Saturday, May 18, 2013

BEES!!!!!--- and a pony!!!!


Finally... they have arrived!!! My interest in bees actually began almost eight years ago... when Ed and I took a bee keeping course threw the adult education in our old home town. After the course, we looked around for the supplies.. Ed began to make the hive boxes.. and then "life" I guess just got in the way. Between Kass going out on her own, Sadie making her way in life, then moving to the farm... it all got put to the back burner. But.. if you dream long enough and keep at it... things do come true.
I had to work at the post office this morning, so Ed went to get the bees.. actually it's a mini working hive. Once he got them home, he set them on our hive and opened up the shipping box so they could fly and get used to the place. Bees - (interesting fact) - will not poop  in their hive and need to fly to do that sort of thing.,.. so, while everyone waited for me to get home... they did some flying time and got to stretch their wings....
I couldn't wait to get out of work and in no time, we had everything out.. ready to put it to work..... we probably didn't need our full bee outfits, because these gals are so disoriented that they are pretty calm.. but, we wanted to try it all out just the same...
Ed fired up the smoker (and no... you don't really use this much smoke!!!)...
And we got our hive all opened up and then moved onto the shipping box.
We had a few dead bees at the bottom of the shipping box, but mostly the frames all looked like this... busy bees... pretty well established and ready to continue their work.....
In the bee world .. this is called a "nuc"... and we have five frames of "bees"... our hive is a 10 frame hive.. so once the girls are settled.. they will need to build out the five frames that are in our box.
We put the "built out" frames in the middle and the empty frames around them... and when they have at least nine or so built out.. you add another box with 10 empty frame onto... and allow them to continue to build the nest. These two boxes which are their home.. are the brood boxes.. after that, smaller honey boxes can be added.
Whether or not we actually get honey this year will depend on how quickly the bees can build their home... and the season itself. According to what we are learning in class and in talking to other bee keepers... it should be a good honey year, and they think even first timers  - like us - might get a little honey. That would be "sweet"........
Even though things are in bloom and easy to find.. we still need to feed the bees until they can figure it all out. Plus the extra food will make it that much easier to build the empty combs. We feed sugar water.. and put it in the feeder box on top of the brood box. We left four gallons of sugar water for them.. and I will check again mid week to see if they will be needing more.
Then we put the top on.. and left them to settle in and start making this hive feel like home. Welcome little girls... we're mighty happy to have you here on the farm!!!!!
However, our day wasn't over just yet... I have been looking for a little companion for Mocha. After we lost Kringle last summer, I have thought she seemed a bit lonely.. I have seen quite a few minis looking for homes, but none seem to 'speak" to me... until this past week, when I "found" this little girl via a facebook friend. She was bought at auction by a "dealer" and if she wasn't sold to a home by the end of the week.. she was headed back to auction. Her story "bugged" me all week... and after talking with the dealer... I decided I best go and get her.
We don't know hardly anything about her.. except that she appears to be about 12 years old. She was advertised as a "mini".. but she's a little too big.. and yet, not really pony size either.. so I am thinking she is a cross between the two. I guess she has been ridden... but not in the last year. She has very good manners.. knows how to lead, hopped right into the trailer.. knows how to be polite... but she is "shy" right now and more than likely very overwhelmed.
She seemed generally happy to see other horses and called and called out to the others. Because I don't know when her last shots and such were done.. she will be kept from the others for a while and we'll need to get the vet out. I hope she and Mocha will become good friends....
And I'm also thinking that if Abbie and Reagan become "horse kids".. she will be a nice little "pony" for them to ride on. Time will tell and in the meantime, she and I have some work to do. Her feet too... need a lot of care - that in itself is going to be about a year's worth of trimming  I'm afraid. I think someone who had her pretty much left her to herself for the past year and then shipped her to the auction.
But she's here now... and if i can help it.. this will be her "forever" home....
She certainly is enjoying the space, the company (even if from afar) of the other horses.. and I think we can make her happy....












And her name????? well... we're working on that.......




so... needless to say.. fun, busy and exciting times here on Sweetgrass Farm..... there will be many more stories to come!!!!!