Honey Harvest

Big R just got home from his work trip to Kobenhaven aka Copenhagen.  Since it was a weekend without kid soccer tourney and weather was warm, it was time to harvest!

Supplies:

• bee suits
• smoker
• hive tongs
• hive scraper
• flow hive accessories - tubes, key, pliers, etc
• Jars!  (11 jars of 16 oz with lids, 6 24 oz jars)

We harvested from the OG hive first since we saw capped honey through the side window and was able to see honey in the frames.

Lessons learned from the OG hive while taking honey:

1. Put cap back on where the key is so the bees don't go in it
2. Put the tubes in right away and try to seal them as best as possible so bees don't go in
1. The 16 oz jars worked the best for this
3. One of the tubes is shorter than the other and needs additional height for collection
1. Note - need more tubes for multi-hive collection
4. One frame was uneven and allowed for the bees to get in/out the side and made for a challenging collection.

We have 3 flow frames to collect from.  We were able to get about 11 jars nearly full from the OG flow hive.

Next up... Big Blue.

So this was the big test this year since Big R bought some knock off flow hives.  They were less expensive but just different enough to wonder if they would really work.  While watching Big Blue and these frames we noticed that they just didn't really seem to like them.  They were not filling the outside frames and it seemed like they just were not as busy.  Big R unlocked the flow frames to gather on frame 1 and got nothing.  (It was on the far left or outside) when looking at the frames.)  He then unlocked 2 and 3 and while lil momma was inside, he was unprepared for the honey to flow.  Lil momma ended up having to run to give a collection jar for the honey.  These girls were also a little more testy... the bees kicked it up a notch in the activity level and the head butting.

We had 5 frames and filled about 3 24 oz jars from frames 2 and 3.  There was not really much honey to speak of in frames 1, 4 and 5.  They do fill from the middle out, so it may have been a matter of time and resources.

Lessons learned:

1. Fishing the bees out of the jars is not fun and leaves trails of honey to attract predators (yellow jackets/hornets/wasps)
2. Large mouth jars can have two tubes but the seal is not great
3. The knock off frames are just different enough that they don't have the tubes with the lip so can't go directly from one hive to the other
4. Need better smoker fuel.  The little pellets just don't last very long.
1. Don't use cardboard since there are chemicals in the cardboard.  

My bee lessons

• per some of the members of the PSBKA, it has been a high swarm season.  
• Don't inspect in the early morning/evening when it is cold and partially dark. It makes them very angry (from a beek Q&A)
• wear jeans.

So I got home on Friday around lunch time to eat and then attend a work meeting before packing up and heading to a soccer tournament with my girls. Best laid plans... 

I get a text from my neighbor asking if we have a lot of bees. I respond with yes and then look outside at her tree.  There is a swarm in her tree and then I go to our OG flow hive and see that the top box looks nearly empty.  I call Big R and try to figure out the plan of action... yep, our bees have swarmed, how do I capture the swarm or lure them back home.  I search and find a makeshift hive box and put it on a ladder with some empty frames.  Then find a frame of honey and put it in the lure hive. Mark my neighbor is available and I ask for help to make a bottom for the lure hive.  We move it to the ground because there is no way I would be able to move it if it were full of bees.  Not much else to do but wait and hope.

Next day, the lure hive is empty and the bees are still swarmed in neighbors tree.  I call the PSBKA and Ken is really kind at 8:30 on a Saturday morning.  He talks to me about the lure hive, putting a brood frame on a pole (since the swarm is about 30 feet off the ground), or trying to drop the swarm into a bucket and putting them in a new hive.  Also, I should cull some queen cells to prevent future swarms.  All options are not possible because I have to leave for soccer.  I figure the lure hive is our best bet and leave for soccer.

Sunday am.  We still have a swarm in neighbor's tree and we leave for soccer.

Sunday pm.  The swarm is gone. So I decide to service the OG flow hive.  I want to put the empty comb into the OG flow and try to move a brood frame into the top box.  Well, I suit up and put on pants... running pants.  I get the top open and have my little helper.  I have her holding a frame but she is getting nervous so I put it on the ground.  I then am bombarded and get stung in the rear end and the thigh.  Uh oh... they are not happy with me.  I go change into jeans and try to close the hive.  I may have some death on my hands but got the box closed back up.

Bees

We added a new addition last year and upped it to 2 this year.  Hives, that is.  I don't remember how this all started.  We talked about getting chickens.  We talked about getting bees.  We talked about Papa G having bee hives at the cabin. I think Papa G was the one that originally wanted bees but we got them first.
I have mentioned that I wanted to blog about it, but just haven't done it. I guessed I put that ownership on my spouse since he is the one doing the heavy lifting with the bee girls. But, I am going to try to put down notes here so that we have a bee reference. We love our bee girls.  We love our bee channel. We also love our bee honey.


Quick Log:

• Picked up 2 NUC's from Wenatchee in April 2018
• Put NUC's and frames into 2 brood boxes
• Added 2nd brood box in May
• Added honey supers in May (prior to Big R's work trip)
• Did 1 OXA treatment in May (**prior to honey supers)

Big R has been on a work trip for the past 3 weeks and I have had to do the bee upkeep.  It hasn't been much, but I do my best.  My last check I looked in on Flow Hive and it was super beezy!  Big Blue was less beezy but they were definitely in the top honey super and starting to work on the frames.

Flow Hive on May 20th (new empty frame)

Flow Hive on June 11th... BEEZY!

eggs

The latest game in our house between lil one and itty bitty is hiding Easter eggs and then having the other one find them.  They LOVE this game.  I let them do this for a couple days before and a couple days after Easter.  Then when I am fed up, we put away the decorations and the eggs.  But, now I am just wondering if the Easter bunny would like to hire out sub-contractors?  I know if I were the Easter bunny and had to do all those eggs, that a little extra help from 2 little kids would be really nice come Easter morning.

healing more than bumps and bruises

Tonight Nat ran eyeball first into a chair.  She ran to me.  I carried her to the couch with an ice pack.  We sat and iced it while she cried and calmed down. I asked her if she wanted to go rock in the chair and she said yes.  We rocked and she fell asleep in my arms. 

Thank you Nat.  I think I needed that as much as you did. Because today I read about a little boy, Ben.  He has more than a bump and his mommy can't help him.  I am thankful I got to hold you today.  That I get to help your bump feel better.
Love,
Mom

Parenting fail?

1) give children pajamas from the clean pile on the couch
2) 3 year old complains her pants keep falling down (let this happen for an hour or two)
3) realize she has on her sister's pants... laugh hysterically.
4) child looks sternly at Mom and says 'Not funny!'
     (while holding back of pants)

our goofy family

ponytail

I often wear my hair up after I get home from work.  Usually it is because I go for a run or go to yoga.  But, then it is because I prefer my hair up off my body from showering or what have you.  So when I cuddle with Nat or try to put her to bed she hates the ponytail!  Mom no like pony tail!  I have to take it out when I put her to bed.  She plays with it or tells me it is pretty.

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awesome

new favorite saying of nut nut - it be awesome!

quirks

i should be thankful.  we have moved past needing the kitty ice pack, blanket, blanket on the floor, tangled doll, and strawberry shortcake for bed time.  now we only need blanket, blanket on the floor and tangled doll.  small wins.

tonight i couldn't help laughing.  i went to tuck her in for the probably fourth time and she wanted 'uppie cuddles'.  which i obliged.  who doesn't want cuddles from their kids?!  so i pick her up and she says 'no like pony'.  i have my hair pulled back in a ponytail.  so i take the ponytail out.  "that better" chuckle, snort, cuddle.... chuckle, try not to laugh... (child whimpers, chuckles)... chuckle...  laugh uncontrollable and put child back in bed.

Favorites

Favorite Book: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Snuggle Puppy
Favorite food: mac n cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets, fruit snacks
Favorite toy of the moment: bubbles
Favorite drink:  chuice aka juice

Our favorite sayings:
reading pigeon book 'true story' (singsong voice)
i show you
'dwess'
'be right back'
'you otay daddy?'
'i want netwicks'  netflix
i want play (computer games)

purple

For about the past month or 2, nut nut asks for 'purple' Dora diaper.  Or for 'purple' jammies... which happen to be blue or pink, not actually purple.  And the 'purple' Dora diaper is pink or yellow...

so what does 'purple' mean?  we think it means 'perfect'.  Her sister says 'that's perfect' so we know it has to be a preferred item.  So I think I will start calling things I like 'purple'.

2 working adults + 2 children = no spare time

i don't post about the crazy things this kid does or says although there are many.  i don't post as many pictures because they live on my phone. 

here is one pic of the nut asking for ipah mommy...  (iPod)

enjoy

Yesterday I came home and was in a good mood because I had accomplished stuff at work.  I also got some stuff done that I hadn't been able to do.  So when I went to put jammies on Nat, we had an impromptu wrestle and giggle session.  I was sitting on the floor and she plays a game where she pushes me over and I pull her on top of me and tickle her.  We then wrestle back and forth which leaves her in a fit of laughter. 

At some point, she says 'dop' while laughing hysterically and I let her roll onto the floor.  She was laying on my arm and we were both looking up at the ceiling.  She sighed after she got the giggles under control and then said 'ready, go' and launched at me for another tickle/giggle session.  This happened about 3 or 4 times before I said we had to stop for night night time.  I enjoyed just playing with her.  My heart truly was full.   I took a second and said thank you for blessing me with this moment.

more words

like Nana said some of her favorite words are 'ba-ba' which I am not sure where she got that for 'Nana' but I am guessing it is a combo for Nana and Papa.  They come in a match set typically to our house so it makes sense.

another fave is 'I heeeelp' - but i don't know how to put that one in letters exactly how she says it. 

and 'dop'  I can't forget dop!  dop is 'stop' for those of us who have trouble with 'st'.  and it works especially well when said to the big sister.

and of course there is the 'I do'.  when you are nearing 2 years old and you have a big sister, everything is an 'I do'.

one word that she learned quickly is 'stuck'.  lately this is for when she crawls out of her crib and gets stuck between the crib and the wall.  'Daddy!  Stuck!'  was just overheard from the monitor.

Words

Itty Bitty has been saying a lot lately:

"I knock" - when she knocks on any door.  Including when she locks herself into a room where she can't get out of.  If she knocks, it means someone will open the door... right?

"I coming" - if she wants us to wait for her, or when we say 'let's go'

Vail

We traveled to Vail via flight to Denver and car to Vail for our friend's wedding.  We traveled with Nat and in the grand scheme of traveling with an almost 2-year-old breastfeeding child, she did great!  I love the picture above.  It was just before the wedding and it was at 10,000+ feet.  I was worried about how she would do because she couldn't tell us if she was dizzy or her head hurt.  But, she was fine and playing... even spitting during the ceremony.

blah

i haven't posted in ages. my kids are awesome. facebook posts are
mostly about my kids and running. life in a nutshell... kids, work,
run, clean, sleep, eat and repeat

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