The Insanity of Beekeeping

 

It’s probably in the top ten most insane jobs in agriculture. Up there with raising bulls for bull fighting or rodeos. Why put on a bee suit and go play with bees? Why do it? The crazy bees regularly find a way to sting you through your gloves and buzz in your ears? Are all bee keepers crazy? Yes they are, and most us of all love we do! Talk to any beekeeper he will have a great bee story; just like a fisherman has a great fish tale.  There is something about opening up a beehive that nurtures one primeval soul.  It satisfies ones thirst to become one with natures call. The humming of bees as they dance and buzz around your ears, and you marvel at their magnificent art displayed in wax.  Then there is the art of beekeeping.  There is an intricate complexity to it  that even intrigues a local Physicist, and it keeps him happy.  You are insane when you are a beekeeper, and very happy.

via Why Beecome a Beekeeper? — SIMI VALLEY BEES

Bees Matter

I keep on running into the slogan, “save the bees.”  I tried for three hours to protect my supers stacked in my bee yard from a bunch of robber bees who were after some moldy honey and moldy pollen in some frames we had.  They were angry, and I should of left them alone.  Instead I removed hazardous mold and honey from the frames, and I trashed most of it. The bees were dive bombing me.  They chased me around.  I ran away from them several times.  It took me about three hours.  I was in the mood after that to not save these bees.  They were not so nice to me.  In fact I was very scared for my safety, but I continued on as crazy and out of control the situation was.  The bees needed to leave my back yard now!  To make matters worse Matt was not answering the phone to tell me what to do. He’s the head bee keeper I’m just the assistant.  I was afraid for them messing around the yard, and disturbing my  pregnant tenant, who might be not so happy to have bees around her apartment.  I was scared for my neighbor who is very allergic to bees.  So I tried to seal up the boxes and remove the obvious “bait” the yucky moldy frames.  I knew they would eventually leave once everything was sealed up, and their food source was removed, but oh boy did I suffer their wrath!  They were not happy with me.

I learned a great life lesson given to me by the bees yesterday.  How about a new slogan: “Save the bees a lot of grief!”   Leave them alone when they are riled up, and do what what Matt did.  He just went and bought some big plastic bags and covered up the offending frames at night When the crazy bees (Africanized hybrid swarm) were not around.  So lets apply this to life.  When crazy people are around you leave them alone.  “Wide circle them” as Matt would say.  Then if they do need to be apprehended put them in jail or some safe place where they can’t bother you.  The “nice big black plastic bag” approach works for me.  I hate drama.  I don’t like people that make drama, and I don’t know why I created all that bee drama for myself yesterday.  Lesson learned the hard way, but lesson definitely learned.

Bees Don’t Follow The Rules

Last night I tried to get the bees to follow one simple rule:  Stay off my bee suit.   I did everything in my power to get them to listen to me and stay off my bee suit while I sat in the dirt (literally it was the only way to do it), and I taped up these little boxes so the queens were going to be blocked for a while from coming out of there sugar cube.  Matt got a little particular, which was difficult because he expected me to make the tape have “wings” on them.  The only problem was I was telling the bees to stay off of me, and shooing them off of me with me glove.  The were furiously trying to climb onto me, and flying around me.  Then I was trying to use duct tape with my gloves, a tremendously difficult feat because you don’t have you finger nails to get the ends up to rip the duct tape and get it going.  However,  I did manage to get all seventeen little queen boxes some with cute little annoying flaps done; just like Matt told me, and some of the bee cooperated with my “rules” and stopped crawling on me like I told them.   We then proceeded to clean up all of the equipment and wearily head for home.  We had been at this since about 3:00 p.m., and it was about 11:00 p.m..  It was dark in the nursery, and when I was trying to get rid of all the bad bees who refused to  listen to my rules; I about killed myself as I ran around in the dark with a single flashlight in a zig pattern around the avocado tree.   I about broke a leg when I fell in a hole.  Fortunately, I caught myself from falling.  Bees have a hard time following you around obstacles, and so if you ever want to see a funny sight watch Matt and I run around the orchards trying to get rid of pesky bees!   I got back to the truck after I got everything cleaned up, and I sat in the passenger side of the truck in the dark, and I watched a single light dart around at the end of the long road in the nursery.  It was my husband, Matt doing final feedings for his bees so we wouldn’t have to go back on Monday.  We had sealed up every single hive, and he was putting a sugar patty in each hive so they wouldn’t starve.

Requeening hives in one day is not really an ideal plan.   Matt explained it to me on the way home that you are supposed to do it in a two day process using the queen excluder, a wire frame that keeps the queen from coming up into a higher box.  You put a box with a bunch of frames with brood frames or baby bees in it, and the other bees will come attend to them.  this usually takes a day or so, and you don’t do it in one day.   Matt did a shake and dump method where he took the bees off the frame, and he dumped them into the new hive.  This made the bees mad, and Matt got stung about 100 times.

Then I was really tired of sitting in my dirty, stinky bee suit.  I reached up and started to unzip my suit. when I got to the back of my neck I felt the wonderful sensation of being stung.  I was upset that I didn’t wait for Matt to inspect my suit for bees.  Note to self.  Don’t do this one again.  Bees don’t follow your rules Linda.  They crawled all over you.  When Matt got back and inspected my suit he found about five more bees on me.  So while I sat in the truck all relaxed I had about five bees crawling on me.  I was so tired I didn’t even notice.  It gives me the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.   Matt didn’t suffer any after effects from all of his bee stings.  He was stung a lot from ants when he was a kid.  He’s an ideal candidate to be a bee keeper.  My hand is all swollen up.  I made sure I moaned and whined about it a lot.  He said most of his bee stings were in his hand, and “it’s tender.”   I love Benadryl!  It’s my best friend . 🙂

The Trouble With Pop Ups

This summer I decided I would venture into the Farmers Market scene.  We became certified with the Ventura County Agriculture Commissioner, and I was very excited to order a pop up tent so we could apply to the Ventura County Farmer’s Markets.  In order to apply you have to 1. Be certified by the Ag Commissioner. 2. Have a photo with a pop up tent, which would include our  honey display inside the tent.   Step 1 completed (Ag Commissioner), Step 2 get a pop up tent.   You  would think  that should be easy.  Well in my twisted ADD world this was not easy, and it still has not been accomplished.   Why not?  First I ordered pop up tent came with a black top and white walls.  I was going to return it, and had every intention to do so, but now it’s lost.  Oops.  Now I am waiting for Amazon to charge me for it.  Then, the second pop tent up I ordered was blue.  I thought it would be easier to keep clean.  I did not realized the pop ups had to be white until I read the rules of another Farmer’s Market Association.  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  I had to absorb the cost of it from my allowance.  We had fun taking it to the beach until one of the pipes bent in the wind.  Ouch! That hurt me financially.   Then finally I ordered another really cheap popup tent.  It came with no pop up capabilities.  It was more like an assortment of pipes you had to fit together.  Then the nail on it’s coffin was well it had no tent for it’s cover on top.  I did manage to send it back.

We thankfully have now a strategy to sell our honey to a local gas station and to the Royal High School’s Advanced choir.  Plus now I am selling it every Saturday.  I made a cute poster (that looks like a 7th grader did it) and put it on a beat up  chair that I painted white.  Plus I put out stuffed animals for the neighborhood kids to take.  So far I have one neighbor who wants honey from me!  Yes!  Plus my good friend, Deborah  who runs the Simi Valley Honey group came to so me.  That made me feel really great, and my best friend Debbie came to visit me.  She bought honey from me.  So the neighborhood weekly honey sale is a fun thing so far.  Much better than an annoying farmer’s market pop up tent that I have to put up myself.  So I think I am in it to win it (as the saying goes)  I am a home body any ways.  If the forces of the universe are trying to tell me that farmers markets are not going to work–maybe I should listen.  What do you think?

Tips on how to Make an Amazing Aroma Therapy Candle With Bees Wax

For all of you who may be wondering if we are venturing into the “uncertified area” or maybe the more unregulated side of beekeeping, well guess what?  I am fascinated, obsessed, “into,” learning about, and trying very, very, hard to make candles.  I won’t discuss the wax accident that fell onto the floor today.  My excuse is that  I had a migraine.  However after watching extensive videos on you tube it has come to my mind that is very easy to make wonderful aroma therapy candles.  Then the next thought after that has been, “Why have I been paying so much for them all these years when I could of been making them myself?

First, watch some videos on how to make beeswax candles.  They are all on You Tube.  Then go buy a used crock pot.  Don’t make candles in any pots or crock pots you own. You will get wax all over them, and then they are done.  Never to be the same again because wax is extremely hard to get off once it is on surfaces (like my floor 😦 ).    Next, buy your supplies.  I look for wax on ebay.  I like the seller at this link.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Pounds-Pure-Beeswax-Yellow-Bees-Wax-Chemical-free-/121143171865?epid=1071010402&hash=item1c34b21b19:g:f7kAAOxydB1Sko7s

I get really good quality bees wax, and it’s about $6.28 a pound (a real deal), although you still have to pay for shipping ($7.39).  One time I ordered beeswax from a five star seller of wax from Amazon, and the wax came smelling like cigarette smoke.  I had to throw it away.  Amazon refunded my money.  Most beeswax is a lot more expensive.  If you find it cheaper let me know.  Matt and I don’t make enough bees wax right now.  Plus a lot of it “accidently” falls on the ground when we are working.  I have to rescue it.  I have a liter bottle with wax, unfiltered.  That’s not enough for my side business.  If you have followed my directions you have ordered  your wax, and you have your crock pot.  Now you need to get your wicks and your essential oil.  Order your wicks from Amazon or EBay.  They are super cheap.  I like the longer wicks because they give you more flexibility.  Order the ones with the little tin cans on the bottom so you don’t have to make them your self, unless you  want to spend time tying knots and threading the wick through the little chimney at the bottom.  I don’t know to me it’s a waste of time.  Life is short, and I would rather spend time with my husband or my kids.  When you get your essential oils make sure they are “therapeutic grade.”  I buy them from Amazon.  Don’t buy the sample sets.  They are only 5ml.  That won’t last long.  Buy at least the 10 ml sets.  They are all reasonably price.   Make sure once you get your essential oils that you keep your oils in a dark place so they will last longer.  Look up recipes online for good combinations.  I have listed the combinations for my candles in my shop at my Simi Valley Facebook Shop

https://www.facebook.com/pg/mattndasimivalleybees/shop/?ref=page_internal

Second, follow the steps that are listed on the YouTube Videos when you are making your candle.   I melt my wax for the candles with the lids on the crock pot with a double boiler.  The water is about 1/2 way up the container.  I use a glass measuring container, with a handle that has the ounces  on it to melt my wax.  This is essential to me because it has a handle on it, because once I lift my wax out I have something to grab onto with my hot pads.   If you use a lid on your crock pot, then wipe the lids a lot to make sure the water doesn’t condense on it.  Wax and water don’t mix.   I make sure the crock pot is never, never on high!!! That would be a great way to burn the house down.  Wax is extremely flammable.  So don’t mess around with wax.  Always keep the temperature low.  I put 100 drops of essential oil directly into 8 ounces of wax.  That way the candle will smell good.  Use stronger smelling essential oils for wax like mint, eucalyptus, lemon grass, citrus, etc..  Wax does not release the smell of essential oils easily.

Last, enjoy your candle.  I love the smell of a finished candle and how my home smells when I am making the candles.  That is why I am so “into” making them I suppose.  I feel the joy of doing something creative with my time.   However, I need to not to spill it onto my floor any more.  That was bad

P.S. Add some commercial fragrance to your essential oil candle because the smell usually will not last on these candles.