Free Mason Bees

   This video show the Blue Orchard Mason Bee Osmia Lignaria cocoons that are hibernating in my fridge. The camera then trail to the garage where I am building the new mason bee homes. I have homes and nesting reeds available for purchase. The bees are free and will be ready to work in the spring. They spend their days pollinating your spring and summer fruit, vegetable and flower plants....

Episode-247- Easy Way To Provide Water For Honeybees

             It is taking me time to catch up on all the things I have been recording around the home from the beginning of spring but I get to things eventually. Today's video was taken in April before the spring was in full swing. I'm at the point now where my management cycle has been tested enough that I know when to bring certain systems online. I built this site to help me keep...

Episode-244- How To Inspect The Top Bar Hives

The video in today's episode is a month old already but I get to things eventually. I am taking a less invasive approach to beekeeping this year. There has been too much to prepare in the gardens that I have not had to the time or energy to over manage the hoeny bees which I think is a good thing. Over managing in the past has led to more problems than successes so I am not repeating past...

Butterflies In the Bee Balm

The cold of January has me yearning for the heat of summer and all of the beautiful creatures that go along with it. In particular just when I thought the bee balm was dried  up and done for in August there was a second bloom and this one fed a large gathering of butterflies. I don't know much about butterflies but I do know they have a purpose in the garden and I go out of my way to appealing...

Honey Bees Gathering At The Chamomile

I was fortunate enough to catch these bees hard at work getting ready for a cold weather front to hit our area. All that's left this year is the top bar hive which I have affectionately referred to as the thrive hive. However, things have been challenging for it lately but the battle with Varroa Destructor and small hive beetles seems to have waned and the bees are frisky, protective and well...

Episode-217- Check In On The Top Bar Hive

The video for today's episode presents the thrive hive which is the sole remaining bee colony on my property. This colony has remained strong from the time it was placed in the top bar hive in April 2013. It was doing so well that I took three top bars full of brood (bee larvae and pupae), pollen and honey in early June in an attempt to rescue colonies B and C. That turned out to be a waste of...

Episode-212- Grow Tall Sunflowers With Compost

Today video depicts a few months of the growth of one patch of sunflowers I have growing. There are dozens of sunflowers growing this year and the big ones were started in indoor back in April. The patch depicted today however was grown from just planting the seeds in a small 2 foot square patch of ground in the front. When they reached almost 2 feet tall in June I went ahead and put on some...