tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273275652011-09-05T15:40:47.565-05:00The musings of two beekeepers during their first year of working with two beehives in their back yardOur Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1163699988230346422006-11-16T12:57:00.000-05:002007-11-24T19:20:29.958-05:00

In June, our local beekeeper's association reported that Kentucky was experiencing a "fair to mediocre honey crop" this season. Much later, a state apiarist revised his assessment and called it a "terrible" honey crop for many beekeeper's in the state. Ohio and Tennessee have reported low yields as well. When Erin went to pick up bee meds, the apiarist said that in all his hives, there wasn't a

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1161383387680740302006-10-20T17:08:00.000-05:002006-11-18T15:23:15.486-05:00

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1158621708407467052006-09-24T18:16:00.000-05:002006-09-19T15:32:09.450-05:00

Happy September! I'll begin with a story: on Saturday, I walked onto the grass in the backyard with bare feet very briefly (something I never do), and stepped on a bee. I didn't even see the bee, just the stinger on the bottom of my big toe, and it felt decidedly uncomfortable. Okay, it hurt. On Monday morning, I was back to walking around the yard with flip flops on (something I always do), and

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1161381741114530672006-08-20T16:56:00.000-05:002006-11-18T15:43:05.740-05:00

At the end of the summer, the bees' wings become ragged and torn. If you look closely you can see them in these photos. The yard at this point was littered with bees that had come to the end of their summer work lives.

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1152973903934008602006-07-15T09:15:00.000-05:002006-08-04T11:50:38.703-05:00

We referred to a hand-out for The Kentucky Beekeeper's Calendar, which said the bees are much less active in July since the honey flow has slowed down. White clover bloomed all through the month...even still, the bees continually searched for water to cool the hive, and were willing to fly long distances to find it. They can add drops of water to a cell, and then use their wings as fans for

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1151939724089697942006-07-03T10:08:00.000-05:002006-07-15T09:01:43.383-05:00

It's been quite some time since we've checked the bees or written. We've given them time to work during the honey flow without our disruptions. June was, overall, an ecstatically beautiful month! With the summer solstice at hand, the days became long enough for the foragers to fly 14-16 hours. I read the average life span of a honeybee during an active summer is 4-5 weeks. They literally work

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1150583642747597032006-06-16T17:28:00.000-05:002006-06-17T17:37:06.196-05:00

The weather this week has been absolutely gorgoeus with cool breezes, sunshine, and temperatures in the mid-80's. The bees have been happily buzzing about their activities and we've spent several evenings watching them from our lawn chairs as they bring in pollen and nectar. The sunflowers and grasses we planted next to the hives have grown tall and are starting to provide shade for the

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1150506347633109492006-06-06T20:04:00.000-05:002006-07-15T09:12:01.566-05:00

As we checked the hives, the outer cover and feeder were removed first and set aside. Then we bravely lifted the top two brood boxes and set them on the hive cover. The two brood boxes were almost too heavy for us to lift together! The bees are supposed to go down between the frames when smoke is blown gently across them....but as you can see our bees are not so obliging during this check of the

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1149522881457734632006-06-05T10:10:00.000-05:002006-06-05T15:55:29.916-05:00

For this entry, I would like to begin with a story and, I promise, it will tie in with the subject of beekeeping eventually....Several years ago, Erin and I attended a Special Olympics swim meet. One race involved children of various physical challenges swimming one lap in the pool. They were off to a grand start with fantastic splashing when, about halfway, a girl with Down's Syndrome stopped,

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1149278702288129452006-06-02T14:26:00.000-05:002006-06-05T14:59:04.176-05:00

The more we learn about bees, the more fascinated we become. Let's talk pheromones! They are chemical scents produced to trigger behavioral responses from members of the same species. For honey bees, pheromones are the glue that holds the colony together. They let the entire hive know the queen is alive and well, stimulate worker bees in their wide and varied activities (foraging, brood rearing,

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1149115021630171932006-05-31T17:27:00.000-05:002006-07-15T09:14:38.530-05:00

These photos show the flight decks of the two hives. You can see the bees making their way back into the hive with water, pollen, or nectar in their little pockets (look closely at the yellow dots in the center of the photo on the left!). The jar on the right side of each photo is the entrance or "boardman" feeder we were using initially.

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1149114355929720822006-05-29T17:24:00.000-05:002006-05-31T17:57:42.346-05:00

In the time since our last visit, I believe we have witnessed a bee population boom!! Suddenly we were refilling the sugar syrup every evening instead of every few days. The weather changed from cool to near 90 degrees and humid, and we've seen the bees hanging out on their front porches trying to keep cool, even as darkness sets in. When we move closer to the hives, we can watch bees landing on

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1148597843189472072006-05-25T17:57:00.000-05:002006-05-31T17:48:37.750-05:00

We have a 4-year-old godchild named Emma who loves to read and play and is very inquisitive. She and her mom, Gina, were reading this blog the other day, and looking at the pictures of the bees. Via email, her mom typed, "Emma wonders: How will you get the honey out? How do you keep the bees healthy and not be sick? Do vets take care of bees?" All very excellent questions!The easiest question to

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1148485562534233122006-05-24T09:45:00.000-05:002006-05-31T11:54:38.836-05:00

Finally, after two weeks of cool rain and heavy clouds, we had a beautiful day to visit the hives. (20 may) I'm happy to report we're getting a bit more consistent with the smoker, experimenting with paper bag pieces, pine cones, small pieces of wood, burlap...In the time since our last visit, the bees of Hive 2 have definitely filled 6-7 frames in the top super (the reversal worked!) AND built a

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1148501276600424632006-05-11T11:58:00.000-05:002006-05-25T17:12:30.156-05:00

We certainly are experiencing a cold spell with much rain. The bees must bee so crabby, being cooped up this long. Between rain showers we see them out foraging, and also taking what looks to be orientation flights. These are small flights around the hive entrance and beyond, which allow younger bees to learn their surroundings so they can find their way home, as well as exercise and strengthen

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1147994161524048922006-05-04T18:12:00.000-05:002006-05-18T18:46:01.200-05:00

This morning I stepped outside, ready to enjoy a long walk, when I noticed movement in the bird bath, tiny ringlets of water circling outward. It was a bee working vigorously to avoid drowning. I was faced with a choice all of humanity faces every day in more or less obvious forms: I can help or I can not help. I immediately used my hands to scoop her up in a pool of water, and hoped the landing

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1147997985208155942006-04-24T19:16:00.000-05:002006-05-18T19:33:05.593-05:00

In the past week, we have participated in silent negotiations with our bees concerning water. We had already filled a shallow container, added pebbles (so they won't drown), and placed it near their hives. We saw no visitors. We moved it nearer. Nothing. But we noticed bees looking close to the house, circling around the water hose faucet. This happens to be a high foot traffic area for humans

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1147197639445284992006-04-10T18:59:00.000-05:002006-05-13T09:40:23.730-05:00

If you can believe it, we had a frost the first evening! It was a great comfort to see bee activity around 10 am the next morning when things warmed a bit. We watched their movements while planting three evergreens along the back fence, and had the dogs out with us so everyone could begin acclimating. We were particularly pleased to notice the dogs absorbing (in their own canine way) the reality

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1146422091020485792006-04-08T20:34:00.000-05:002006-05-13T09:40:02.196-05:00

We had a wonderful time installing the bees with the help of our dear mentor and fellow beekeeper Ron and our friends Linda (who brought the fun bee hive shaped cake) and Joan (who cheered us on with apple pies). So much sweetness!The bees arrived at the extension office on Saturday afternoon, thanks to the beekeepers club who picked them up for club members at the supply warehouse several

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1147114139954981402006-04-06T13:26:00.000-05:002006-05-12T09:33:50.543-05:00

It's April! (gasp!) The bees are coming, the bees are coming! We both feel excited and nervous and are thinking about some of the final details. We email with Ron almost daily--he continues to help guide and support us--and we are so relieved and grateful that he's offered to come help us install the bees into their new homes! For our dogs, our friend Joan has researched the proper dosage of

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1147478690097990532006-03-26T20:00:00.000-05:002006-05-12T19:28:55.950-05:00

Are we really going through with this? Are we crazy to think we can raise two hives of bees in our backyard? With two dogs whose jaws playfully snap at anything buzzing by? Have we lost our minds?! BREATHE. (Repeat many, many times throughout March) We've dug ourselves a beehive/flower plot. Linda split her ornamental grasses and generously gave us 3 big clumps to transplant. We acquired cement

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1147026120001570062006-03-01T13:46:00.000-05:002006-05-12T09:45:53.116-05:00

We met our beekeeping mentor (Ron, our new friend whose hives and brunch we enjoyed last year--isn't that ironic?) for lunch on February 22. This kind and patient man helped us search the Walter T. Kelley catalogue and make a list of all the needed supplies. Inadverdently, the list brought us into talking about beekeeping styles and practicalities. And we can already see from class, a couple

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27327565.post-1147478257619380112006-02-02T19:54:00.000-05:002006-05-12T18:59:48.873-05:00

Who can say when the earliest traces of an interest appear? Or when we begin listening to our most inspired thoughts, strong urges, and synchronicities? In looking back, I believe we've both felt a certain captivation with beekeeping for quite some time. It may have begun with the bee charmer scene in "Fried Green Tomatoes"....no matter. In its own good time, a path unfolded: our bookclub

Our Kickin' Chickens!http://www.blogger.com/profile/17650113286957197511noreply@blogger.com0