Bee Progress

Well after several days of letting the bees get settled, it was time for a hive check. Plus I really was a bit anxious to see what they'd been up to since their arrival on Monday.

What fun it was to be fully geared up and able to get a closer look at the bees in action. Using my smoker I blasted away trying to make sure the bees were nice, calm and distracted. It was easy as pie trying to get into the hive and do an inspection. First on my agenda was to remove the queen's cage that she had been shipped in. It was completely empty of both her and her candy. It looks as if they'd just started to build a comb around the edges so I was thankful to have it removed from there.



You know I worry about squishing bees so I tried to carefully slide the top bars apart to get the queen's cage out and then inspect the hive. It was challenging but pretty non-eventful. With a little maneuvering I was able to push them back down under the bars as I closed them back together. I was really happy to see that the bees has already constructed several combs about 3-4 inches square. There probably were more but I stopped looking as to not disturb them any further.

Removing the feeding can that came with was another task I had to take care of too. It was bone dry. I was thankful it was pretty full when I got the bees on Monday because of all of the rain we've had lately. It was just near impossible for them to gather much food for themselves.

Speaking of food, I was able to take some close-up shots of the bees going in and out of the hive entrance. I was fascinated by the amount of golden yellow pollen they could carry on their tiny feet! Click on the image to get a closer look.



Several people have told me beekeeping is addictive. Well, I am already a believer. I wonder what the rest of the year has in store.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day May 15th

As part of Garden Blogger's Bloom Day by May Dreams Gardens this is some of what is bloomin' in my yard today:

** strawberries (this is my first berry!)
** petunias (I know..everyone has them, but mine came back from last year and I'm SO happy, yippee!!)
**verbena on a stick
** indian hawthorne
**spirea
**weeping rosemary
** ligustrum
**fennel
**chives
**sage
**tarragon
**rue
**honeysuckle
**blackberries
**knock-out roses
**lantana

I still have many of the same blooms from last Blogger's Bloom Day. I would've posted another picture of my Shasta daisies in bloom, but I think my Pomeranian, who loves certain blooms, has munched on them...not a pretty picture. I have a few Asiatic lillies and daylilies that will be bursting open any day now. I can't wait for the wonderful aroma of the Asiatic lilies! The fragrance is intoxicating.

My Bees Have Arrived!

After months of eager anticipation (and nervousness) the bees are here! A lively phone call came at 6:30am on Monday. I didn't answer my phone the first time because I really thought it was a wrong number or something. As soon as it quit ringing another call came in. It was then I passed the phone to my dear hubby hoping he could deal with whoever was on the other end. Well, lo and behold it was the Post Office. Evidently, they were scared. Two of the bees were clinging onto the outside of the crate. The Post Master was afraid they were escaping and requested an immediate pick-up at their back door...no waiting until it opens. That's service I tell you!

I've been waiting on their shipment since January. Whew, what I relief to have them set up and seemingly content. I would have pictures of the whole process, but it seems my family was too scared to be out there with me. They watched me with binoculars through the kitchen window. Too bad we don't have one of those fancy-shmancy cameras with the ultra zoom lenses. Of course the pictures may have been more of something you'd see on the show AFV than me actually looking like I know what I was doing.

After fumbling with all of the packaging, getting the queen's cage prepped and hung inside the hive I was making it. There's just something about shaking 3 lbs of honeybees into a hive that doesn't seem safe or sane to most people...but I must admit it was pretty cool. My gloves were pretty big on my hands and my veil needed strapped on better making it difficult to see. In the process I sadly squished a bee... That just did it for me. I was sad to see I'd ended it's little life with my clumsiness.

It rained most of that day. With either an umbrella or a raincoat I bet I made 10 trips out there to check on the progress. Some of the bees had to be left in the shipping crate because they refused to be released (normal by the way). I just sat the crate near the entrance and prayed. Flashes would go through my head of them drowning right in the crate. Torture I tell you!

When the sun finally peaked from behind the clouds, the busy bees began to come out of the hive massing at the entrance. What worry does that bring up then? That somehow I had failed to make a better homecoming for them. Maybe I should have done this or that to make them want to stay. But time marched on. As evening approached, life around the hive seemed a bit more normal. The crate was now emptied and the masses of bees clinging around the hive entrance had reduced to just a few plus the hive guard. I finally could rest peacefully through the night.

Here's my hive:

I've posted previously about Top Bar Hives if you want to look at them. It is quite a bit different than the traditional Langstroth hive used by most beekeepers. This one doesn't have pre-made frames but only a top bar, thus the name. It encourages a naturally shaped comb like you would find if bees built them in nature.

Living in fire ant territory, I have been more than concerned about them invading and destroying the hive. They LOVE to get into my potted plants and such, so I knew this would be a problem. Elevating the hive to waist level not only will help with the fire ant problems, but it is suppose to be an all around calmer way to deal with the bees.

You see the cinder block on the top? Well, add our common 50-60 mph winds in the mix of everything. It will also help if we have some nightly visitors wanting a taste of honey (no bears thankfully)

My kids have already questioned my worrying about the bees. "Wow Mom you worry more about the bees than us!" ...If they only knew the stress of when I brought them home fresh from the hospital. There were more sleepless nights than I care to count, but it was because of that they are alive today.

I've joined the local beekeepers association so I can have plenty of help and friendly advice. I'm also already getting requests for honey. We'll see! Until I'm comfortable with the whole process, I'm not promising honey to anyone. Of course I said the same thing about raising chickens for eggs. With almost a dozen a day coming in, I think I am able to sell a few and share with friends.

I'm really looking forward to taking care of the bees. I just need to let them do what they do best and enjoy it.

Silly Birds

Can you see the eggs? They are in our driveway. Thankfully close to the side where we hopefully won't run over them with the cars. This is twice we've had this happen. Do you know what bird will do this? I do! It's the Killdeer.

They lay their eggs on the ground in an area that will best camouflage their eggs. Little do they know that it makes them look bad when they choose high traffic/deadly places to do this.

It really is hard to find the eggs in the gravel when looking for them. I can usually tell there is a nest nearby from the reaction of the parents. Killdeer defend their nests by trying to lure you away from the area where the nest is. By now I can hear the fast chirping and tell I'm their area. Follow that with quick bursts of running and the fake broken wing act.



Here is a video that best shows their act. Funny thing...the nest we have now is on the way out to our mailbox, so daily we get to see this. It won't be long until baby Killdeer are running around the yard and hiding in the ditch when we head out to check the mail. It makes for an interesting trip.

Fun At The Plant Swap

One thing our Master Gardener group does every Spring and Fall is host a plant swap at our local Farmer's Market. What fun it is to take plants and seeds from your own garden to share and trade with others at this event. I really wish I would have taken my camera with me.. I forgot of course. Bummer.

The trading was scheduled to start at 9am but, I will tell you it had already begun before I had even got there at 10 til 9. With eager anticipation and nearly every booth filled with plants, the trading was in full swing when 9am began. Just how many bags and containers could I carry at a time from one booth to the next? Not as many as I would have liked! After numerous trips to the car, my trunk began to fill quickly. Good times.

Everything pretty much finished up by 10am. Sweeping and cleaning up leaves and dirt were about all that was left to do after the fury of trading. It reminded me a bit of Christmas morning with wrapping paper strewn on the floor after all of the gifts are opened. But with the help of several people we were cleaned up in no time.


This is what I was able to bring home! Unbelievable...

-Bearded Irises (a lot of them..mostly white and yellow)
-Russian Irisis
-Rock Rose
-Frog Fruit
-Artemesia
-Chameleon Ivy
-Umbrella Plant
-Daylilies (yellow)
-Mugwort
-Airplane plant
-Castor Bean
-Rose Campion
-Mullein
-Moon Flower
-Aloe Vera (can be grown outdoors here)
-Liriope
-Ornamental Basil
-Spiderwort
-Vinca majora
-Nicotania
-Mexican Heather
-Mexican Petunia
-Variegated Vine (groundcover)
-Jewel of Opar
-Spearmint
-Chocolate and Apple Mint
-Asparagus

What a wonderful experience. I'll be planting like crazy over the next couple of days that's for sure... and thinking about what I can collect to trade for the Plant Swap in the Fall.

If you don't have this type of event in your area, I would encourage you to start one. With just a little bit of planning and some printed fliers in area businesses you are on your way. These events are a great deal of fun and require hardly any money to put together. It's just another way you can build community in your town.

Its Raining Blooms

In spite of all of the raining and flooding we've had lately, we're bloomin' around here. I hope this will brighten your day.

Above you'll find:

*Spirea
*Arapaho Blackberry
*Knockout Rose
*Dwarf Coreopsis
*Floribunda Rose
*Penstemmons
*Pincushion Flower
*Lemon Tree Blossoms
*Star Jasmine
*Columbine

No Matter What You Think About Greens.....

Collard Greens

....adding them to your diet has it's benefits.

"Greens" are a vegetable that has been part of a southerners diet for many, many years. Greens by local definition can mean anything that is loose leaf like kale, collards, mustard, turnip or cabbage. "Mess o' greens" is the term you'll hear when a true southerner cooks a batch for a meal. Most often they are cooked with ham hocks or salt pork, slowly boiling them down until tender.

Although much of the American tradition of growing greens comes from the south, you can find them as a part of the ancient Greek diet all of the way to a 17th century Lowland Scot's diet. Collards are one of the oldest varieties of the cabbage family and one of the mildest flavors of the greens.

One of OUR main reasons for growing collard greens in our garden is for it's amazing nutritional qualities. For as quickly as it grows, produces and ease of cooking, adding it to our diet just seems to be a logical choice. Even if we only add chopped up bits at a time to soups and such we are able to improve our vitamin intake.

Collards are considered a cool season crop like broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Here in North Texas its best to either grow them as a fall crop (planting dates: seeds 8/1-9/1 & transplants 8/25-9/15) or make sure you plant them in early spring (planting dates: seeds 2/10-3/10 & transplants 2/15-3/1) You will get bitterness in your plants if you grow them when it's warmed up quite a bit in late spring and early summer.

Even if you aren't growing these yourselves, I would list collards among the best values for the money. If you're trying to stretch a buck these days, looking for high nutrient and low cost foods, then collards would easily fit into your diet. The best way to get them is fresh, but I often see them in the produce section of our local grocery store already bagged.

I'll be cooking up a "mess o' greens" today for my family along with eggs cooked in one fashion or another from our chickens plus whatever else I can think of today. Having fresh organic food right out in my backyard amazes me still. What a gift!