Comments for Beekeepers of the Northern Shenandoah http://valleybees.org Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:28:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Saturday July 30th Blandy Extraction by willard http://valleybees.org/2011/07/25/saturday-july-30th-blandy-extraction/#comment-17 willard Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:28:02 +0000 http://valleybees.org/?p=575#comment-17 I am a first time honey producer. I have read that the honey needs to be capped and cured, if not it might ferment and spoil the other honey. How do I tell if it s cured? I will have some frames to extract. What do I need to do to transport the frames, and what do I need to bring to the extraction sight? Willard I am a first time honey producer. I have read that the honey needs to be capped and cured, if not it might ferment and spoil the other honey. How do I tell if it s cured?
I will have some frames to extract. What do I need to do to transport the frames, and what do I need to bring to the extraction sight?
Willard

]]> Comment on Bee Friendly Landscaping by keithprovost http://valleybees.org/2011/07/29/bee-friendly-landscaping/#comment-16 keithprovost Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:44:31 +0000 http://valleybees.org/?p=590#comment-16 Good article! The link you posted goes to a page about declining bee populations, but the first link in that story goes to the landscaping story. The direct link is http://www.networx.com/article/bee-friendly-landscaping. At our home, we have just planted in a circle around the electrical box in the front yard. The circle is 40 feet in diameter and contains around 50 perennial plants. These include butterfly bush, lilacs, azalias, lillies, an oak tree, echinacea, lavender, peonies, and a couple of dogwood trees. This fall, we plan to add bulbs to the mix. Since this perennial garden encompasses both an electrical box and cable TV box, we called Miss Utility and had the lines marked and were sure to plant in a way that could withstand an event the required those lines to be dug up. Additionally, we had to leave 10 feet of clearance space on the access panel side of the box. Our lot is about 4 acres, and we agree with the article that a sea of green grass is a ridiculous waste of resources. We are gradually eating up grassy areas and planting flowering plants in its place. Our next target is a group of four trees that is difficult to mow around. We will plant shade growing flowering species around this clump of land. This kind of reclamation allows for more bee-friendly plants, diversity, and less time running a loud, destructive, polluting lawn mower. A 30 foot wide swath of land along the roadway was already untamed and wild when we bought the house. We have allowed it to remain that way, so that deer, groundhogs, and even mink have a place to live and hide. I love the suggestion in the article to plant sunflowers. There is an open area in our yard that is sloped and difficult to mow. I was thinking of seeding it with an array of low wildflowers. I will definitely add sunflowers to the mix, thus giving the view some height and dimension. Thanks for the inspiration. Good article! The link you posted goes to a page about declining bee populations, but the first link in that story goes to the landscaping story. The direct link is http://www.networx.com/article/bee-friendly-landscaping.

At our home, we have just planted in a circle around the electrical box in the front yard. The circle is 40 feet in diameter and contains around 50 perennial plants. These include butterfly bush, lilacs, azalias, lillies, an oak tree, echinacea, lavender, peonies, and a couple of dogwood trees. This fall, we plan to add bulbs to the mix. Since this perennial garden encompasses both an electrical box and cable TV box, we called Miss Utility and had the lines marked and were sure to plant in a way that could withstand an event the required those lines to be dug up. Additionally, we had to leave 10 feet of clearance space on the access panel side of the box.

Our lot is about 4 acres, and we agree with the article that a sea of green grass is a ridiculous waste of resources. We are gradually eating up grassy areas and planting flowering plants in its place. Our next target is a group of four trees that is difficult to mow around. We will plant shade growing flowering species around this clump of land. This kind of reclamation allows for more bee-friendly plants, diversity, and less time running a loud, destructive, polluting lawn mower.

A 30 foot wide swath of land along the roadway was already untamed and wild when we bought the house. We have allowed it to remain that way, so that deer, groundhogs, and even mink have a place to live and hide. I love the suggestion in the article to plant sunflowers. There is an open area in our yard that is sloped and difficult to mow. I was thinking of seeding it with an array of low wildflowers. I will definitely add sunflowers to the mix, thus giving the view some height and dimension. Thanks for the inspiration.

]]> Comment on Honey Extraction Schedule for August by keithprovost http://valleybees.org/2011/07/29/honey-extraction-schedule-for-august/#comment-15 keithprovost Sat, 30 Jul 2011 18:09:49 +0000 http://valleybees.org/?p=587#comment-15 I am very interested in using the extrction equipment. I will probably only have around 4 frames, as these are first year hives. Any chance you'll be doing extraction this afternoon or tomorrow (July 30, 31)? Thanks, Keith Provost I am very interested in using the extrction equipment. I will probably only have around 4 frames, as these are first year hives. Any chance you’ll be doing extraction this afternoon or tomorrow (July 30, 31)?

Thanks,

Keith Provost

]]> Comment on Queen Rearing Workshop by john1cd http://valleybees.org/2011/05/31/queen-rearing-workshop/#comment-14 john1cd Thu, 02 Jun 2011 01:09:35 +0000 http://valleybees.org/?p=552#comment-14 Where? Thanks. Where? Thanks.

]]> Comment on Field Day Rescheduled by john1cd http://valleybees.org/2011/04/13/field-day-rescheduled/#comment-13 john1cd Thu, 14 Apr 2011 11:41:35 +0000 http://valleybees.org/?p=530#comment-13 Are we also picking up our bees at the Field Day? I am hoping to 'see' the bees loaded into a hive BEFORE I try it. John D. Are we also picking up our bees at the Field Day? I am hoping to ‘see’ the bees loaded into a hive BEFORE I try it. John D.

]]> Comment on Reminding me why I dislike packages so. by keithprovost http://valleybees.org/2011/04/06/reminding-me-why-i-dislike-packages-so/#comment-12 keithprovost Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:46:56 +0000 http://valleybees.org/?p=519#comment-12 While it is a bummer that they're so late, it's also a bit of a relief for this first timer. It gives me time to pimp out my bee yard a little bit. It also means I can concentrate on learning about establishing the hives without being distracted by having to deal with the ins and outs of honey harvesting, which would have been a lot of work and investment in year one without much payoff. Thanks for staying on top of this for us. Maybe next year I can be of some assistance. While it is a bummer that they’re so late, it’s also a bit of a relief for this first timer. It gives me time to pimp out my bee yard a little bit. It also means I can concentrate on learning about establishing the hives without being distracted by having to deal with the ins and outs of honey harvesting, which would have been a lot of work and investment in year one without much payoff. Thanks for staying on top of this for us. Maybe next year I can be of some assistance.

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