Blogs to Books

For those of you that use a blog as a beekeeping journal I recommend having it printed.  You could use your printer or you could do what the Wife did for me.  She had this blog printed as a book using an online source.  It was a gift and quite a good one i think.

Years 2008 - 2010

The online sites can format the book as you want with colors, picts, and such.  Mostly just printing ones blog with the existing formatting does the job.  There are some bells & whistles if you want.  Mine is hardbound with 123 pages; after all it covers 3 years.  I plan on getting another volume each year for that year only.  Kind of like an Encyclopedia Beetanica.

You can decide how to mix picts & text

The reason I recommend it is because tonight i noticed a portion of my blog is missing!  Where it went i don't know.  When it went i don't know.  Part of Mary's Colony Chronicle just isn't there anymore.  Which means i've lost everything I've done with her from May 5, 2008 to November 26, 2010.

The post abruptly ends on Nov. 20, 2011

 The colony nor i will die from the loss of this information but the reason I keep a blog is to know what has been done.  I'd like to have that information.  Yes I keep a prose version of the same data on the main page.  The Chronicles, though, are like the Suez Canal.  I use them to avoid going around the Cape Horn of Text when I need to check a hive input.

Fortunately, I can recreate the missing data from the book.  It will take a while, 9 pages worth, but i'll get it all back.  So if something happens to your blog/journal it would be good to have a hard copy to go back to.  Any second copy will do be it from your printer or as a book.  Even a HTML Word doc safely stowed away some where will work nicely. 

If you go the book route search 'blog to book' in your browser.  It will show some places that will let you see a demo.  That alone can be fun. 

* ____________________________________________________________*

Names for the Colonies

Here is a list of names for future Colonies i plan to someday have.  I'll put them here so i don't forget them.

Heléna - Mother of Emperor Constantine I
Penelope - Wife of Odysseus
Rozina - My Grandmother
Mab - Queen of the Fairies and consort to Oberon
Elvira - Mistress of the Dark
Virginia - Home State



If you were wondering about the first two:

Mary - Mary I of England (Sickly & childless)
Myrina - Queen of the Amazons (Ruthless & aggressive)
 

*

They've had enough Syrup

The bees have slowed down taking the syrup.  I meant to add another gallon the other day but the HTF's still had some of the last batch in them.  I poured in what I could and saved the rest for later.  Hopefully they'll take all of it soon.

I checked the Chronicles for what the bees did last  year.  They were given their last syrup on November 2nd.  At that time i noted they didn't take much then either.  I wish I had checked last years notes earlier this month.  What I need is a calendar for bee work.  So I have started to use my Google account calendar for my bees. 

I can create an event for any known impute. Say a last feeding on the first of October.  Then set the calendar to remind me a few days in advance.  So i can include mite treatments, possible requeening dates, first of Spring feeding dates, etc, etc.

I know these times aren't written in stone and can vary.  I can finesse the dates as i go plus the heads up will keep me from trying to feed my bees in November anymore.

aun Aprendo

*

Bee Syrup & Fumagilin Recipes

In Fall & Spring when Syrup needs to be made I use the calculator over at Beekeeping.com.  It's a great calculator that allows me to make the quantity I want to the exact ounce.  No more leftovers to store for later.  I've always had a bookmark for it on the laptop.  I can remember the pounds of sugar but not quite the ounces of water.  Today I didn't have my laptop!

Also in Fall I tend to treat with Fumagilin-B, or when a new package is installed.  Which means I either have to find my copy of the directions or look it up online.  It's not hard to find it online but why do this every time.  So today I put both on a page in this blog.  Bee Recipes & Calculations.  Now I can go on Any computer and find & printout, if necessary, these directions. 

I'll likely put any other similar information on this page in the future. 

*

Second Aniversary

Today marks our second anniversary of Beekeeping.  2 years ago we woke up to our first full day with bees in the yard.  The previous evening at Sundown my Wife & I drove to a farm 15 miles away, packed Mary & Myrina onto the back of our truck and drove them back to our awaiting yard.

I only had the 'Beekeeping for Dummies' book for reference.  I didn't know any beeks and knew nothing of clubs or online forums.  Saying I was a bee-haver would be generous.  Yet ignorance was bliss and we eventually harvested 75#'s of the best honey ever!

The first winter was mild & spring brought some surprises.  We got to watch the bees swarm a few times & I began to realize Mary was having troubles.  Also 2009 was the worst honey year on record here due to the rain.  Mary continued her downward spiral as I desperately searched for answers.  There would be no honey yield in '09 but in October I found the Piedmont Beekeepers Association & the online forums.  The many great people in the association and on the forums answered my questions and helped me better understand what my role as a beekeeper really is.

The Winter of  2010 was then the hardest winter in decades.  Many colonies in the area died as a result.  Mary's number came up too.  Yet We were able to save her hive by bringing it in the house.  Still though Mary's & Myrina's populations were greatly reduced.

Now into Spring.  I've completed the local Beginners Bee Course.  Plus we've bought a package of bees and I'm trying to hive a wild colony in the woods.  We might end the year with 4 colonies but only Myrina has enough bees to make honey.  We'll see.

Meanwhile there's new contacts to make both at the club & online.  I have so much to learn and do before next winter.  All of it will be posted here as it happens.

Our appreciation goes to many for the support we have received.  The great information, good conversations, or even moral support offered by many of you.

Thank you.

New Colony Coming Soon

Next week I'll order a package of bees through the Piedmont Beekeepers Association who is presenting the Beginners class. They will come from Georgia with a marked queen. Delivery date is currently near the end of April.

This will be the first time I start a hive with a package. When I got my first 2 hives they were already established (unknown how many years old) and filled with wax, brood, pollen, & nectar (and nosema, varroa, & waxmoth in Mary). So I've never seen a colony start from the beginning. The best part is all the new wooden ware. With Mary & Myrina I had to start replacing parts piece-meal from day One. Neither of them has ever had all new parts.

Things I must do first:

1. Build & paint all wooden ware
2. Select hive location & build stand
3. Add Chronolog to Blog
4. Read up on installing packages
   
5. Pray it won't be raining when they show up.

The Hives

I have two of them & find it necessary to give them names. Hive one is named Marry after Mary I of England. Notice the profound lack of activity?


Hive two is named Myrina after Myrina Queen of the Amazons. Those guards are just waiting to nail something.


I got them from an old farmer who was heading into assisted living. He originally had ten hives. I bought the last two. He had a hard time keeping up with them over the past few years as his health failed. It was mentioned that no honey had been harvested in years. So they were established, but needing much in maintenance.

They initially only consisted of one hive body & two small supers each. All very old. Myrina got two new hive bodies, a new bottom board, excluder, & a new honey super. Leaving one old super on top.

Mary only got one new hive body, inner cover, & excluder. Which left two old supers on top. Next year the rest of her hive will be updated as well.

It is important to note that Beekeeping is new to me. My wife told me about the hives for sale and I said sure lets be beekeepers. The tale of moving events & the first inspection can be found HERE.

Mary is passive & never seems to produce enough brood. Myrina, however is very aggressive. I must put on the gloves just to change out the entrance feeder. She is healthy and good at making brood. Both are good for making honey.

My Bee Log

I am terrible at maintaining a note book log. So I plan to make all my notes here. I have two hives and inspect about one a week. Plus there's all those lessons one gets from keeping bees too.