Spring is in the air

Today is March 1st, 2013 and I just finished painting a new beehive.  It'll be my second hive that I hope to populate with bees from last year...and not need to buy any bees at all this year.

I have been told that beehives should be painted light colors and my last one was white.  But I know a beekeeper who has his painted black and he seemed to be doing very well with his bees so I decided to not paint mine white this time.  I painted it dark blue, the same color as my exterior doors to the house and shed. I like this hive because it has a gabled top cover with copper so it'll look pretty as well as be functional for the bees.  I'll let you all know how the color works out.  I bet it's ok but we'll see. So here's the hive, missing the bottom board (where bees enter and leave). I have since added that, nicely painted blue as well.

New hive for 2013

Yesterday was in the 40's so I decided to go check on the bees even though none were outside.  I guess it needs to be in the 50's before they venture out.

But I had done a foolish thing a few weeks ago when I added more fondant to the hive.  I had put the fondant onto a paper plate but turned the plate over, thinking the bees would get to it easier.  However, the fondant melted down into the hive over the frames.  I see it killed a few bees that got caught in the melting fondant.  I was very worried I had killed all the bees by this because I hadn't seen any outside since.  Or course, it's been cold so that's the real reason I hadn't seen them out.  So I looked deep into the hive and heard buzzing and saw bees down there so I have not killed them.

In another month they'll be out flying with warmer days to come.  I can't wait for spring to arrive.  I have some plans for more pathways, using up my wood chips.  And I want to finish cleaning out the area I started in the fall where eventually I want to plant a cut flower garden.  I also want to till up some ground down near the lower pond. There I will plant native plantings that the bees will love.

I am also thinking of lining that lower pond too.  But it will also need a pump to keep the water circulating. But it would be very pretty to have that pond as part of the landscape. I'll think more about this.  When it rains, that pond fills up and looks so pretty.  I would then need to bring in a lot of stone to trim around it or use all the rock walls around my property, which I'd rather leave alone.  So I'd buy stone and then use it to trim the pond.

Winter thoughts bring spring work! 

I've begun selling beeswax skep candles!  It's a fun wintertime hobby and I made enough to sell a few on Ebay. I also made come hand-dipped tapers from beeswax which I'm selling. Especially the skep candles burn for a long time and have such a nice scent.

No, the beeswax isn't all my own.  I bought some as well. But some of it came from my hive.