#tbt Butterflies

#tbt circa summer 2005.  The year we hatched hundreds of monarchs from a large hanging plant on our front porch.

To Swarm or Not To Swarm..

The long weekend brought about tons of busy farm activities, but most exciting were the bees.  We had two hives survive our frigid winter and though both are strong, one in particular is massive.  B has done a ton of research and as a result our beekeeping friend has been working this winter on a Perone hive for us.  We were concerned about the hive swarming and have been waiting anxiously for the new one to be done so that we could try to transition this particular hive into the new larger system.  Though we were hosting our Tastebuds dinner club on Memorial Day, when B got the call that the hive was done, he raced out to get it (a 3 hour round trip).  Timing is everything as they say and when I moseyed out to the garden to pick some rhubarb for a simple syrup the air was alive with a hummmmm.

When I looked over I panicked.  It appeared that the hive was getting ready to swarm.  Darn it!  The bees went from covering the hive for about 15 minutes to bearding at the bottom.  The humming decreased  and then several minutes later the beard had reduced by 2/3.  I did not hear the airplane like sound of a swarm leaving, but I felt it looked suspect.  While with our friend, they engaged the help of another beekeeper, the gentlemen whom we occasionally purchase queens from.  He settled our fears some as there can be a number of reasons for the sight that I saw.

~  Our day was turning out to be our warmest of the season, and incredibly humid.  It is not unusual for bees, in high humidity, to exit the damp hive and air out, then return in.

~  We know that the brood chamber was overflowing.  This sudden appearance, then disappearance of bees can be a result of a large simultaneous hatch.

~  There could have been two vigorous queens and we had a small swarm with one of them.

When B returned home with the new hive, he immediately suited up and added the new larger hive below our Warre boxes.  Within hours the hive was calm and back to business as usual.

We do not for certain know what happened, but based on visual appearance we lost only a small swarm, if we lost one at all.   What a way to get the adrenaline going just before Tastebuds!

#tbt Twenty Years Ago

Circa May 1994 a couple of kids graduated from college.  One with her Bachelors Degree and the other with his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.  Feels like yesterday.

*I realized that I was not posting my #tbt pictures here, and am going to start for the benefit of those friends and family not on facebook ;-)

Pollinator

Our week is looking springlike.  Increasing to seasonal temperatures, a storm here and there, we are heading into Memorial Day weekend with a much needed taste of summer.  Our bees are robust so far this season, one of our hives may need to be split sooner than later.  Interestingly,  the sheer numbers of bumble bees around seems much increased over previous years.  Maybe it is because of the harsh winter, or maybe they have just decided to make our abode their home and help us with the work of the garden.  Love our built in pollinators.

Getting it All Done

This was truly a weekend of getting it all done.  Early Saturday B was able to take in a round of golf with friends while I went to yoga, and then we were off to soccer.  Once home we spent the afternoon, early evening and most of Sunday, except for soccer game time, working on farm projects.

The early season beds are doing beautifully.  Spring onions, radishes, kale, bok choi, kohlrabi, spinach and asparagus are all in various stages of growth, soon to be in our first farm bags.  We are able to eat fresh thinnings with our meals.  The lettuces, chickpeas, peas, beets, carrots, flower sprouts and chard are all poking their heads through loving the sunshine.  The rhubarb appears to be abundant and I made an amazing rhubarb upside-down cake last night... and well, uh, am eating some for breakfast too!

The tomatoes, eggplant, leeks & more onions are in the basement grow room, looking robust and ready to be transplanted this week!

The ducklings had their first venture outside and loved the grass.  I can't wait to hear when their voices begin to change from cheeps to quacks.  With this new experience, they are so different from chickens already, and are 3 times the size of the chicks that we got at the same time.

We painted the re-worked chicken tractor and it is almost ready to be the night-time haven for our free-range meat birds.

We also cooked out and had our first meal of the season on the porch.  Not too shabby.  How was your weekend?