.

Last week the nights were still chilly, but we thought the chicks were fine in their coop. We tried some hot water bottles for them snuggle, but it seems the chicks themselves came up with the best plan:



I like to term this method the "let's all pile into one nesting box" method. Yes, that is all 14 chicks in one place usually designed for a single laying hen! I checked them often to see if they were in danger of suffocation, but they were very happy in there. There little heads poked out all around the edges.

The honey bees have been transferred from their packing box (they come from California!):



The above picture is 3 pounds of bees plus a queen. There is a feed can in there too with a sugar solution to keep them alive during their travels. The queen is in a tiny little cage and will slowly be released, as the worker bees adjust to her presence and prepare wax comb for her to use for egg-laying.

Here is pretty much everything I used to set up the new hive:



I made my own sugar solution to fill the little white plastic bucket feeder, and you can see the hive boxes and some rectangular frames that are inserted down in the box. The frames provide a place for the bees to build their nest using wax to make the honeycomb. So fun!

Here is a closeup of a few bees in the front entrance of the hive a day or two after I released them from their packing box:



Finally, a picture of the "whole shebang". Notice my new electric fence (Happy Mother's Day to me - materials and installation provided by my beloved). Early this week I will open the hive to see if the queen is out of her little cage and to see what kind of work is being done on the inside. We have not had a bear sighting in over a week. Hopefully he has retreated deeper into the woods!

A few Spring Pictures

It's almost June.....which means almost ballet recital time! We had a picture session, as Abigail made sure that her costume fit properly. She told me that she was doing some dance poses for the pictures :)





Jacob and Grandad were able to able to go fishing with Big Fish. They had some fun and caught some fish! I know Grandad really helped Jacob whose hands were so dirty that Grandad had to hold the sandwich for him to take his bites. What would Jacob do without his Grandad? Sorry the pictures are sideways...trying to figure out where I made a mistake in rotating/saving them.



While I don't have the best pictures of Lydia, I wanted to show something she likes to do. She tucks a toy, in this case a fairy horse, into the front of her shirt to carry around. She hushes her toy and talks to it while she has her hands free for other things.



Poor baby Susanna....she is too big to take baths in the sink still, but mama hasn't made the big switch to the bathtub. She enjoys her time in the sink, but usually there are clean dishes in the background that we have to be careful not to squirt!



And, we have upped our bear-repelling tactics by obtaining a watchdog. Said dog is an adorable puppy right now, but she is growing. By the way, her name is Gretel.




Stay tuned for some honey-bee installation posts! Hope you are enjoying some sunshine, as we are today!

Weekend To-Do

Thought I'd put my reminders here:

1. Wash and block some Mother's Day gifts. For the non-knitters this means to get the item wet and then pin it out to dry in the shape you want.

2. Bake! We need some snacks and some Mother's Day desserts. Need is the key word here; 2 pounds of butter were bought last night is all I'm sayin'.

3. Tonight remember to shut the 9 big chickens in their coop and remove their food. Hopefully their system will clear properly for the "end of the road" tomorrow.

4. Move baby chickens to new coop tomorrow. Yay! I will feel better knowing they have tons more room to live rather than an oversize cardboard box.

5. Burn cardboard box that housed chicks :)

6. Collect grocery/snack items to be sent to Africa for brother and sister-in-law's upcoming birthdays.

7. Sweep floor. Thrilling I know, but in the eyes of a one-year-old the vacuum is the scariest thing in her existence.

8. Cut up some freshly made shampoo bars and start working on listing them online.

9. Get creative with lunch for the kids since groceries need to be obtained. Suggestions? Maybe scrambled eggs.

10. Take pictures. I am having to write this down lately as a reminder because I want to be more intentional about this. I always think later that I wish I had a picture of some event or happening during the day.

Happy Weekend! Happy Mother's Day! My Mother's Day gift involves electric fencing and some kind of power pack to repel a bear from my new beehive. We try to follow my parents' example and give each other practical gifts!

Some Closure to Honeybee Hive #1

I was startled this Saturday morning with the sound of the doorbell. I peeked out the window to see the Game Commission Officer on our front steps. After opening the door and giving an initial run-down of the past week or so, we hiked down over the hill to see the remains of the hive. I was able to explain the order of events and learn a little bit more about our Officer (he raises competition-size pumpkins!). The officer mentioned that he believes our bear is the very same bear his wife hunts during bear season. Let's hope she gets it this year!

We have been put on the list for using the officer's bear trap. We were given further instruction as to repelling the bear (ammonia works great). I was also given the great news that I will be compensated for the 19 frames with foundation that were destroyed as well as the colony of bees. While there were still other losses such as being set back two years (!), I honestly was not thinking I would get money back!! I am thankful for this news. The money regained will go into partially funding our new-and-improved apiary protection system (electric fence).

The officer is also emailing me the plans for building a bear-deterring electric fence for beehives. I can use all the instruction and knowledge possible, as this is new territory for me.

So, the project for the upcoming week is to prepare a new home for the incoming package of bees. Armed with my new knowledge and experience, I will try again to be a good steward of the bees God has created.

Stop back for more updates! Thank you for following along my (our) adventure with the black bear.

Just a Couple of Country-Livin' Tidbits

1. Good news on the bear front....we sprayed our trash can inside and out with ammonia. Thursday is the night to drag it to the curb for collection. It was a beautiful sight to look out the widow this morning and see a freshly emptied can that had not been bothered by the bear!

2. The garden has been tilled in preparation for spring planting. My husband is awesome - he comes home from a full day of work and takes a couple of kids and puts in the time to work the soil before dinner.

3. We have LOVED taking our baby chicks out for excursions in the yard! I will sit with Susanna, and the chicks will just scurry around us stretching their wings and pecking at leaves, grass, and bugs. We have 14 chicks now (we gave one away), and I think one could possibly be a rooster.

4. Speaking of chickens, guess what I saw last night? I went down to shut the older hens in their coop just before dusk....movement caught my eye in the woods. A raccoon was there! So, the trap is set for it. We are definitely experiencing the wildlife this spring!

5. I taught Abigail how to make dandelion chains yesterday, and Jacob has been busy chasing bumblebees with the fly swatter! Lydia has been chasing the big chickens, and it seems like they are the same size as her. The girl has no fear!

We Fought the Bear, and the Bear Won (This Time)

For pictures, see the last post....last night was a repeat! We feel like we did what we could, but that bear was persistent and hungry.

I spent the day yesterday coming up with an evacuation plan for the bees - seems like I used all my phone minutes in one day! I called the Game Commission, local beekeepers, some relatives, and our pastor's family. We decided that the bear was definitely going to come back for more; yesterday I still had one box of bees and honey salvaged from the first attack. The plan was to tape and tie up the box and relocate it several miles away in the hayfield of our pastor. We needed to wait until the sun went down in order to contain as many of the bees as possible (the foragers would be out working during the day). My husband started going down to check how many bees were on the outside of the hive probably around 6 p.m. He went down two more times, each time coming back up the hill with the news that there will still a lot of bees visible.

We were waiting and thinking we would go down after dark to finish this up. Between 7 and 7:30 p.m. I was out on our back sidewalk putting some frame pieces in the and pulling the trash can inside the garage. My husband came out on the deck which overlooks the valley. He glimpsed through the trees the bear already back at the hive! This was a big difference from 2:30 a.m.! This was evening - still light enough to see! The bear ran away, but not before he overturned the box of bees (those poor bees).

I sighed at the thought of dealing with another angry cluster of bees, but my husband and I discussed quickly giving it one more go. I suited up and quickly transferred those frames of bees and honey (which the bear didn't get down to the business of really eating yet) into an upturned hive body. The bees were angry again, and I have another sting on my left wrist. In my hurry (it was starting to get dark), I did not properly zip and seal my veil; so I ended up with some bees inside and tangled in my hair. God protected me; I had no stings to my face or scalp. Even after I un-suited and came up to the house I had a bee in my hair! Brings to mind some memories of me getting stuck in yellow-jacket nests with my horse, but that will be another post at another time. I would love to stress that honey bees are very, very gentle creatures with which I usually greatly enjoy working and handling.

My husband worked hard to put available deterrents around the bee box including used kitty litter, and vinegar, and the like. If we had more time, we could have bought ammonia; a suggestion had been to fill water balloons with ammonia and coat the balloon with peanut butter. We did not have balloons and ammonia on hand.

We went to bed last night (exhausted) knowing that we did the best we can, hoping that the bees would be spared through the night so we could proceed with their relocation.

This was not to "bee". The bear struck again in the night. If you are keeping count, this is the third attack in less than 24 hours. The hive is destroyed - bees and honey are lost. My husband just gave me the news at 6 a.m. I am discouraged but not defeated! We have learned a lot in these past days.

Reader, you will be seeing posts and pictures of our rebuilding efforts. A new package of bees, ordered last fall, is scheduled to arrive in 1.5 weeks. We are working on a location right next to our house, and the plan is to include a pen of electric fence. I am also determined today to file reports on this bear with both the Game Commission and the Police Department. With four small children in our household, a coop full of chickens, and a new hive of bees coming, I would like to make sure we follow-up with this bear. He has proved to be formidable and destructive, and we need to make sure we responsibly deal with him!

The journey continues; look for more bee news very soon. Thank you for reading and encouraging these past few days even. Here's to a fresh start. I have always been thankful for God's gift of a new day.

Bears and Bees

Well, it happened....pretty much the worst thing that could happen to a beekeeper. If not the worst thing (bee diseases can be pretty destructive), definitely a list topper. Last night my lone hive of honeybees fell victim to a hungry black bear. About 2:20 a.m. my husband jumped out of bed and said that the bear was knocking over the trash can right below our bedroom window. This is the second time the bear has done this, but it is the first time that we actually saw him. He was big - about 300 to 400 pounds my husband estimates. So, we yelled and made noise; and the rascal ran away.

Guess where he went? I heard a noise that sounded like a gunshot, and my husband turned to me and said that he was sorry but that was the sound echoing up the hill from the bear toppling over my beehive. The hive probably weighs about 100 pounds and had a large rock resting on top. That bear made quick work of the hive, and all my husband could do was make some noise from the hillside. It didn't deter him this time. We could hear the splintering of the brood frames. I had just inspected my hive on Saturday to prepare the bees and frames for the Spring nectar flows.

I asked my husband if he couldn't shoot the bear, but he reminded me that it was dark and it is not legal to take down a bear. Probably not the safest thing to hike down the hill at 3 a.m. and try to hunt a hungry bear.

Below are pictures of the damage taken around 6:30 a.m. after my husband walked down with his gun to make sure the area was clear. The third picture is the collected frames and foundation sheets from which the bear scraped honey and larvae.



The bear smashed the wooden frames like toothpicks!

So, there were still a pile of bees in one of the upturned boxes. I approached and immediately saw how angry the bees were. I went up to the house to put on my veil/jacket combo. I went back down the hill to start transferring the 9 remaining honey/brood frames with bees attached to the other empty box. I was stung in the leg right away and once again saw how angry the poor bees were, so I went back up to the house again to put on more gear and light my smoker. With a lot of prayer for protection and trembling fingers I gathered the frames and stuck them in the righted box. I now have one hive deep (box) filled with bees. I have no idea if the queen was rescued! Here is a picture of the lidded box containing thousands of angry and confused bees. The empty box in front had a few clinging bees that I hope will find their way to their friends.



My husband thinks the bear will be back for more tonight. We'll see if this poor box 'o bees will survive. I'm reading and learning about black bear today; all I know is that they are super hungry coming out of hibernation!

So, dear readers, I will probably take a day to pray and ask God to help me through this loss. A lot of work (and money!) has gone into this hive of bees, and I have learned a lot. I am thankful that God is already giving me ideas for developing and expanding the apiary - even this morning, but it will take some time and preparation. A small area of electric fencing will be at the top of the list!

This picture is a tagalong bee that came back with me to the house - I had about 5 or 6 of them still clinging to me trying to chase me away from their home. Normally the bees would not really even fly up around me; when I give them a puff of smoke they will stay calmly in their hive and around their queen. Aren't they fascinating?