Monday, June 29, 2015

Bees!








Dreams, they are wonderful things, aren't they? They keep you looking forward, learning and growing, and at times, push you out of your comfort zone a little bit. I have been dreaming about bees for a very long time. I did a workshop three years ago, my first experience hanging with bees, and I was mesmerized. It was a magical experience, and I was sure bees would be joining our little homestead the following spring. For various reasons, they didn't, and while I was sad about that, I knew when the time was right it would all fall into place.

Over the last three years, I have kept my dream of having bees alive, reading and researching, learning as much as I can, and gaining confidence that I could look after these amazing little creatures. A few months ago we made the decision that next spring bees will be joining us here, and with that decision came more questions, more research, and more planning. All of the beekeepers I know use Langstroth hives, and so it made sense we would follow the same route. That is until I found a beekeeping workshop focused on the top bar hive.

I spent a few hours on Saturday with a beekeeping enthusiast, and a handful of eager future beekeepers learning about the top bar hive, bees and their colony, and how to look after these magical creatures. It was an enjoyable afternoon, filled with lots of learning, and of course a taste test of delicious honey. Unfortunately, due to the rain, we couldn't open the hive, but we were able to take a look at it, discuss how it works, and even take a peek at what might be happening in the hive, based on the piece of paper you see above. Last week a piece of paper slathered with Vaseline was placed at the bottom of the hive to give the owners an idea of the mite count. It was rather amazing what this little piece of paper told us. At the far end, where it is bright yellow, that is fresh pollen, and shows us that is the entrance to the hive. Obviously as the bees enter the hive heavy with pollen some of it falls off, and was gathered on the paper. After that there is an area with less particles, that is where the queen and her colony are, and just past that there is some fuzzy looking remains, that is newspaper that was added to the hive to fill in a few holes. The bees obviously didn't like it so much, and chewed it up. This is a fairly new hive, and no mites were found, a good thing. It was amazing to be able to gain this much information about the hive from this piece of paper.

When the workshop wrapped up, I was on a bit of a high, and feeling the pull of the bees. We are excited to add them to our homestead next spring, and after much discussion on the way home, Justin and I have decided we are going to give the top bar hive a go. So exciting!!!

So, now the plans and preparations begin. Justin will be building the hive this fall, and I plan on doing more reading and research over the winter, thanks to wonderful resources shared with us on Saturday, and then late next spring we will be ready to welcome the bees.

*******

This workshop was held at the most wonderful homestead/bed and breakfast in Kitchener, and I have to give them a shout out because that high I was riding when I left was not only because of the bees, but also because of the wonderful family that welcomed us into their space, shared information on building an outdoor cob oven (yes, we have plans to add one to our homestead), chatted with me about homeschooling, and made us feel welcome and comfortable on their homestead. Thank you Karin, Greg, Maya and Finley.

39 comments:

  1. So very exciting! The paper "analysis" is amazing. Thank you for the link. We are also hoping to add bees to our little land in a few years (waiting for the kiddos to be just a tad older) and that little hive looks amazing. So discreet. I'll definitely pass the link along to my hubby. He's the one that has been doing research for us. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed! It was amazing what that little sheet of paper could tell us without even opening the hive, so fun!

      No problem, this little homestead was just lovely, and the owners were very welcoming. I wish we had had more time to look around, but with the rain and wanting to get back home we just didn't have time. We will be heading back again though in August :)

      Delete
  2. How wonderful! Bees are so important in our world. I hope to have some too one day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are, and we are so excited to welcome them to our homestead.

      Delete
  3. Bees are amazing! I would love to have bees but for one thing, we are smack in the middle of the city and on a small lot, plus, my husband, as much as he appreciates bees deeply, prefers them to be far away from him!

    So excited for your future venture and look forward to seeing the progress of your bee dreams becoming a reality!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree! You know, I learned yesterday, that the city is actually the best place to have bees, as there are less pesticides, since you aren't near farming land. It was an interesting fact to learn.

      You can bet I will be sharing as we move along on this adventure :)

      Delete
  4. I am so excited for you Kim and can't wait to see all the adventures that will unfold when bees become part of your life.
    Happy Monday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Tracey, can't wait to share with all of you :)

      Hope your Monday was filled with food things my friend. xo

      Delete
  5. That's so great! I've never seen a hive like that before. I'm excited to see more of your bee adventures next spring and summer!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I had not seen one in person before, so was really excited about the workshop, and learning more about this type of hive. I will be sure to share as we move along on this adventure.

      Delete
  6. This is really exciting. I wish you all the best with beekeeping. I find it so fascinating and I wish I could do it too, but I'm allergic to bees! It still interests me, though, and I love to read about others' experiences with it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aw, thanks Jennifer. Yeah, not the best idea to be looking after bees if you are allergic to them, that is too bad.

      Looking forward to sharing our experiences here in this space.

      Delete
  7. How interesting - I've never seen a hive like that before!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hadn't either Emma, and I don't know anyone else that uses one. It is the main reason I wanted to go to the workshop, to learn more and see one in action. We are really excited about what we learned, and can't wait to give the top bar hive a try.

      Delete
  8. Oh this is so exciting - I love it when bees visit us in the garden, I can only imagine how fun it's going to be to have the hive - and the honey too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, I am honestly still riding the high of the workshop on Saturday, and the more I think about it the more excited I get :)

      Delete
  9. wonderful!!! we kept bees for the past five years and then, after losing both hives this winter, decided to take a break for one year and plan to start again next spring. we mostly use langstroth hives but have a top bar as well and have used it once for a swarm that we caught. do you plan to harvest the honey? I've heard of folks placing langstroth-type supers atop the back area of their top bars so as not to disturb the top bar comb yet still be able to easily harvest honey. curious to hear what you learned at your workshop. and best of luck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I read about that Amanda, so sorry about your bees. The beekeeper who lead our workshop lost her bees this winter too, as did many beekeepers she knows. It was a hard winter.

      Yes, we will harvest honey, but not the first year. And after that the bees will decide really, if there is extra we will harvest, if there isn't we won't. From what I understand it is fairly easy to harvest the honey as you will only be harvesting from the back frames, and not disturbing the colony at all. Yes, it means when I replace the frame, the bees will have to rebuild the comb, and some see that as wasted time when they could be making honey, I guess. For me, it more closely resembles what they would have to do in the wild if they ran out of room, so it makes sense to me.

      The beekeeper who lead our workshop has been doing it that way for quite some time, and it has all worked out very well. The once piece of advice she told us not to ignore was making sure our hive was level. Apparently bees build their comb towards the center of the earth, so if the top bar hive is not level then the comb will not be made downwards, and will be all messed up, and joined together. Important information to know, especially to make harvesting work well. You can be sure we will have our hive level :)

      As we embark on our journey into beekeeping I may have questions for you, hope you don't mind.

      Delete
  10. That's quite amazing! I will love to read about your experience with bees!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Sandra, I am so excited, and can't wait to share it all next year :)

      Delete
  11. very exciting! I can't wait to read about the process and the progress. Lovely!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. First of all, such exciting news about your upcoming bee adventures! Secondly, I love the sound of how your weekend went! Kitchener is such a beautiful area too, and I can imagine how it played out with cosy B&B hosts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Alexa, I am very excited, and honestly still riding that high, and it was three days ago :)

      You are so right, Kitchener is lovely. And our hosts, and their property, were just amazing! I didn't even mention the dinner we had when we left the workshop at a lovely restaurant called Cafe Pyrus...a vegan, gluten free place that had the most delicious food.

      We are planning another trip over the summer too. They are hosting a few family type workshops, so we will make the drive for at least one, maybe two :)

      Delete
  13. How wonderful! If we ever get bees I will be doing the top bar method as well.It's so healthy for the bees.They have a whole workshop weekend devoted to top bar beekeeping here in Tucson.

    Just imagine how much more produce you will have with the bees so close!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks KC! We are so excited about the bees, and can't wait for next spring!

      Delete
  14. Oh, Kim, how wonderful! It sounds like an amazing workshop and I am so very glad that you had the chance to go and that your dreams of bees will become a reality next spring!

    We have often talked about keeping bees over the years but have yet to really do anything to prepare to do so. Here in MA we need to take a class (or two) before we can do so. And truly, before we get bees I think we need to make the chicken dream/request come true!

    Looking forward to next spring and your bee adventure already!

    Happy Canada Day, dear friend! xo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a wonderful workshop Shel, and I am so glad we made the drive to go. It was informative and totally what we needed to take the next step.

      Oh yes, chickens first, definitely!

      Thank you Shel, we had a wonderful day yesterday, celebrating with friends. xo

      Delete
  15. Kim, what an exciting project to look forward to! My oldest would love to have a hive, as she makes and sells beeswax candles. Beeswax is expensive to buy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kristen, we are really looking forward to it. How wonderful that she does that...will there be some hives in your future?

      Delete
  16. very cool, I'm looking forward to seeing it all! the girls had a beekeeper come into their class and they were able to see into the hive, i was so jealous. such fascinating creatures. hope you are having a good week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Carlin. Yes, such fascinating creatures. How wonderful for your girls to experience that.

      We received a little mail from you and your girls today. Reece was so excited, and just loved their drawings and letters. He is already making plans for some art to send their way.

      Delete
  17. I am so excited for you and your bee dream!!! Can't wait to watch the progress and learn along...I hope you are not getting all the flooding we are hearing about! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Erica! I can't wait to share it with you :) Nope, no flooding here. Hope you are having a great time on your trip. xo

      Delete
  18. Wow, bees are such incredible creatures, it must have been a wonderful workshop, and you keeping bees, and in your beautiful garden too, just sounds like the perfect match.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh they are! It was an amazing workshop, and I am so happy we went.

      Aw, thank you Sally, it feels pretty perfect :)

      Delete