Wednesday, August 12, 2009

swarm season


the beeman cometh.....






we have had 4 swarms so far this summer! Not sure why it is occurring, and we have consulted other beekeepers about it. Today, we are thinking it could be the limited water source that is available...? Look at how lovely they draped themselves over this tree...


we have had a lot of swarms this summer--still trying to figure out why!!


Saturday, April 25, 2009

growing our apiary


added 10 hives this week and 9 more in a few weeks!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

processing the beeswax

here are some images of my adventures in melting and filtering unfiltered beeswax. this is the procedure I used with the cappings wax and unrefined beeswax that I got from the local beeman, Les.
Step 1: put the wax with several cups of water in a double boiler (yes, there is wax and water in the inside pot..the water "washes" the wax.
Step 2: allow the wax to become completely melted...so there is just soup in the inside pot
Step 3: ladle out the wax by skimming the top of the pot--pour it through nylon mesh that is clipped to your strainer...catch the wax in a flexible container.
Step 4: depending on how much wax you have, you may have scooped up some water...it will settle in the bottom of your container....wax floats to the top and will harden.
Step 5: after the wax is hard, pop it out of your container and discard the water.
Step 6: you may want to melt and filter the wax again, but also you may find it pure enough to work with. I usually just throw away the nylon after several uses...but you could also clean it out and re-use it. Have fun! (sorry, pictures go backwards!)

step 5




step 4


step 3



step 1 and 2




Saturday, December 13, 2008

Saturday, October 4, 2008

pumpkins




luminas, and some field pumpkins and Atlantic Giants.....largest one is 35 lbs. We gave up the giant pumpkin wish for this year due to a lack of irrigation! Maybe next year! We learned a lot!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

honeybee on angel




more views from Sunday, Sept. 29th....warm weather streak is over, and more seasonable temps are here!

pumpkins and melons