To The Hive We Go

April 12, 2014 by / Leave a Comment

It’s been two weeks since I put the package in and all is going great. Before getting into today, here’s what I did last weekend, April 5th.

  • I peaked inside to see if all was going good and I got a glimpse of the queen but it was cool in the 40s and was getting ready to rain.
  • I decided not to look to much or disturb them any more.
  • I added Honey B Healthy to a quart of sugar syrup and added that to the top feeder.
  • I took the other dead-out super and placed on top to see if they will clean it out. I just didn’t want to leave it off the hive much longer with all the honey and dead bees that were still in it.

April 12th, 2014

  • QueenBees were flying and coming in pollen heavy when I took my garden walk this morning.
  • I took the top off and one entire side of the feeder was empty.
  • I mixed up 3 quarts of sugar syrup and added Honey B Healthy.
  • When I returned an hour or so later, the top feeder was full of bees inside and out. I left the top off after checking them earlier.
  • Upon inspecting the top super, I did not find the queen or signs of brood.
  • Looks like they are filling the frames with nectar, but I’ll bet this is the sugar syrup.
  • Most of the top super had been cleaned of the dead bees and was cleaned out except one frame which had many bees still in it.
  • I moved the frames around and put a frame that was not built out yet next to the one that still had dead bees in it. I’m thinking this gives them more space to pull the dead ones out.
  • NOTE: I expected to see dead bees from the dead-out on the bottom screen, but never have. They must carry the dead completely out.
  • Inspecting the bottom super, I was pleasantly surprised to see much healthy brood.
  • Many of the brood was capped and new bees should be emerging any day. The first of the queen’s own bees.
  • The second frame with brood, I saw the queen, She is getting this hive in perfect order.
  • I switched the supers thinking this might help them clean out the remaining dead bees if they are closer to the bottom.
  • I removed the reducer altogether.
  • Added more sugar syrup to the top feeder.

The girls are doing great!

Filed Under: Bee Log, Bees, Blog, Featured

First View

April 1, 2014 by /

Today, April 1, 2014, I checked on the bees and removed the package. Yesterday, I opened the hive to check and make sure they were there and alive, but it was too late in the day and too cool. They were not happy to be disturbed.

I removed the sugar syrup can, the package and the two empty supers. A few frames were checked and queen cage was inspected. She was not released yet, but was very close. I decided to release the queen by removing the top cork. I observed that she went right into the frame.

The top feeder was not being used by the bees yet, so it was still full. Since the original syrup can was removed, I expect the top feeder to get used now. I removed the bottom board since the weather is improving. Today’s high was right near 60.

Filed Under: Bee Log, Bees, Blog, Featured

Italian Package Install

April 1, 2014 by / Leave a Comment

This is my first entry in the bee log. I’m starting over after a dead-out this Winter. Two deep supers are being recycled from the dead-out and will be split between two packages this Spring, the first is an Italian Queen. The supers include almost all built out comb and 2 to 3 full frames of honey, most capped. This should help give the new packages a head start.

When I sent the dead-out for analysis, I included a cutout of the comb (cutting plastic is tricky). I placed the queen cage in this cutout.

  • Friday, 3/28/14 – Package pickup from Bee-Commerce
  • Saturday, 3/29/14 – Installed package using a method that is suppose to be less stressful to the bees

Package install:

  1. The package was placed in an empty super on the bottom.
  2. The queen cage was placed in the cutout comb which was in the 4th frame.
  3. The super with all frames and queen was placed directly above the super with the package.
  4. The sugar syrup can was placed on tope of frames, but NOT over the queen cage.
  5. An empty super was placed on top of the super with frames to allow for syrup can.
  6. Top feeder was added.
  7. Inner cover and top cover then sealed off the hive and ratchet strap secured it.
  8. Bottom board was installed since weather was expected to be cold, wet and rainy.
  9. Entrance reducer was set to the smallest.
Filed Under: Bee Log, Bees, Blog

In Situ – Where Art Meets Landscape

September 25, 2013 by / 2 Comments

In Situ is a grand garden covering 8 acres in rural Redding, CT. This is my second garden tour and the pictures tell more than my words can express. I visited the garden this past Sunday, 9/22/13, with my son, Ben, and his girlfriend, Shelby during the Open Days Tours. In Situ truly combines art with the landscape, blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces.

In Situ’s landscape designer is Richard Hartlage from Land Morphology in Seattle, Washington. They create designs that respond to the land which is shown in the placement of the elements used in the property. This garden does not have as many colorful flowers and plants as I expected, but it might have been the time of the year. However, I think Richard may have designed In Situ this way. The private estate is like a piece of art itself, skillfully crafted into the property which is surrounded by the 312 acre Saugatuck Falls Natural Area.

I really enjoyed the art and sculptures throughout the garden which complimented the choice of plants, stones and design. Great thought was taken in placement and choice. My favorite piece was the mirrors. By itself, it blended into the environment, but add a few people and it was just fun. I only wish there was a legend, or plaques, to identify the art and plants.

In Situ is divided into garden rooms that are made up of meadows, stone walkways, water features, woodlands and architectural arbors and stone work. The spaces vary from the natural to recreational like a pool and a basketball court to multiple dining areas and places just to sit and relax.

In Situ’s mission is to provide scholarships to under privileged college students who aspire to attend art schools in the US. They offer the use of the gardens and property to companies dedicated to sculpture, music, fashion or the culinary arts as a means to stage charity functions in support of their mission. For more information, email info@insitu.org.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Connecticut Gardens, Featured, Garden Tours

Hollister House Garden Tour

September 10, 2013 by / 4 Comments

First up in our Connecticut garden tours is Hollister House Gardens in Washington, CT. Nancy and I visited the garden on Saturday, 9/7/13, during their garden fair where they were giving tours and selling rare and unusual plants and artifacts. This is the first of many garden reviews to come.

The gardens and grounds are spectacular and are very well maintained. I am sure they rely on many volunteers to help. There are a few areas where they are doing some work and 2 truck loads of rocks are waiting to be moved to a new wall or other various areas throughout the garden. Don’t worry about restrooms, the public ones are brand new and nicely done.

Many flowers are in full bloom and are quite spectacular. Most are mature and established with many perennials in well thought out garden spaces. There are about 8 separate spaces, each uniquely created. Walls, fences plants and hedges separate the garden rooms making each it’s own. Hollister House Gardens is a preservation project of The Garden Conservancy.

One of my favorite parts of the gardens are the ponds and water features. Each are home to several families of green and brown frogs. They seem docile and used to humans.

The house and other outbuildings seem to be natural components. It’s almost as though you can feel them breathing and living among the garden spaces. The outside dining room is my favorite space. I can see this space hosting many meals and just hanging with family and friends.

The only negative part of the property that stood out to me was the dam for the main pond. It was covered in concrete and stucco and just didn’t seem to fit. Plus, part of the stucco was falling apart and crumbling. The other thing that bothered me was the lack of honey bees. There were many bumble bees and other pollinators, but I didn’t see one honey bee.

I would highly recommend visiting this special garden. A donation of $5 per person is requested which helps to expand their outreach and education efforts. Hollister House is open on Saturdays May through September. Check their site for hours.

Filed Under: Blog, Connecticut Gardens, Featured, Garden Tours

Connecticut Garden Tours

September 6, 2013 by / Leave a Comment

There are many gardens, both public and private, that are available for tours. Below is a list of gardens in my home state of Connecticut that I plan to visit for inspiration and enjoyment. This list will grow as I find more and after a visit, I will post my experience.

Hollister House Garden, Washington CT

Garden of Ideas, Ridgefield CT

InSitu, Redding CT

Filed Under: Blog, Connecticut Gardens, Garden Tours

Strawberry Fields in VA

May 31, 2013 by / Leave a Comment

My father sent me an email tonight with his recent harvest of strawberries. Here’s what he said:

This gives an additional meaning to “Night Crawlers”… We worked on Mom’s estate sale, arrived home latish and knew that the strawberries needed to be picked. Mom took the 1st two photos, but she usually is seated on the old kitchen stool and holds the net close to me as I crawl/reach into our 5 year old strawberry bed and pick the berries depositing into the net then she empties them into a colander when the net is full. 3rd photo shows us at the “strawberry tower”, the strawberry plants there are only one season old, and as to be expected, not performing as well as the five year old plants. 4th & 5th photo are two views of last night’s picking, will pick again in about 3-4 days.
Filed Under: Blog

Vertical Gardens

May 15, 2013 by / Leave a Comment

One Tree Gardens specializes in Vertical Gardens which are designed to maximize small spaces with a variety of plants producing high crop yields. We think of it as gardens all grown up. For the home gardener, we offer the Tower Garden as well as Tower Garden Workshops to help you get started with your own Vertical Garden.

For commercial and urban farms, we can help with the planning, design and construction of your commercial or roof top food farm.

It’s time for change. The future of food is becoming more and more important. Today, we all want more control of where our food is coming from. From Tower to table, what’s better than growing your own? We believe that real change happens one at a time, one person, one family, one business, one garden, one tree at a time.

Filed Under: Blog, Featured, Vertical Gardens  / Tagged: