The bees and I

 So I checked on the bees yesterday. I had a friend over, so we had D watch the kids while we escaped outside for a peaceful quiet bee visit. I try and check on the bees during the middle of the afternoon. We were a little late, about five-ish. It was still very warm and sunny, but the tall spruce and birch on the west side of us were shading the hive area from direct sun. It was the first time since I put the second brood box on, that I'd checked on the bees. At first I was hesitant to get into the bottom box because of all the comb they'd built and filled that was in between the two boxes. I put the second brood box on a little early, before the very outside frames were drawn out. The bees had moved up before filling the bottom box completely- my error for being so eager to add on. I wasn't sure what the proper course of action was. But I decided to replace the outside bare frames with the partially drawn out frames that were filled in the middle of the top box.

 Everything else looked good. We found the queen doing her thing. There were just a few capped drone cells. I'm thinking I've got an ok queen but not great, from what I've observed of the population over the last several weeks.

 Two brood boxes are mandatory in Interior Alaska - or so we were taught in class. I'm not sure if that is standard elsewhere or not. 

When I am looking at the frames, I look for the queen, for eggs and larvae. I look to see how much pollen there is and how much capped sugar water or other stores. I also look to make sure there aren't any queen cells or too many drone cells. This is my favorite part, just pulling frames and checking them out.

 And this is right about when I got stung for the first time since keeping bees. I was partially stung a few weeks ago, but the stinger didn't stay in and within minutes there was no pain or swelling. This time it hurt. I got stung on my middle finger on my right hand as I was picking up the frame. It took me a while to get the stinger out. It didn't just brush off like I thought it would. 

 Ouch!

 Trying to get the stinger out without squeezing the sack of venom into my finger.

 And time to finish up since my right hand is throbbing.

After closing up the hive I chewed a plantain leaf and put that on my finger. It helped but didn't relieve the symptoms as much as I'd expected. Then I tried some plantain tincture I made up last summer. As long as I kept the cotton ball on my finger it was soothing. Then I dabbed my finger into the honey that had come out of the comb I'd broken off, and the relief was instant and complete. I have reapplied plantain and honey throughout the day today as the tip of my finger is still still red, swollen and throbbing. I'm sure I'll be exploring bee sting remedies more in the future. 

For those of you with bee experience, feel free to lend some advice. I'm sure I'll look back on this and laugh at myself. I think it is time to consult with the local bee expert and make sure I'm on track. Regardless, at least there will be honey for us.Our honey pot is empty. I don't feel like I can afford to buy any local honey right now. So maybe I'll just hold out, even though going honeyless for a few months is unthinkable. I do relish a good drought when there is certain to be an upcoming abundance. I'm not buying beets or carrots now, or much vegetables at all. We are eating lots of greens and herbs. I'm enjoying clearing out the freezer. We just ate our last chicken from last year. We are almost out of jam, but still have lots of berries in the freezer, so jam day may be the next rainy day.

We butchered a goat this week, for the first time. I think the subject warrants it's own post, but I will say that it went well. I feel good about it. The meat is great, pleasantly surprised by the goats once more. We've been enjoying having our own red meat for dinner and in the freezer. The last two nights I rubbed sea salt, pepper, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil into assorted cuts; mostly goat chops and a front shoulder roast. Then I threw them on the grill over high heat and cooked them until medium rare, and then let the meat rest. Some bites could have been choice steak, others were a bit chewy - but great flavor. A pot of bone stock and another with goat fat rendering into lard, bubble away on the stove top.

We are just beginning to put food into the freezer. Forty Copper River Red Salmon, check, one full sized fatty goat, check. Oh, and is it officially summer finally - well feels like we are in mid summer here. Happy late solstice everyone.

Looks like winter- feels and smells like spring

I've been trying to figure out where the smell of dead animal is coming from. At first I was sure it really was a dead chicken or duck that died over the winter that I'd forgotten about. I keep sniffing around the pile of chicken bedding - recently removed from the coop, but I don't think that's it.  The cold weather has it's advantages: our place only smells half the year.

I've been thinking of notes to self lately as I do chores. The top note to self is to keep my mouth shut more often. I don't think I spend much time walking around with my mouth hanging open. I think I must sub consciously breathe through my mouth when things are stinky and that is how I end up catching nasties.  I can't remind myself enough to:

1. Keep mouth shut when pitchforking and cleaning out the chicken coop, goat stalls and manure bedding in general.
2. Keep mouth shut when trimming goat feet. Poopy chunks of goat trimmings fly in all directions.
3. Indoors- keep mouth shut when scrubbing the toilet.

This week while driving to town Avery kept saying "whats that?" I was like what? that house? the trees? the other cars? and finally she said, "No, that icky brown stuff." I replied, "that is dirt". Then we had a whole discussion about how the dirt was really there all along just covered up and hidden by the snow, which she was skeptical about. We still have snow pretty much everywhere on our property. Today there was some dirt exposed up against the goat barn and the kids found it. Noah said something like, "ooh dirt, look there is dirt here" and he began running his hands through it, grabbing, squishing and digging in it. Then of course there wasn't enough dirt there to go around and he told his sister she had to go find her own dirt. Avery found a muddy puddle and said, "ooh mud, mom can I splash in the mud with my bare feet?"  And I was like, lets keep our rain boots on for now, it is too cold still, but soon!

We are all ready. Ready for mud. Excited to see dirt. I think it is going to be a few weeks before the snow has mostly disappeared. It is going to be a late spring.

I've gone to two bee classes now. I'm learning lot's. Yesterday we watched a hiving demonstration and checked on a recently hived hive. The bees were much more mellow than I expected. No one got stung. The bee guy did everything without gear, veil or gloves, using his bare hands to brush bees back into the hive etc. It was kinda like magic. I've been very inspired by the class and I'm thinking I'm actually going to enjoy bee keeping itself, in addition to having our own honey.

The start up cost is pretty intimidating. I'm not sure it is really worth it when I think about how much money we are investing in bees, hive and equipment and how much honey we are going to get. The bees start at $125 for a three pound package, $25 for an extra queen. So I decided to step it up and buy a Nuc, which is a small colony already started and going with a proven queen for $175. The start up recommendation for here is two deep brood supers and two medium honey supers, with a queen extruder the cost is 350 unassembled, 400 assembled - and just needs paint. Smoker, veil and gloves... It is getting expensive. Stumbling across some used unwanted equipment would be great, but I don't see that happening in the next couple weeks.

Our first batch of ducks and Ameraucanas is due to hatch at the end of next week. We've got a few geese and ducks arriving the same week. Time to dig out some heat lamps and brooder tubs for the hallway. I like to keep them close in the house at first. The goats are all doing great. We have one more goat due for sure. Xoe is due the first week of May. I'm going to enjoy sleeping through the night for at least another week. It is getting busy and exciting like spring around here. It just looks like winter.

Facing my fears; geese and honey bees

I grew up with my dad raising bees for honey. My brother and I got stung a lot as children. Now, my brother has severe allergic reactions when he gets stung. I just have a slight fear of handling bees. I must have been in kindergarten or first grade when I remember my dad running circles around the house hollering while we tracked him from inside the house, running from window to window to peer out at him. I remember him stopping to pound on the door demanding entry and mom telling him to keep running. As far as the benefits go, I grew up on honey, honey and PB sandwiches, honey and PB on ricecakes, honey and homemade yogurt. I did not realize how much I appreciate good honey until I no longer had any. Now, we eat honey on hot cereal and honey on pancakes. I use honey in our weekly bread and on sandwiches. I have a strong appreciation and desire for local honey which is outrageously expensive here. I've been mentally working myself up to raising bees for a few years now. Last year D got me a beekeeping book for Christmas, which I read. Last spring I signed up for a beekeeping class, but later decided I already had too much on my plate.

This is going to be the year. I'm starting off by taking a beginning bee keeping class which covers all the basics. It is a couple hour class, once a week over five or so weeks. I'm gearing up to order a suit - or maybe just the jacket and head covering. As much as I'd like to imagine myself with barefeet and bare hands among the bees- well I think I'll be a lot less intimidated if I'm suited up and protected from stings. I'm starting off with one hive on the hill above the garden. I'm hoping to meet our honey and beeswax needs, with some leftover for gifts.

I don't have many experiences with geese. Actually I've only met one flock of geese, and we did not get along. There was a flock of large white geese at a farm where I boarded my horse for a couple years. This farm had attack geese and an attack rooster (which finally left me alone after it flew at me while I was holding a shovel, which was the bat. He was the ball). The geese would corner me in the barn, chase me, chase my car, pluck the rubber trim out from my bumper while I was off riding.

I've been doing a lot of geese research. I've learned that my shying away from the geese initially may have instigated our poor relations. I've been deliberating between Pilgrim and African geese, two of the more gentle breeds. I decided on the Pilgrim too late, multiple suppliers are already sold out for the season. I really liked the idea of the Pilgrims as they are the only breed of geese that are sexed. The males are white and the females are blue and gray. I ended up ordering a pair of French Toulouse geese, and an extra un-sexed goose - possibly for Christmas dinner. Looks counted for a lot in deciding which breed to get. The Toulouse are gray and blue, they look like the French aristocrat version of geese. They are stately, blue and gray and handsome.They are also one of the more gentle breeds, good layers, setters, parents, and they make a nice roast goose, good fat, feathers... I would have like to get the ones with the dewlaps, but those are way pricey.

I am getting geese mostly because I like the idea of having a couple pet geese. I also like the idea of large hardy birds wandering around the homestead. We have a lot of birds of prey issues, mostly Ravens attacking young chickens and ducks. As a result the ducks are hesitant to free range. I think they've been traumatized. So I'm hoping to raise the geese with some same age layers and ducks, and maybe the geese will look out for the smaller birds. The ducks are very skittish, not inquisitive or friendly. I'm hoping the geese will fill my desire to have some pet birds.

Now, if you have traumatic geese memories you may be thinking I'm crazy. Well, if they end up attacking my children, they will be dinner. We are just getting a few to try them out. We are going to handle them a lot. I'm going to work with the kids on not running from the geese or establishing any bad behavioral issues - no running, no intimidating etc. We will work on carrying treats daily as we do chores. So hopefully we will have friendly geese. Geese don't lay a lot of eggs. We're talking twenty to fifty/sixty a year depending on the breed. The French Toulouse lay towards the higher end. I like the idea of bonding with the original pair, letting them hatch and rear their young, and then eating the wild things. Obviously I have some details to work out, like they are going to be vicious when setting on their eggs and caring for their goslings. And then, wild goslings may be too wild... It is an experiment.

Other poultry notes: I'm still trying to decide whether to get regular Cornish Cross this summer or a slower growing meat bird. I think we are going to do four Broad Breasted Whites again as opposed to heritage breeds. I'm collecting duck eggs to start incubating in the next few days. I'm collecting Peking eggs and Peking crossed with Saxony eggs. We will keep the females for layers and eat the males. We just need a handful of layers. I'm going to set a few Ameraucana eggs and probably buy a few Ameraucanas and Sexlinks at the feed store. Each summer I end up with five groups of birds to feed and water. I'm trying to think of how to simplify the chores. There are the established layers, established ducks, then the turkeys, the cornish and then the new layers, ducks and geese. I may combine the established birds, and then all the new birds except the turkeys. Does anyone have experience raising turkeys with other poultry? Everything I read says that is a big no no, but then I've heard of folks doing it without problems. Also, if you have experience with raising geese and have any advice I would love to hear it. Thanks again for your words of encouragement and kindness regarding this years kidding losses. Take care.

Oh yeah, and here is to facing our fears, bees, geese or whatever they may be. Cheers!