As you can see it was one gloomy day today. Here's a shot of about half the yearling flock out in the Winter pasture. The Son and I were up before dawn again ready for the last trip to move bee hives.
No there weren't any incidents this morning. It was damned cold and the bees weren't even interested in peeking out to see what all the banging was about.
We moved seven hives in four days this week for a total of nine hives altogether with two having been moved last week. Three hives were set in other locations but my six oldest hives (minus the very oldest which is up by the garden) are now safely tucked away from prying eyes and well sheltered from the West and North winds. Those Cedars will eliminate the need for a windbreak I usually put up for them. All Hives have top entrances now too so any deep snows won't require me to make a special trip to clear the entrance holes either.
The bee hive moving contraption worked really well and by this morning's move we had a system down that allowed us to get the hive hooked up and moved in about 20 minutes. I put the parts together and left the straps with it so they don't get used for something else and possibly lost. The entire thing is now hanging in the bee barn storage shed in case I ever need it again. Which I am sure to at some point I imagine.
A load of gravel mysteriously turned up in the yard this morning while I was down in the back of the pasture taking pictures and by the time I walked back up to the house the neighbor was already out with his bobcat spreading it around. This is one of those times having good neighbors and living in a community really shows it's true value. This gentleman worked on this for about 2 hours and when my Mother pulled out a wad of cash and asked him what she owes him he said forty bucks. I told her to give him sixty and she did.
I really love living in a friendly close knit rural community.
As you can see at the top of that pic I am going to be fighting ruts again this Spring. I had an old hole that needed filling so the excess dirt was placed in the hole but that required a trip through my lovely yard with the bobcat. Oh well. The site is now leveled with about 4 inches of gravel with the silt mix that allows it to set up harder which is what the people my Mother purchased this cabin recommended. Apparently they are going to actually put the thing together so I am off the hook on that but I still get to finish the inside.... And work out ruts :)
Oh well at least I will have her here where I can keep an eye on her and get to add a new building to the place. Hell I might have to start calling this place "The Compound". Of course she picked the spot I wanted to put the chicken coop in but I can always find another.
Keep Prepping Everyone!!!
Soggy weather here, muddy so I am actually looking forward to frozen ground in order to haul wood. You are lucky to have neighbors like that, we have none like that within a useful distance, I only saw them when they wanted something which is pretty worthless. You could put your coop on an old axle and move it around to where you need the chickens.
ReplyDeleteSf - Well it helps that my Mother has never met a stranger. She is constantly stopping by and saying hello to about everyone here abouts. These people are above average in friendliness though themselves. They have a lot of land and have been here for generations. In fact I will more than likely be using them to bale my hay until I get the implements to do it myself now that I will be losing the ones we had been using.
DeleteThe wheeled coop is a good idea I been playing around with honestly. I might have to look into that more.
gloomy weather here too.. won sunny till be sunny till Sunday.. ( ironic I know)
ReplyDeleteJuGM - I don't think we are suppose to see the sun until next week either. Ironically the sky is clear after the sun goes down though.
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ReplyDeleteIt's been cool, and raining all day (more like a constant drizzle). Expecting heavier rain this evening. Hey if the pink foam protects the hives from the cold, who cares what they look like. I hope your hives make it totally through the winter.
Sandy - I know but I would like em to look good when I take pics. Yes I am keeping my fingers crossed. They are saying back up into the 60's next weekend so maybe I can get some emergency sugar feed put on the hives then.
DeleteWe've got the same kind of neighbours. They take deliveries and the other day he even turned up with some wood, saying he had enough and it was from a job - did I want it! I let them have access through my fields and keys to the gates, that went along way to building initial relationships and in payment he tops my orchard and keeps an eye on the place when we're away.
ReplyDeleteKev - The people around here are all pretty easy to get along with. My immediate neighbors that block me in on two sides were kinda difficult a few times when they built a house for the matriarch right up against my fence a couple years back though. Ina grid down situation I have no doubt we would all help each other however. We doa good job of keeping an eye out on each other's places and the like.
DeleteA friend of mine started bee keeping last year and this year has doubled his hives (from one to two!) I find myself fascinated by the intricacies of the hives and the life cycles of the bees....the honey is also exceptional.
ReplyDeleteJohn - Bee Keeping is addicting to say the least. Trying to turn it from a hobby into a small business seems to be really hard though. There is some magical number I haven't quite figured out yet to keep up with demand without breaking the bank. My problem here is Winter losses. I should have double the hives I have now but that 2012 to 2013 Drought and Winter reduced my hives all the way back down to three. It was terrible.
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