Where did the Summer go?

Busy getting ready for winter

Is August really coming to a end already? 

Seeing a few more yellowing leaves and noticing that the days are getting shorter, I am reminded that Summer is coming to an end. As i look around the fields and along the sides of the road the Goldenrod is now in bloom, along with Asters, Hardhack and Tansy. The last wildflowers to bloom. Soon that smell of dying leaves will be in the air. Then I will need to prepare for our first frosts which usually happens in the first couple weeks into September. I look around to see what else is blooming but sadly that is about all there is. I see lots of berries on the trees and bushes like Mountain Ash, Bunch berries and the Elderberry.

The other day I was in the bee yard quietly sitting on my chair by the hives watching. Its one of my favorite things to do. They were busily working and I could see they were bringing in both gray and yellow pollen. It seems like every year around this time, they are flying with real purpose.....getting ready for winter.  They are also feeding quite heavy on syrup. Soon i will place pollen subs and possibly some fondant for them, to help them get ready.

Its been a terrible Beekeeping year, not necessarily for us but lots of our friends. From down at the Lower Mainland and right up to Terrace and Smithers, everyone is reporting little to  no honey. Its been an unusually wet and cool summer. I know folks who take hives up to the mountains in Terrace in July/Aug for the Fireweed nectar flow and that was a bust for the second year in a row. We havent pulled our honey yet so I can't say  how ours looks but I know it won't be much.  But as long as the bees have enough for the winter, that is most important.

One of our beautiful days

Another weird thing that happened this year was, swarming. Lots of swarming......and from the same hive. A friend of mine bought a Nuc this June and she told me hers have swarmed 2 times. It seems crazy. I heard this over and over this summer....and late in the summer too. Crazy. Another friend told me 2 of her hives attempted to swarm...but the queen refused to leave....like what was that all about. I heard the same thing from a beekeeper in Prince George. I know my big hive must of swarmed as well. With the nasty weather and hardly any breaks from it, I found capped queen cells in one hive. I wanted to deal with it but it had started to rain, then the thunder started. I had hoped to deal with it on the next  day that wasn't nasty and hopefully split it before the new queens emerged. 2 days later i went in...and all the queens cells were open. It was too late. 

So now i am hoping for several nice days so i can get into the hives and check out their food stores. Maybe take a couple frames of honey for us and start removing any extra boxes. I have already started feeding them and will continue until the beginning of Oct. 

I can't believe the beekeeping season is coming to the end. At least we still have a few months to watch them work and sit in the beeyard with them before they disappear inside for the winter.

Until next time.     

Bee Safe

Starting to plan winter projects (already??)

Every August when you see a few leaves start to turn and fall, you mind jumps ahead to winter. The garden is starting to produce and canning season is in full swing, . The firewood is in the wood house and the chimney is clean. Outside building projects are discussed and ready to get started so they will be completed before winter sets in.

Winter in Northern BC can be long and dark. It can start in mid October but normally waits until mid or late November. For the past 5 years we have wrapped our bees no later than the beginning of November. But I remember doing it in October one year during a early snow storm. I prefer not to do that again.

But its also the time when I start to  plan my winter projects. Things that I want to do for myself....fun stuff.

For the past 7 years I haven't been able to do my leather work and have really missed it. I use to make leather dog leashes, collars, belts and in later years I started making leather and cow hide pillows. But i wanted to try something different but could still incorporate leather.

My machine has been waiting patiently for me for 7 years.

I plan on making aprons. Not frilly light weigh aprons like our Gramas used to wear, but heavy duty cotton fabric work aprons. Aprons that will have some leather and copper rivets on them. I will also be making half aprons as well.  They will be able to be used in the garden, in the workshop or even while working your bees, which is how i came up with the idea. I get so hot in my bee coat and if I could wear a apron with pockets instead, I would be so happy and cool. It would also keep the propolis off my pants. And we all know how hard that is to get off.

Anyways i have already started to stock up on some fabric for them.

They will be similar to this. 

The second winter project I am planning is..... to learn about Queen Rearing.  I want to do a bunch of splits next year and its so hard for me to get queens mailed to me. 

Where we live, we only get mail 3 times a week and chancing getting a queen sent to me is not worth the risk. 

While talking with our bee inspector last month, he said why don't you rear you own. We talked about it for a short time but it long enough to wonder if I could actually do this. I think I can, well at least I can try.  It doesn't cost much to get into it but it does take time and effort and a whole bunch of luck. (mostly with Mother Nature and we know how cantankerous she can be at times)

So, today, I picked up a few items that I will need to rear some queens next year. I am pretty excited about that too.

Grafting tool and queen cell bar

I am a little scared to ask James what winter projects we have to do in the house this year, but I am hoping I will have time to have some fun.

Well, that is enough rambling for now. Enjoy the rest of Summer. I hope everyone is having some fun of your own.