Bees...replacing bottom boards

Its starting to get cold at night so we needed to replace the screened bottom boards.

We started with the smaller hive and while we were at it we took a peek. It doesnt seem strong enough to make it through the winter. It never built up even though we gave it a frame with queen cells earlier in the summer. We are reluctant to merge it with our stronger hive because they are so full and we dont want to bring a disease. We dont really know whats happening to this hive and why it isnt building up. My feeling is to give them a very small space and feed them and if they dont make it then we should let them go. I am committed to helping bees that can survive this climate in this location. These poor gals dont seem to be doing that.

This hive is completely different and seems to be thriving. It will be much harder to lift it while I replace the board. We are cracking it open here with the hive tool.

I tried to move quickly because it was very heavy.

Jenny was ready with the smoker just in case.

this post: all photos by Lori DeSantis

Daily Harvest...cherry tomatoes

 Lori picked all the ripe cherries in the garden and

added the peppers from Bill and Dee for lunch.

Fall forage for bees

Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)

(Also called)Sunchokes,

and goldenrod.

Its a gorgeous day for man and bees.

Daily Harvest...Honey

We harvested a whole super and then gave the frames with wax back to the bees to reuse. I will save some of this honey to feed back to them as well. They seemed to have honey in the brood boxes, a full super and another one started. I was reluctant to take so much but I was overruled by the rest of the family.

Daily Harvest...fall is here

A good carver

A heavy load

Bees and more Honey

These gals have a very full hive.

This honey was from spring, but this season's honey is coming.

Daily Harvest from garden to compost

Pumpkin vine spreading from the garden across the field still flowering.

Baby pumpkins still sprouting.

Turning green.

Turning orange.

Ghost pumpkin ripening.

And from the same garden ghost patties and zukes...

and delicata eaten and ready for the compost.

Daily Harvest...Tony's Honey

Tony showed the kids how to uncap the honey cells.

This is a frame of uncapped honey cells, from Tony's hive.

Jim gave it a try.

After the cells are uncapped and scraped to allow the honey to flow...

The frames are placed into the extractor.

Our extractor is man(or kid)powered.

Raw and unfiltered. But we will strain out the bits of wax.