The garden is coming out of winter's grip. There is a fresh green of the leaf break on the Raspberry canes and the Blackcurrant bushes. The Apples and Pears are a bit slower. The willow screening is flushing despite my savaging during the winter. The tree we took out has opened a lot of light into the garden and with it has come the birds. The open space has encouraged the usual candidates, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Pigeon, Wren and Robin but we are also seeing Thrush, Blackbird, Starlings, Gold Finch, Bullfinch and very concessionally Long Tailed Tits. A fairly regular sight is the Sparrow Hawk flashing across the hedges. The pigeon is the usual menu item - plump and slow.
I am back in the pond quandary. It needs cleaning and maintenance but all kinds of miniature wild life over winter in the pond, then the Frogs, Toads and Newt get busy in the spring, then the Iris flowers. When do I get savage back the Iris without damaging everything else? It is a puzzle. No such dilemma with the Ivy. It going rampant again so time for Man versus Ivy. It will be back in flower for the bees in the late autumn.
Jobs to do .... sow some flower seeds in the greenhouse. But first shift all the beekeeping equipment out of the way.
Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bees. Show all posts
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Saturday, August 03, 2013
A reasonable trade off
The plants seem to be making up for lost time from the late spring. The fruit bushes in the back garden are bent low with fruit. It is hard to get tired of eating Raspberry and Blackcurrants straight off the bush. The Apples seem to be getting bigger as you look at them.
I am happy to report that honey bees are still around. I left some wet comb [honey comb with a some honey left on it] in the wax extractor in the greenhouse. I though the combination of the extractor inside the greenhouse might render the wax for me. No such luck. However the the bees have found it. The other day there must have been fifty honey bees and a dozen of more bumblebees in there robbing the honey. They had to pay the price by bumping off the greenhouse glass roof until they found their way out.
All the doors and windows in the house are open so we can enjoy the beautiful weather. We get more unexpected visitors. The garage has been adopted by two very big and very active common Toads. There are a few Toads in the garden and H keeps bumping into them as she harvests the fruit bushes. The dining room has a new fixture, although I think it will only be a temporary arrangement, A Magpie Moth is spending the day with us. The picture below does not do it justice. Click HERE for some proper information on the Magpie moth. Having read up on the moth I find the caterpillars of this moth like Currant and Hawthorn plants as hosts. We have both in the garden. A few leaves for a pretty visitor seems like a reasonable trade off.
I am happy to report that honey bees are still around. I left some wet comb [honey comb with a some honey left on it] in the wax extractor in the greenhouse. I though the combination of the extractor inside the greenhouse might render the wax for me. No such luck. However the the bees have found it. The other day there must have been fifty honey bees and a dozen of more bumblebees in there robbing the honey. They had to pay the price by bumping off the greenhouse glass roof until they found their way out.
All the doors and windows in the house are open so we can enjoy the beautiful weather. We get more unexpected visitors. The garage has been adopted by two very big and very active common Toads. There are a few Toads in the garden and H keeps bumping into them as she harvests the fruit bushes. The dining room has a new fixture, although I think it will only be a temporary arrangement, A Magpie Moth is spending the day with us. The picture below does not do it justice. Click HERE for some proper information on the Magpie moth. Having read up on the moth I find the caterpillars of this moth like Currant and Hawthorn plants as hosts. We have both in the garden. A few leaves for a pretty visitor seems like a reasonable trade off.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Sweating in the Full Afternoon Sun
I am a little delayed in this report. Last weekend I had to do the trailer run but got delayed by find a swarm in the hedge by the apiary. Given this year's clock seem to be four weeks delayed we are really in June. A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon as the saying goes. I bagged the swarm but it left me which little time for the lottie.
The trailer was unloaded, hot muck on a hot day is not a lot of fun. It took a walk round the plot after cleaning out the trailer. The poppies have come into bloom and they are a vile shade of violet, showy and violet. I could live with them in almost any other colour. I was short of time but they have been designated as a weed and their days are numbered. The spuds are doing well. A watering would not go amiss. The area of concern was the top end of Bed1, The weedlings are getting going. I seem to have a flurry of Fat Hen. It is a really nice plant but it is no good to me. I also have the ubiquitous Creeping Thistle. The soil is quite dry so hoeing was quite easy. I just had to be careful round the Sweet Corn. Twenty minutes of sweating in the full afternoon sun sorted the area. No wonder I am loosing weight! The Peas are doing nicely so I loosened the fleece to allow the peas to push the fleece up. Lastly was an inspection of the vines. They are romping off now. I have the little flowers they will be grapes but I fear it is all happening a bit late. Any brave enough to forecast an Indian summer to allow the grapes to ripen?
The trailer was unloaded, hot muck on a hot day is not a lot of fun. It took a walk round the plot after cleaning out the trailer. The poppies have come into bloom and they are a vile shade of violet, showy and violet. I could live with them in almost any other colour. I was short of time but they have been designated as a weed and their days are numbered. The spuds are doing well. A watering would not go amiss. The area of concern was the top end of Bed1, The weedlings are getting going. I seem to have a flurry of Fat Hen. It is a really nice plant but it is no good to me. I also have the ubiquitous Creeping Thistle. The soil is quite dry so hoeing was quite easy. I just had to be careful round the Sweet Corn. Twenty minutes of sweating in the full afternoon sun sorted the area. No wonder I am loosing weight! The Peas are doing nicely so I loosened the fleece to allow the peas to push the fleece up. Lastly was an inspection of the vines. They are romping off now. I have the little flowers they will be grapes but I fear it is all happening a bit late. Any brave enough to forecast an Indian summer to allow the grapes to ripen?
Monday, July 01, 2013
It is only a weed if it is in the wrong place
I went to the lottie having missed a weekend due to Miss L's 21st birthday party; Saturday was preparing for the do and having the do and Sunday, well not quite sure where that went. My excuse was that it had been raining and the ground would be soaked. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it. This weekend the weathermen said Sunday would be the warmest day [click HERE for my post from the my bee blog on weather forecasting] so I figured lottie then bees. I knew the plot had to be weedy but I was in for a shock....again.
The Asparagus bed which was tilled black earth a fortnight ago was covered with a foot tall blanket of weeds. The Onion were struggling to keep their heads above the weeds in Bed4. The few Dock that I did not get out of Bed2 were four feet tall and starting to set seed. heat and rain. It is amasing how fast weeds will grow. I started on the Asparagus bed just riping handfuls of hick weed out. I had though I might take some home as a salad crop but I was too intent on clearing the bed. I had a nice crop of Sow Thistle as well. They pull out easily. However I did have some really nice self seeded Poppys growing and some Borage. I left those plants. It is only a weed if it is in the wrong place! I got the three pronged cultivator out and grubbed around the bed dislodging the remaining weeds. I threw the weeds on the pile of weeds that has been sitting on the patio for a few months. Next the Onion bed got the cultivator treatment. I had to a lot more careful here so as not to grub up the Onions. Twenty minutes later I had another big armful of weeds for the pile. This time mainly Grounsel, Herb Robert, a couple of Sow Thistle with String Nettle creeping in.
I had stop for a rest in the shade of Degsy. The sun was hot and bright so I picked the wrong day for heavy manual labour. Whilst resting I was looking at the patio and the almost empty big compost bin. I was going to repair the side of the bin before filling it but I have not scrounged the materials for the repair. I decide not to do the repair, levelled out the little bit of maure that was left in the bin, then shovelled in the plie of weeds that had been on the patio. Even a heap it is surprising how much the wedds rotted down. Near the bottom fo the pile was moist loamy soil full of worms. In the clean up the pile ended up inverted in to the bin. That we getting rotting down. Hot and sweaty and not a little dizzy I had another sit down and pondered what to do next.
I was denying the inevitable. Those big docks needed tackling. Wheelbarrow and spade were parked by the dock whilst I figured out just needed doing. For some reason the Dock finished in a line across the plot. I figured a needed to dig about about four foot of the bed to clear the Dock. The remainder of the bed was a mixture of grass and nettle which I had strimmed a fortnight earlier. I set about the weeds in the now time honoured manner. The Docks came out with a reasonable amount of force. The soil was nice a damp so yielded to the spade and the tugging at the weeds. An hour of toiling in the sun had the four foot of the bed cleared. I raked over the bed pulling in the hump of soil left over from the last diggiing/weeding session. As long as you don't look behind you the bed looks great. The Potatoes in the bed are up and growing nicely. If I am quick there might be time for a new sowing of seed potatoes to grow and mature.
The vines have staged a come back. One has succumbed to the winter and is stone dead. Another has lost one side of its spread. I might be able to train a new leader a long those wires. The vines seem intent in making up for lost time. The leaves have yet yet fully flushing and there is already clusters of buds that will be grapes. So come on hot weather. The grapes have 10/12 weeks to do there stuff if I am to get a crop of Grapes. The weeds how have a new home in the big compost bins. I will have to find some heavy duty black plastic to cover the weeds. It is a great covering because it excludes the light, keeps inthe moisture and heats up under the sun. The weeds don't stand a chance. Some of the weeds with tap rootstry to make a bid to grow but the lack of light and hot temperature soon exhausts their power and cooks them down. I have the view there is no sense wasting the soil's goodness that has gone into the weeds. It takes a very hardy weed to survive a compost heap baked in the sun.
The peas in bed1 are doing fine under the fleece. I will have to arange something for them to go up very soon. I packed up degsy and was very satified atteh turn round inthe plot. You can see the far end of the plot for the first time this year.
Next job planting spuds and beans and the return of the bees.
Extreme right Gooseberry in the foreground with Comfry behind. Middlish and to the fore Borage and Poppy with Rhubarb behind. On the right fence you can make out the vines. Under the fleece is the peas. About four post a long you can make ou the spuds. Best not talk about the right side of the plot but the onions are in the bed behind the Rhubarb......honest.
The Asparagus bed which was tilled black earth a fortnight ago was covered with a foot tall blanket of weeds. The Onion were struggling to keep their heads above the weeds in Bed4. The few Dock that I did not get out of Bed2 were four feet tall and starting to set seed. heat and rain. It is amasing how fast weeds will grow. I started on the Asparagus bed just riping handfuls of hick weed out. I had though I might take some home as a salad crop but I was too intent on clearing the bed. I had a nice crop of Sow Thistle as well. They pull out easily. However I did have some really nice self seeded Poppys growing and some Borage. I left those plants. It is only a weed if it is in the wrong place! I got the three pronged cultivator out and grubbed around the bed dislodging the remaining weeds. I threw the weeds on the pile of weeds that has been sitting on the patio for a few months. Next the Onion bed got the cultivator treatment. I had to a lot more careful here so as not to grub up the Onions. Twenty minutes later I had another big armful of weeds for the pile. This time mainly Grounsel, Herb Robert, a couple of Sow Thistle with String Nettle creeping in.
I had stop for a rest in the shade of Degsy. The sun was hot and bright so I picked the wrong day for heavy manual labour. Whilst resting I was looking at the patio and the almost empty big compost bin. I was going to repair the side of the bin before filling it but I have not scrounged the materials for the repair. I decide not to do the repair, levelled out the little bit of maure that was left in the bin, then shovelled in the plie of weeds that had been on the patio. Even a heap it is surprising how much the wedds rotted down. Near the bottom fo the pile was moist loamy soil full of worms. In the clean up the pile ended up inverted in to the bin. That we getting rotting down. Hot and sweaty and not a little dizzy I had another sit down and pondered what to do next.
I was denying the inevitable. Those big docks needed tackling. Wheelbarrow and spade were parked by the dock whilst I figured out just needed doing. For some reason the Dock finished in a line across the plot. I figured a needed to dig about about four foot of the bed to clear the Dock. The remainder of the bed was a mixture of grass and nettle which I had strimmed a fortnight earlier. I set about the weeds in the now time honoured manner. The Docks came out with a reasonable amount of force. The soil was nice a damp so yielded to the spade and the tugging at the weeds. An hour of toiling in the sun had the four foot of the bed cleared. I raked over the bed pulling in the hump of soil left over from the last diggiing/weeding session. As long as you don't look behind you the bed looks great. The Potatoes in the bed are up and growing nicely. If I am quick there might be time for a new sowing of seed potatoes to grow and mature.
The vines have staged a come back. One has succumbed to the winter and is stone dead. Another has lost one side of its spread. I might be able to train a new leader a long those wires. The vines seem intent in making up for lost time. The leaves have yet yet fully flushing and there is already clusters of buds that will be grapes. So come on hot weather. The grapes have 10/12 weeks to do there stuff if I am to get a crop of Grapes. The weeds how have a new home in the big compost bins. I will have to find some heavy duty black plastic to cover the weeds. It is a great covering because it excludes the light, keeps inthe moisture and heats up under the sun. The weeds don't stand a chance. Some of the weeds with tap rootstry to make a bid to grow but the lack of light and hot temperature soon exhausts their power and cooks them down. I have the view there is no sense wasting the soil's goodness that has gone into the weeds. It takes a very hardy weed to survive a compost heap baked in the sun.
The peas in bed1 are doing fine under the fleece. I will have to arange something for them to go up very soon. I packed up degsy and was very satified atteh turn round inthe plot. You can see the far end of the plot for the first time this year.
Next job planting spuds and beans and the return of the bees.
Extreme right Gooseberry in the foreground with Comfry behind. Middlish and to the fore Borage and Poppy with Rhubarb behind. On the right fence you can make out the vines. Under the fleece is the peas. About four post a long you can make ou the spuds. Best not talk about the right side of the plot but the onions are in the bed behind the Rhubarb......honest.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Mead for Christmas
Tricky day today. the weather is very changeable so how do I fit in allotmenting, Trailer and beekeeping. One decision is dead easy. No beekeeping today since the showers that cross the county are driven by thestrong cold wind. The bees will not appreciate being opened up today and I don't fancy being stung.
The peas I sowed two weeks ago are through. The trouble the pigeons treat them as a tasty morsel and have pecked at them. However there are so many of them the pigeons have not scoffed the whole crop. I was alarmed to find another lot of volunteer potatoes have come up across the pea patch. The weather this past week or two has really suited the weeds. They are massive. I had guessed the weeds would be thriving and the that pigeons would get at the peas so I went to the lottie with a plan.
Years ago a friend of mine gave a strimmer powered by a two stroke engine. I don't use it much but I figure I was going to need help to combat these weeds. The strimmer has a nifty trick. The shaft from the engine to the cutting head breaks in two. In means it will go in Degsy. I found the fuel can of pre-mixed petrol/oil an put the goodies in Degsy. I was got going to stay long so no need for comestibles. When I got to the lottie I parked up the trailer, put the strimmer together and fuelled it up. Just like someone looming over you as you are working the sky grew dark and in thirty seconds rain was peltting down from the sky. I had just enough time to get the engine end of the strimmer and myself into the Degsy. The squall lasted ten minutee and as quickly as the squall began it was over but the ground and weeds were soaking. I got the strimmer out and in a few pulls on the starter cord the sweet smell of two stroke exhaust and the shriek of the motor filled the air. I managed to get through one of the beds before the strimmer cord needed extending. Just as I finished the bed the strimmer head spat out the lastt of the cutting cable. I did not have any with me so that strimming completed for the day.
I have had some rolls of chicken wire and a roll of fleece stowed by the side of the plot for ages.Both the chicken wire and fleece are a pain because they are long and unruly to handle. First I had to weed out the volunteer potatoes and other weeds that had shown themselves. I rolled out the chicken wire and made a long tunnel by pulling up the centre of the sheet up and forcing the outside edges into the soil. The chicken wire did not cover the whole plot. The fleece is wide enough to cover the piece of plot the chicken wire could not reach. Rolled out the fleece and as predicted the wind wanted to blow into the next county. I managed to cut it to length and secure it without too much wrestling. These measures should keep the pigeons off the peas untill they get going properly.
On the plus side the spuds I planted are just through and the vines have come into leaf. One of the vines succumbed to the winter so I will have to get a replacement. The onions are doing well. The Gooseberries are fattening up. Just as I finished tucking the fleece in another shower past over and dampened more than just my spirit. The trundled the empty trailer back to the stable via the petrol station.
When I got home I made lunch for the missus who is unwell. I had five jars of Honey I found in the shed when cleaning it out last week. The honey was fermenting in the jars. I think this was because I did not bottle the honey straight away after extracting it. In fact I did not jar it for several months. I think the natural yeasts in the atmoshere got at it whilst in storage and started their alchemy. I emptied the jars into a jug and added some hot water then stirred vigorously until it was a thin liquid. I poured the honey liquid into a waiting demi-john. I had to do to batches of stirring. When all the honey was in the demi-john and topped it up with warm water. I popped the airlock in and sat back. I will leave it a week or so to see if the natural yeast will start a proper fermentation. If not I will add some wine making yeast and with any kind of luck I will have Mead for Christmas.
The last job of the day was to load up the strimmer spool with cord in readiness for another go at the weeds.
The peas I sowed two weeks ago are through. The trouble the pigeons treat them as a tasty morsel and have pecked at them. However there are so many of them the pigeons have not scoffed the whole crop. I was alarmed to find another lot of volunteer potatoes have come up across the pea patch. The weather this past week or two has really suited the weeds. They are massive. I had guessed the weeds would be thriving and the that pigeons would get at the peas so I went to the lottie with a plan.
Years ago a friend of mine gave a strimmer powered by a two stroke engine. I don't use it much but I figure I was going to need help to combat these weeds. The strimmer has a nifty trick. The shaft from the engine to the cutting head breaks in two. In means it will go in Degsy. I found the fuel can of pre-mixed petrol/oil an put the goodies in Degsy. I was got going to stay long so no need for comestibles. When I got to the lottie I parked up the trailer, put the strimmer together and fuelled it up. Just like someone looming over you as you are working the sky grew dark and in thirty seconds rain was peltting down from the sky. I had just enough time to get the engine end of the strimmer and myself into the Degsy. The squall lasted ten minutee and as quickly as the squall began it was over but the ground and weeds were soaking. I got the strimmer out and in a few pulls on the starter cord the sweet smell of two stroke exhaust and the shriek of the motor filled the air. I managed to get through one of the beds before the strimmer cord needed extending. Just as I finished the bed the strimmer head spat out the lastt of the cutting cable. I did not have any with me so that strimming completed for the day.
I have had some rolls of chicken wire and a roll of fleece stowed by the side of the plot for ages.Both the chicken wire and fleece are a pain because they are long and unruly to handle. First I had to weed out the volunteer potatoes and other weeds that had shown themselves. I rolled out the chicken wire and made a long tunnel by pulling up the centre of the sheet up and forcing the outside edges into the soil. The chicken wire did not cover the whole plot. The fleece is wide enough to cover the piece of plot the chicken wire could not reach. Rolled out the fleece and as predicted the wind wanted to blow into the next county. I managed to cut it to length and secure it without too much wrestling. These measures should keep the pigeons off the peas untill they get going properly.
On the plus side the spuds I planted are just through and the vines have come into leaf. One of the vines succumbed to the winter so I will have to get a replacement. The onions are doing well. The Gooseberries are fattening up. Just as I finished tucking the fleece in another shower past over and dampened more than just my spirit. The trundled the empty trailer back to the stable via the petrol station.
When I got home I made lunch for the missus who is unwell. I had five jars of Honey I found in the shed when cleaning it out last week. The honey was fermenting in the jars. I think this was because I did not bottle the honey straight away after extracting it. In fact I did not jar it for several months. I think the natural yeasts in the atmoshere got at it whilst in storage and started their alchemy. I emptied the jars into a jug and added some hot water then stirred vigorously until it was a thin liquid. I poured the honey liquid into a waiting demi-john. I had to do to batches of stirring. When all the honey was in the demi-john and topped it up with warm water. I popped the airlock in and sat back. I will leave it a week or so to see if the natural yeast will start a proper fermentation. If not I will add some wine making yeast and with any kind of luck I will have Mead for Christmas.
The last job of the day was to load up the strimmer spool with cord in readiness for another go at the weeds.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Chats and trailers
I had a meeting arranged for Saturday morning but it fell through so I had a few hours free before needing to head off to a birthday party in Berkhamstead for an old friend. I made a call and arranged to do the trailer run. I had a chat with horse owners about the horses shedding their coats. The horses think summer is coming because they are shedding their winter coats. I should have picked a handful up for the bird table. The birds would use the hair for their nests.
The trailer was emptied into the boundary hedge again. A couple more loads and the boundary is done. Next a whizzed round to the plots and backed the trailer up the poo pile. I part filled the the trailer with lovely aged manure. That is going back to my house the go on the front garden. Then the ritual of filling the bird feeders and checking the bees. No good news on the bee front. Click HERE for the blog on the bee bother. I figured I did not have enough time for digging but I had time for planting however foolish that might turn out to be. The bottom of Bed 2 had been weeded and dig over a few weeks ago. The soil has settled a little. I marked out six rows about a foot [300mm] apart then dibbed a hole about every eight inches [200mm]. Into the hole went one Sturon Onion set. When all the holes were filled I lightly raked the bed and dowsed the are with a couple of watering cans worth of water. The areas was thoroughly soaked which is just all well since their has been no rain to speak of since the snows melted. The crops in the fields around the locale are looking very poorly. The price of Oil Seed Rape is likely to rise once the meagre harvest is weighed and what are my bees to forage upon if there is no OSR?
I had a chat with my lottie neighbour who had brought along his lad to help or was that hinder him in building his new raised beds. I left them too it and went home with the trailer part filled with very well aged manure. I got the trailer as close as I could to the front garden i.e.on the pavement and spread the muck out from the trailer. I few plant got a biffing with lumps of manure landing on them. Nothing broken luckily so once the manure was lifted off the plants they look like they will be no worse off for the accidental burying. The manure will act a mulch. The front garden is in full sun and is already looking parched. The surface of the soil is dust. Hopefully hundreds of worms that came with the manure will help the soil out by incorporating the manure for me.
The trailer was emptied into the boundary hedge again. A couple more loads and the boundary is done. Next a whizzed round to the plots and backed the trailer up the poo pile. I part filled the the trailer with lovely aged manure. That is going back to my house the go on the front garden. Then the ritual of filling the bird feeders and checking the bees. No good news on the bee front. Click HERE for the blog on the bee bother. I figured I did not have enough time for digging but I had time for planting however foolish that might turn out to be. The bottom of Bed 2 had been weeded and dig over a few weeks ago. The soil has settled a little. I marked out six rows about a foot [300mm] apart then dibbed a hole about every eight inches [200mm]. Into the hole went one Sturon Onion set. When all the holes were filled I lightly raked the bed and dowsed the are with a couple of watering cans worth of water. The areas was thoroughly soaked which is just all well since their has been no rain to speak of since the snows melted. The crops in the fields around the locale are looking very poorly. The price of Oil Seed Rape is likely to rise once the meagre harvest is weighed and what are my bees to forage upon if there is no OSR?
I had a chat with my lottie neighbour who had brought along his lad to help or was that hinder him in building his new raised beds. I left them too it and went home with the trailer part filled with very well aged manure. I got the trailer as close as I could to the front garden i.e.on the pavement and spread the muck out from the trailer. I few plant got a biffing with lumps of manure landing on them. Nothing broken luckily so once the manure was lifted off the plants they look like they will be no worse off for the accidental burying. The manure will act a mulch. The front garden is in full sun and is already looking parched. The surface of the soil is dust. Hopefully hundreds of worms that came with the manure will help the soil out by incorporating the manure for me.
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Pick up posts
I reported that I had planted loads of peas last week. This week I find there is no chance of them germinating as some varmint has scoffed the lot. The varmint has gone along the row and carefullt moved the manure out of the way to get at the peas. I knew there was a chance it might happen. Sad face.
I have started a new blog just for my beekeeping antics. There is a permanent link in the side bar of this blog. I have a facebook page for it too. Click HERE to take a look and why not "like" it whilst you are there or join as a follower?
Four Furrows
I was too busy to post last week but here is what I got up to at the lottie. I was supposed to have a good few hours free to do digging. When I got the lottie I found that the gateway to my plot had been blown down. We have had some very strong winds this last week.
This state of affairs put paid to whatever I thought I was going to do that day. In the foreground you can see some poles. These were the ones I replaced earlier in the year. And would be the solution tot he problem. I cut two short lengths of pole and put a point on one end. I hammered the short post into the ground just next to the intersection on the middle path and the end path. The tricky bit was to cut a pole to fit between the top of the short pole and the middle of the gate post. After a couple of errors I got the slanted cuts just about sorted. Then I cut a rabbet on the short and long poles where the diagonal post would sit. This was a stop to prevent the poles sliding up and down the pole rather than simply relying on the nails to hold the post. I also secured the pole with and couple of nails I had saved from some demolition I down some time ago. I then had to reposition the wires over the top of the repositioned pole. I couple of staples secured the wires in place. My motto is "throw nothing away that might come in handy". The repair just cost me time since the materials were all recycled. The job took two full hours which ate into my allotted time.
I filled up the bird feeders, took a peek at the bees and had a brew whilst I figured out what to do in the remaining time. I decided that I would plant some peas. Peas are hardy so the cold wind would not be a problem as the bright sun should heat the soil up nicely. I drew four furrows Bed1. In each furrow scattered a full packet of peas. I covered the peas with manure. I had hopes that the manure would act as a mulch and would eventually be incorporated into the soil. It started to rain a little so that was pretty much it for the day. I did one last quick drill and planted the few Broad Bean seeds I had left in a packet from last year. That drill also got a coat of manure. With a portion of Bed 1 sown and the Rhubarb pushing through it finally feels like spring.
I filled up the bird feeders, took a peek at the bees and had a brew whilst I figured out what to do in the remaining time. I decided that I would plant some peas. Peas are hardy so the cold wind would not be a problem as the bright sun should heat the soil up nicely. I drew four furrows Bed1. In each furrow scattered a full packet of peas. I covered the peas with manure. I had hopes that the manure would act as a mulch and would eventually be incorporated into the soil. It started to rain a little so that was pretty much it for the day. I did one last quick drill and planted the few Broad Bean seeds I had left in a packet from last year. That drill also got a coat of manure. With a portion of Bed 1 sown and the Rhubarb pushing through it finally feels like spring.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Sunday Lunch
I had a scant three hours for the lottie this weekend. Major brownie point won for completing the decorating of the bathroom on Saturday and we had been invited to Sunday lunch. I am not sure I could have done any work at the lottie on Saturday as it had been raining during the week and the local farmer's fields a waterlogged again. It rained, on and off, all day Saturday too. However I was up early enough the be at the stables for the trailer at 9am Sunday to do the trailer run. I ran the trailer back to the lottie and straight round to the far side of the boundary hedge. There I off loaded the manure. Having been shoveling muck regularly I am getting fitter, at shoveling at least. The trailer's worth of muck was spread along the boundary in quick time. Then I ran the the landy and trailer round the lottie car park.
I was on my own at the lottie. The morning was grey and the skys low. I filled the bird feeders and within minutes the lottie was full of birds. Even the Dunnocks were getting in on the actions. The trench near the top of bed1 where I last being working had a couple of inches of water in the bottom of it. So that was too wet to dig. I had a look round to decide what to do with hour and half and had left to me. I decided to tackle the bottom end of bed4. I figure I did not need to dig this bed over deeply as I just needed to remove the weeds. Most of the weeds were grass and the ubiquitous Dock.The soil was quite wet but not sticky. Weeding near the edge of the bed is tricky because once you get a spade full of soil there is no where for it to go except the hole it came from. That makes removing the weeds a bit difficult given they have just been buried. I worked along edge of the bed and once I had a strip of soil turned over it became a much quicker job. Despite promising myself not to dig to deep I drop into my usual rhythm and ending up digging down one spits depth. Once the bigger clumps of Grass and Docks where removed the soils was fairly clear so I was able to make good headway. In and hour I had a managed to turnover about five feet of the bed. If I can do the same next week and will have a bed for my Onions.
I gave the Asparagus bed a weeding just to remove the few early germinating weeds I had missed when I did the big weeding session in the winter. I also took a looks at the bees. The hive is quiet but the candy is disappearing which is a good sign. The rain had started buy now and it was nearly the end of my allotted time so I packed Degsy and hooked up the trailer and ran it back to the stables. The stable owners were just back from their ride so we had a chat about horse things and fussed the Neddies. Then I just a trundled back home with a little time to spare. A lounge in the bath for half and hour then I was ready for Sunday lunch.
I was on my own at the lottie. The morning was grey and the skys low. I filled the bird feeders and within minutes the lottie was full of birds. Even the Dunnocks were getting in on the actions. The trench near the top of bed1 where I last being working had a couple of inches of water in the bottom of it. So that was too wet to dig. I had a look round to decide what to do with hour and half and had left to me. I decided to tackle the bottom end of bed4. I figure I did not need to dig this bed over deeply as I just needed to remove the weeds. Most of the weeds were grass and the ubiquitous Dock.The soil was quite wet but not sticky. Weeding near the edge of the bed is tricky because once you get a spade full of soil there is no where for it to go except the hole it came from. That makes removing the weeds a bit difficult given they have just been buried. I worked along edge of the bed and once I had a strip of soil turned over it became a much quicker job. Despite promising myself not to dig to deep I drop into my usual rhythm and ending up digging down one spits depth. Once the bigger clumps of Grass and Docks where removed the soils was fairly clear so I was able to make good headway. In and hour I had a managed to turnover about five feet of the bed. If I can do the same next week and will have a bed for my Onions.
I gave the Asparagus bed a weeding just to remove the few early germinating weeds I had missed when I did the big weeding session in the winter. I also took a looks at the bees. The hive is quiet but the candy is disappearing which is a good sign. The rain had started buy now and it was nearly the end of my allotted time so I packed Degsy and hooked up the trailer and ran it back to the stables. The stable owners were just back from their ride so we had a chat about horse things and fussed the Neddies. Then I just a trundled back home with a little time to spare. A lounge in the bath for half and hour then I was ready for Sunday lunch.
Monday, March 04, 2013
Making Life Easy
This weekend has been very busy indeed. There is a definite feeling of spring in the weather. primroses and snowdrops are blossoming in the bottoms of the hedgerows and in the woods. The Hazels have thrown out their tassels and the pussy willow are breaking bud. I did the poo trailer run and mulched another length of the boundary hedge. Another ten loads and I will be done for another year. The bird feeds where bare. a couple of Great Tits where sitting on the fence apparently waiting for me to fill the feeders.As soon as the seed feeder was up and I walked away they were on it. I put up the big peanut feeder, this time round, and that too was mobbed as soon as I turned my back.
I was not on my own on Sunday. The nice weather had brought out a couple of lottie holders. One of them, Roundup, came over from a chat. He told me that the Squirrels had been enjoying the nuts. I did not know we had any Squirrels round the lottie. I had not seen him over the winter so he felt compelled to give me a run down of his new ailments. He got me at the right moment. I was ready to rest my back from the muck flinging in to the boundary hedge.
I had an hour so I started digging where I had left off in Bed1. As I had hoped, progress was much quicker now spuds did not need digging up. The soil just fell of the root of the weeds. This patch did not have crops last year so has quite a lot of grass covering. The grass type in the dreaded Couch Grass. If one does not get all the underground roots it will sprout again from the smallest piece of root. The soil being so friable the job of fettling for the roots was not too onerous. I manged to get another couple of feet of the bed done. I have a little more to do on this bed but I have my eye on the next bed. Bed4 is going to have onions this year. My only piece of black plastic has been covering this bed for a good part of last season so with a bit of luck preparing the bed won't be too difficult.
Note to self...must weed and dig over the flower bed near the bee hive before they get active. Just to make life easy for myself.
I ran the trailer back to the stables and had a chat with the owners whilst leaning on the horses. The "Neddies", as the stable owners call their ponies, were just back from a hack out and were only too happy the stand still and be scratched, the neddies not the owners!
I was not on my own on Sunday. The nice weather had brought out a couple of lottie holders. One of them, Roundup, came over from a chat. He told me that the Squirrels had been enjoying the nuts. I did not know we had any Squirrels round the lottie. I had not seen him over the winter so he felt compelled to give me a run down of his new ailments. He got me at the right moment. I was ready to rest my back from the muck flinging in to the boundary hedge.
I had an hour so I started digging where I had left off in Bed1. As I had hoped, progress was much quicker now spuds did not need digging up. The soil just fell of the root of the weeds. This patch did not have crops last year so has quite a lot of grass covering. The grass type in the dreaded Couch Grass. If one does not get all the underground roots it will sprout again from the smallest piece of root. The soil being so friable the job of fettling for the roots was not too onerous. I manged to get another couple of feet of the bed done. I have a little more to do on this bed but I have my eye on the next bed. Bed4 is going to have onions this year. My only piece of black plastic has been covering this bed for a good part of last season so with a bit of luck preparing the bed won't be too difficult.
Note to self...must weed and dig over the flower bed near the bee hive before they get active. Just to make life easy for myself.
I ran the trailer back to the stables and had a chat with the owners whilst leaning on the horses. The "Neddies", as the stable owners call their ponies, were just back from a hack out and were only too happy the stand still and be scratched, the neddies not the owners!
Monday, February 18, 2013
A Charming Day
There was a definite feeling of spring in the weather today and yesterday. Bright sunshine although it was a frost overnight. I loaded Degsy with provisions and compost container from home and took my self off the lottie with the intention of lifting the last four rows of spuds. I remembered the tyre pump and the spanners. I was surprised to find I was the only one at the plots. Tyre tracks showed I was the first down on the old plots but not the first to have visited today on the new plots. I parked Degsy up as usual and got the first job out of the way which was dump the contents of the home compost bin in my big compost bin. It surprises my just how fast the compost bin works even in the winter. I will be needing to empty it before too long. Got to do weeding on the beds first. Next up was to check the wheelbarrow tyre. The pumped it up and hoped it would stay up. It did and it was still fine when I went home.
So digging spuds...Well no. The lottie has been looking untidy and not just the beds. I got a braiser and started a small fire. I have been collecting bits of wood and saving off cuts from jobs but I decided they were making the place untidy and since I had not used the bits for a year they were of no use. I might come to regret saying that. Anyway I chopped the bigger bits down and fed them in to the fire. It was a pity it was not one of those super sharp winter days as the fire got going it was toasty. I laid the wetter pieces of wood on the rim of the braiser. The heat dried them out to where they would burn. Whilst the fire was going I went round to the back of the big muck bin and shovelled the muck that the worms had kicked out through the slats of the bin back onto the top of the heap. I replaced the chicken wire, badly, back in position. The path at the back of the bins got a sprucing up. The rolls of checking wire were stacked as where the planks. I picked any wood or combustible materials and placed them near the fire for feeding into the brasier as required. I took a walk round the plot and picked up any and all dried material including the cutting from the vines. They all took a turn to feed the fire. Over the course of the day the pile of wood disappeared into the brasier. The wind was perfect blowing gently from the south west which blew the smoke straight off the plots and across the open farmland. It also was just right to fan the flames. I took my super sharp pruning saw with me down the hedge line. I trimmed out the branches of the hedge that where encroaching on my plot. They also went on the fire.
So digging spuds. I could not think of a reason not to so started a brew going whilst I got the tools set out for digging. I had a brew and chocy biscuit whilst I watched the fire. Jonny, one of the plot holders dropped by the contemplate his plot but left after a short chat. Jonny was required for his Sunday lunch. It 12.30 after all. I fed the fire some more of the diminishing pile of timber and went down to make a start on the digging. The digging was easy. The soil was in lovely condition for digging. The soil was really cold to the touch but it did not seem to be holding the Dock back. They were starting to sprout. The barrow was just the job. It was fully by the end of the third row. The spuds had not started to sprout but were small and had quite a out of worm holes in them. No wonder the worms were so fat the juicy. There were loads of worms in every spadeful of soil. A good indicator to the condition of the soil. I just plodded along, weeding and harvesting. I was getting weary but I was determined to get all the spuds up. This was the last of what pitiful harvest I had in the last season. Once the spuds were out I would make quicker progress on the weeding as I would not need to search for spuds or dig so deep. When the barrow was nearly full I put the kettle on the for another brew. I had finished the row and filled the barrow by the time the kettle was boiling.
When the brew was ready the brasier had burnt everything down of a few inches of cinders. It tipped the ash out onto the patio and set the brasier to one side to cool down. I made a neat pile of the ash. There were plenty of cinders in the ash that had not quite burnt out. I got the deck chair out and with my back to the sun and facing the ash pile a had my brew whilst being toasted from both sides. I shut my eyes, felt the heat on me and just listened to the birds for a while. It was as much rest and peace of mind I have had in an age.
Brew done it was back to the digging to push on to finish the row. I managed it finally. I just had to rake the soil into the uniform surface. I estimated the depth of the bed is 16inch but it will settle back to 12 or 14 inches.
I had to be careful whilst digging because this bed is plagued with roots from the trees in the hedge. The champion root today was almost as thick as the handle of my shovel.
Whilst I was having a brew I saw that a couple of Great Tits were busy round the bee hive and I could see one or two bees on unsteady wings buzzing round the doorway of the hive. I took a few minutes to visit the bees and have a look in the hive. This hive has a glass "quilt" on the top so you can look in without exposing yourself to the bees. I could not see any bees so I lifted the candy covering the escape hole in the quilt. There were a couple of bees licking the candy so as of today I have a colony of bees but the winter is not over yet. However it is grounds for optimism.
The last job was the shovel the cooled ash into the big compo bin.With sun still well above the horizon and main main task completed as well as a bunch of other valuable tasks, still having my back intact and having had a very charming day at the lottie I loaded Degsy up and trundled home.
So digging spuds...Well no. The lottie has been looking untidy and not just the beds. I got a braiser and started a small fire. I have been collecting bits of wood and saving off cuts from jobs but I decided they were making the place untidy and since I had not used the bits for a year they were of no use. I might come to regret saying that. Anyway I chopped the bigger bits down and fed them in to the fire. It was a pity it was not one of those super sharp winter days as the fire got going it was toasty. I laid the wetter pieces of wood on the rim of the braiser. The heat dried them out to where they would burn. Whilst the fire was going I went round to the back of the big muck bin and shovelled the muck that the worms had kicked out through the slats of the bin back onto the top of the heap. I replaced the chicken wire, badly, back in position. The path at the back of the bins got a sprucing up. The rolls of checking wire were stacked as where the planks. I picked any wood or combustible materials and placed them near the fire for feeding into the brasier as required. I took a walk round the plot and picked up any and all dried material including the cutting from the vines. They all took a turn to feed the fire. Over the course of the day the pile of wood disappeared into the brasier. The wind was perfect blowing gently from the south west which blew the smoke straight off the plots and across the open farmland. It also was just right to fan the flames. I took my super sharp pruning saw with me down the hedge line. I trimmed out the branches of the hedge that where encroaching on my plot. They also went on the fire.
So digging spuds. I could not think of a reason not to so started a brew going whilst I got the tools set out for digging. I had a brew and chocy biscuit whilst I watched the fire. Jonny, one of the plot holders dropped by the contemplate his plot but left after a short chat. Jonny was required for his Sunday lunch. It 12.30 after all. I fed the fire some more of the diminishing pile of timber and went down to make a start on the digging. The digging was easy. The soil was in lovely condition for digging. The soil was really cold to the touch but it did not seem to be holding the Dock back. They were starting to sprout. The barrow was just the job. It was fully by the end of the third row. The spuds had not started to sprout but were small and had quite a out of worm holes in them. No wonder the worms were so fat the juicy. There were loads of worms in every spadeful of soil. A good indicator to the condition of the soil. I just plodded along, weeding and harvesting. I was getting weary but I was determined to get all the spuds up. This was the last of what pitiful harvest I had in the last season. Once the spuds were out I would make quicker progress on the weeding as I would not need to search for spuds or dig so deep. When the barrow was nearly full I put the kettle on the for another brew. I had finished the row and filled the barrow by the time the kettle was boiling.
When the brew was ready the brasier had burnt everything down of a few inches of cinders. It tipped the ash out onto the patio and set the brasier to one side to cool down. I made a neat pile of the ash. There were plenty of cinders in the ash that had not quite burnt out. I got the deck chair out and with my back to the sun and facing the ash pile a had my brew whilst being toasted from both sides. I shut my eyes, felt the heat on me and just listened to the birds for a while. It was as much rest and peace of mind I have had in an age.Brew done it was back to the digging to push on to finish the row. I managed it finally. I just had to rake the soil into the uniform surface. I estimated the depth of the bed is 16inch but it will settle back to 12 or 14 inches.
I had to be careful whilst digging because this bed is plagued with roots from the trees in the hedge. The champion root today was almost as thick as the handle of my shovel.
Whilst I was having a brew I saw that a couple of Great Tits were busy round the bee hive and I could see one or two bees on unsteady wings buzzing round the doorway of the hive. I took a few minutes to visit the bees and have a look in the hive. This hive has a glass "quilt" on the top so you can look in without exposing yourself to the bees. I could not see any bees so I lifted the candy covering the escape hole in the quilt. There were a couple of bees licking the candy so as of today I have a colony of bees but the winter is not over yet. However it is grounds for optimism.
The last job was the shovel the cooled ash into the big compo bin.With sun still well above the horizon and main main task completed as well as a bunch of other valuable tasks, still having my back intact and having had a very charming day at the lottie I loaded Degsy up and trundled home.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Who's Idea Was That?!?
What a vile day. The rain is relentless. It is not quite cold enough to sleet so the rain is cold and blown on a bitter wind. No allotmenting for today you would think. The manure trailer needs collecting and emptying. Horses don't stop pooping because the weather is rubbish in fact they produce more as they eat more to stay warm. I trundled of in Degsy, window wiper doing their best to keep up with the rain and water thrown up from the deep puddles. When I got to the stables the ponies where standing in the stable block keeping out of the rain. I put them in their loose boxes before opening all the gates to get a trailer hooked up and pulled out into the car park. I secured the gates and let the ponies out. They stayed put. They obviously did not fancy being outside today.
I trundled up the the lottie. The trailer was made extra heavy by all the water soaked up in the muck. I had been thinking of what to do with the hedge that borders my plot. The hedge is the border tot he allotment site so keeping it growing and full serves several purposes; shelter from the wind, habitat for the birds and beasties and security/privacy for the plot. The Willow we felled last year have grown back from the stool. In coppicing parlance the stool is top of the stump from which the new growth springs. The stools have thrown out dozens of new sprouting leaders. Each one has made 10 feet [3m] of growth. It is impressive in less than a year. The Willow obviously enjoyed the wet conditions during the summer of 2012. I drove Degsy round to the access path on the outside of the hedge boundary. There I dropped the tailgate on the trailer and shovelled the manure onto the base of the hedge. The soil in which the boundary hedge grows is utter rubbish. When the allottments were laid out a good job was made of the fencing and planting of the perimeter however nothing was done to improve the soil into which the hedge was planted. The "soil" was just blue clay from the landscaping of the ex-coal mine the allotment sit on. Over years I have put a mulch of manure under the boundary hedge. Ten years on the hedge is pretty well filled out and has many stout bushes and small trees. The hedge is mainly Hazel, Hawthorne, Willow [who's idea was that?!?], Dog Rose and Field Maple. This called an English mix. The Hazel tassels are out and the Hawthorne is beginning to bud. It was hot work shovelling the heavy wet manure and being dressed up to keep the rain out. H calls it "boil in the bag" work. A trailer load of muck does not go far on the hedge.
I skipped through the hedge with seeds to fill the bird feeder. I checked in on the bees. Although there was no movement I could feel the heat and smell the bees when I took the roof off. I saw that they had been at the candy. So room for cautious optimism that the bees have weathered the winter so far.
I trundled up the the lottie. The trailer was made extra heavy by all the water soaked up in the muck. I had been thinking of what to do with the hedge that borders my plot. The hedge is the border tot he allotment site so keeping it growing and full serves several purposes; shelter from the wind, habitat for the birds and beasties and security/privacy for the plot. The Willow we felled last year have grown back from the stool. In coppicing parlance the stool is top of the stump from which the new growth springs. The stools have thrown out dozens of new sprouting leaders. Each one has made 10 feet [3m] of growth. It is impressive in less than a year. The Willow obviously enjoyed the wet conditions during the summer of 2012. I drove Degsy round to the access path on the outside of the hedge boundary. There I dropped the tailgate on the trailer and shovelled the manure onto the base of the hedge. The soil in which the boundary hedge grows is utter rubbish. When the allottments were laid out a good job was made of the fencing and planting of the perimeter however nothing was done to improve the soil into which the hedge was planted. The "soil" was just blue clay from the landscaping of the ex-coal mine the allotment sit on. Over years I have put a mulch of manure under the boundary hedge. Ten years on the hedge is pretty well filled out and has many stout bushes and small trees. The hedge is mainly Hazel, Hawthorne, Willow [who's idea was that?!?], Dog Rose and Field Maple. This called an English mix. The Hazel tassels are out and the Hawthorne is beginning to bud. It was hot work shovelling the heavy wet manure and being dressed up to keep the rain out. H calls it "boil in the bag" work. A trailer load of muck does not go far on the hedge.
I skipped through the hedge with seeds to fill the bird feeder. I checked in on the bees. Although there was no movement I could feel the heat and smell the bees when I took the roof off. I saw that they had been at the candy. So room for cautious optimism that the bees have weathered the winter so far.
Monday, January 07, 2013
Rock Candy
I have predicted a largely wet and warm winter for 2013. It has not been so wet this last week, the River Mease is back in it's channel, but it has been warm. That means the bees will not be clustering and therefore will be eating up their store of honey. If they eat it all up before the spring then they will starve to death. Dead bees don't make much honey. The usual strategy is to feed bee candy. More accurately it is a fondant. It is sugar and water cooked up to "soft ball" then allowed to cool and set. I have tried many recipes but this one works every time. You need a heavy bottomed pan and a jam thermometer. I use the jam making pan. Remember that the sugar syrup is going to get very hot and it sticks if it is splashed about. You have been warned.
The local supermarket does sugar in 5kg bags. I use whatever vinegar is available but usually cider vinegar in preference to malted vinegar. The vinegar helps stave off mold and fermentation. Pour the 5kg of granulated sugar, 1 litre of water, a teaspoon of vinegar into the pan. Next just mix the sugar, vinegar and water to together in the pan then put the mixture on to boil. A jam thermometer is a very good thing to have. I have tried guessing when the correct temperature is achieved. I ended up with hard candy. That is no good to the bees. As the pan heats up stir it occasionally to make sure the sugar fully dissolves and nothing catches on the bottom of the pan. Bees do not like burned candy and it is near impossible to clean off the pan. When the syrup gets to "soft ball" which is 240F or 114C turn the heat down and keep it at soft ball for 5 five minutes. Do not leave it a soft ball for more than five minutes or let it go above soft ball or you end up three litres of hard candy. Take the pan off the heat. I put it outside to cool down [cats, dogs and kids beware etc]
Whilst the syrup is cooking line a couple of shallow tins with foil. You need a mould for each hive because as soon as the fondant starts to set there is no going back. I use baking trays as moulds. I find that the fondant block will sit above the crown board and under the roof quite easily. No need for ekes! When the syrup starts to form a skin on the cooling surface of the syrup this is the moment to start whisking the syrup to make fondant. Whisking introduces air and makes the fondant go white. As soon as the fondant starts to thicken up, which does not take long because whisking speeds up the cooling, pour the syrup into the lined tins and leave them to go completely cold. I cannot say how long it takes for fondant to set. It depends how cold it is and how thick the fondant is in the trays.
Problems
Too soft
If it does not set at all then it was not hot enough for long enough. So long as the fondant is not actually liquid and will hold a shape then I would use it on the hive. You just don't want it running into the hive. If too liquid pour it back into the pan and reheat it to the correct temperature and go through the process again.
Too hard
If, on the other hand, it has set like rock then you have rock candy. You have two choices; break it up and feed it to the kids as old fashion candy. It just tastes sweet or leave it in the air and in a week or two it will go gooey on the surface just like those sweet you lost in a blazer pocket when you were a kid. Is not so readily taken down by the bees but it might do whilst you make another softer batch.
I make the candy about 1 - 1 1/2 inches [25 - 40mm] thick, depending on the depth of the moulds and the how I divide the batch. I leave the candy in the moulds, even when cold and take down the bees. I usually score the surface of the candy with my hive tool just the make some loose edges because I think the bees can make a start on the block a bit more easily. I just pop off the roof, if the bees are round the hole in the crown board I just put the edge of the tray on the crown board near the hole and invert the mould. The fondant block just drops out and I lower it over the hole. If the bees are not round the hole I scrape a bit of fondant off the block and drop it into the hole just to give the bees a clue dinner has arrived and place the block over the hole. Then I just pop the roof back on and retire for a few weeks. My blocks are about 3lbs [1.5kg] each. I have a 5kg of sugar in the house ready to use as fondant or syrup as circumstance require.
The local supermarket does sugar in 5kg bags. I use whatever vinegar is available but usually cider vinegar in preference to malted vinegar. The vinegar helps stave off mold and fermentation. Pour the 5kg of granulated sugar, 1 litre of water, a teaspoon of vinegar into the pan. Next just mix the sugar, vinegar and water to together in the pan then put the mixture on to boil. A jam thermometer is a very good thing to have. I have tried guessing when the correct temperature is achieved. I ended up with hard candy. That is no good to the bees. As the pan heats up stir it occasionally to make sure the sugar fully dissolves and nothing catches on the bottom of the pan. Bees do not like burned candy and it is near impossible to clean off the pan. When the syrup gets to "soft ball" which is 240F or 114C turn the heat down and keep it at soft ball for 5 five minutes. Do not leave it a soft ball for more than five minutes or let it go above soft ball or you end up three litres of hard candy. Take the pan off the heat. I put it outside to cool down [cats, dogs and kids beware etc]
Whilst the syrup is cooking line a couple of shallow tins with foil. You need a mould for each hive because as soon as the fondant starts to set there is no going back. I use baking trays as moulds. I find that the fondant block will sit above the crown board and under the roof quite easily. No need for ekes! When the syrup starts to form a skin on the cooling surface of the syrup this is the moment to start whisking the syrup to make fondant. Whisking introduces air and makes the fondant go white. As soon as the fondant starts to thicken up, which does not take long because whisking speeds up the cooling, pour the syrup into the lined tins and leave them to go completely cold. I cannot say how long it takes for fondant to set. It depends how cold it is and how thick the fondant is in the trays.
Problems
Too soft
If it does not set at all then it was not hot enough for long enough. So long as the fondant is not actually liquid and will hold a shape then I would use it on the hive. You just don't want it running into the hive. If too liquid pour it back into the pan and reheat it to the correct temperature and go through the process again.
Too hard
If, on the other hand, it has set like rock then you have rock candy. You have two choices; break it up and feed it to the kids as old fashion candy. It just tastes sweet or leave it in the air and in a week or two it will go gooey on the surface just like those sweet you lost in a blazer pocket when you were a kid. Is not so readily taken down by the bees but it might do whilst you make another softer batch.
I make the candy about 1 - 1 1/2 inches [25 - 40mm] thick, depending on the depth of the moulds and the how I divide the batch. I leave the candy in the moulds, even when cold and take down the bees. I usually score the surface of the candy with my hive tool just the make some loose edges because I think the bees can make a start on the block a bit more easily. I just pop off the roof, if the bees are round the hole in the crown board I just put the edge of the tray on the crown board near the hole and invert the mould. The fondant block just drops out and I lower it over the hole. If the bees are not round the hole I scrape a bit of fondant off the block and drop it into the hole just to give the bees a clue dinner has arrived and place the block over the hole. Then I just pop the roof back on and retire for a few weeks. My blocks are about 3lbs [1.5kg] each. I have a 5kg of sugar in the house ready to use as fondant or syrup as circumstance require.
Monday, December 31, 2012
New Year's Eve
So the year turns again. It is still raining. I went over to see the bees and check they were okay. They were. A gale of wind is blowing from the South West. It is just getting round the hedge so the Hives are in a drafty spot for the moment. At least the flood waters have subsided. There was no damage to the hives during the floods. One of the door blocks had been displaced so I put it back in place and wedged it there with a couple of pieces of stick. When looking in the front door I can see a few dead bees and in one hive there are lots of capping on the floor. That means they are tucking into their stores. Time for candy I think.
I got out my hip flask which is full of last years Sloe Gin and splashed a little on each hive and wished the Bees health for the coming year. If you can wassail apples trees I am sure you can "wassail" bee hives I had a wander round the meadow which is sodden after the recent flooding. The grass cover has held the soil together. Some of the plough fields I can see from the meadow have not fared so well. The only sign of life, besides the surging Mease, was a Sparrow Hark that flew down the length of the hedge at knee height then dart through the hedge and was gone.
It is a desolate time of year in the countryside especially with a gale blowing and biting rain showers in the wind. Finding all secure I trundled back across the fields and went over to the lottie. More desolation. I put up a couple of bird feeders although I did see more than a few crows being tossed across the sky. The soil was too wet to dig so I had a close look at the hedges and the trees in the hedge. I have selected the ones that are coming out. They are shading out areas of my plot. The bees at the lottie are not moving but the signs are that they are fine. I fixed my gate. The wind had given it a beating and a couple of battens needed refixing. I wassailed the lottie and the bees. It is a good deal more sheltered at the lottie but it was still dark considering it was two o'clock in the afternoon.
I did a little job for one of the plot holders before I packed up and went home for a spot of lunch.
So as traditional at this time of year, I wish you all a Happy New Year for 2013.
I got out my hip flask which is full of last years Sloe Gin and splashed a little on each hive and wished the Bees health for the coming year. If you can wassail apples trees I am sure you can "wassail" bee hives I had a wander round the meadow which is sodden after the recent flooding. The grass cover has held the soil together. Some of the plough fields I can see from the meadow have not fared so well. The only sign of life, besides the surging Mease, was a Sparrow Hark that flew down the length of the hedge at knee height then dart through the hedge and was gone.
 | |||
| The hives are in the far left of picture. The River Mease is still roaming across the fields |
I did a little job for one of the plot holders before I packed up and went home for a spot of lunch.
So as traditional at this time of year, I wish you all a Happy New Year for 2013.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Catch up
I have been allotmenting but not blogging. There are only so many hours in a week and I have discovered that you have to sleep for some of those hours. One of my allotment buddies has traded a strimming my plot for a couple of a trailer loads of manure. A decent trade in my eyes. The plot looks tuns better if still weedy.
It has been chucking it down this last few weeks so all I have been doing is tidying up. Today I tackled the Grape vines. It took me a good hour to tackle the remaining four vines that had not had the attention of Madame Secateurs. I ended up with more vine on the floor had on the wires but that is way it is supposed to be. I had an idea I would strim the ditch alongside the plot but it is holding a foot of water so no thanks.
The tiding up that I had chucked into the big compo bin has been turned in lovely compost by the worms. The warm (ish) and (very) wet weather has suited the compo bin worms and they have doing a great job. I dropped some more leaves and kitchen waste in the bin today and gave it a stir about just give the worms a chance.
A number of the post down the centre of the plot have given up the ghost and snapped off at the base. I will have to renew these soon. I think I will put in meta post legs instead of just hammering the wooden posts into the soil. Seven posts needed. I hope Santa has heard my plea.
I looked around the other plots in between shovelling and pruning and I am still think my theory from last year is not disproved. I find those folks that have completed their winter digging, so that soil is bare, have had the soil pounded by the rain and it has clagged together. Soil on my plot is protected by the weeds so it might be honours even, although I know those weeds are growing, if slowly.
The bees are very quite as you might expect. They did not even come out when I very pruning the vines in front of the hive. There was a odd one near the entrance to the hive so they are still about, just not flying.
It has been chucking it down this last few weeks so all I have been doing is tidying up. Today I tackled the Grape vines. It took me a good hour to tackle the remaining four vines that had not had the attention of Madame Secateurs. I ended up with more vine on the floor had on the wires but that is way it is supposed to be. I had an idea I would strim the ditch alongside the plot but it is holding a foot of water so no thanks.
The tiding up that I had chucked into the big compo bin has been turned in lovely compost by the worms. The warm (ish) and (very) wet weather has suited the compo bin worms and they have doing a great job. I dropped some more leaves and kitchen waste in the bin today and gave it a stir about just give the worms a chance.
A number of the post down the centre of the plot have given up the ghost and snapped off at the base. I will have to renew these soon. I think I will put in meta post legs instead of just hammering the wooden posts into the soil. Seven posts needed. I hope Santa has heard my plea.
I looked around the other plots in between shovelling and pruning and I am still think my theory from last year is not disproved. I find those folks that have completed their winter digging, so that soil is bare, have had the soil pounded by the rain and it has clagged together. Soil on my plot is protected by the weeds so it might be honours even, although I know those weeds are growing, if slowly.
The bees are very quite as you might expect. They did not even come out when I very pruning the vines in front of the hive. There was a odd one near the entrance to the hive so they are still about, just not flying.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Round two
I had this week off work and wouldn't you know it the weather has been....well Autumnal. Cold wet windy for days then unrelentingly grey then a sharp frost overnight then beautiful today. Still breezy and cold since it is coming from the north but bright sunshine in a blue sky. H want spuds for dinner so I just had to dig them up. The big hedge that I have been inwardly complaining about did a very nice job of shielding me from the cold north wind and with the sun in the south a need a nice sun trap.
Digging up spuds is easy if boring. I decided to make it interesting by digging quite deeply and cleaning out all the weeds. I am well overdue harvesting the spuds so only the remains of the ridge so where the spuds might be. I used my fork as a rake and pulled back the tangle of ground cover weeds that are on Bed1, the spud bed.The ground was surprisingly clear under the weed mat. There were just a few Dock and Thistle making a living in the rows. The soil is beautiful. Keeping off the soil during the wet weather has paid off. It is not compacted. The fork, my usual spud harvester, was not doing a very good job because the spuds are small and dropped through the tines. I swapped the fork for the spade and made much quicker progress. I did not even cut any in half. Mind you I did start the spade further out from the centre of the row than I would have with the fork. I whizzed along the first row but it was hard on my back. Having finished the row I levelled out the soil with the back of the fork and decided on some different work to rest my back muscles.
The grapes have grown well from the late start but did not produced any grape to speak of. I got the secateurs from Degsy and spent 15 minutes trimming back the vine adjacent to the piece of bed I was working on and secured it back to the wires. There was more vine on the floor than on the wires by the time I had finished.
The nettles have had a field day. There are growing all around my compost bins, path and in the corner of Bed1. I started off tentatively pulling at the stems. I went and got my heavy gloves from Degsy. Whist there I put the kettle on. Back tot he nettles with glasses and gloves on. I prodded, poked and teased the mass of roots from under the soil and path. Then I went round to the big compo bin and I prodded, poked and teased the mass of roots from under the bin then round the back of the compo bins and did the same again. That corner of the plot now look bare now the nettles are gone and the grape trimmed.
I got my brew from Degsy and sat on the big compo bin in the sunshine and watched the Kestrels soaring. It was not long before the Rooks were aloft to chase the Kestrel away. I resolved to feed the birds this winter even though they scatter the seeds and they grow as weeds.
I happened to be standing by the Asparagus bed and idly prodded a weed out of the bed, then another and another and before long I was ripping into the weeding. The Asparagus bed weeds very easily. Whilst in the area I cleaned off the Rhubarb bed of wilted leaves and dropped them in the compo bin. I missed harvesting the Comfrey bed so it looked very unkempt. I combed the wilted leave back into the centre of the bed and stamped it down. Five minutes of combing and stamping and that bed look tidy too. Comfrey is as tough as old boots so won't come to any harm from a bit of rough treatment.
I went back to spud harvesting a slowly motored down another row. Spuds in the bucket, weeds in a ever growing pile in the middle of the plot. Having finished the row I went round the edge of the bed with my narrow spade and cut a gutter against the timber border. The back of the became a rake and finished off the bed a treat. In the hour or so since the first row of spuds was harvested the sun and wind had dried out the top of the soil. It showed as light grey against the black moist soil.
The slugs have run riot this year with the wet weather and little gardening taking place. Every time a turned over a likely piece of leaf or bag there I would find a clutch of slug eggs. Generally I scooped them up and put them on the top the compo bin which acts as a giant bird table. Other times I left them where they were since I had removed whatever was covering them. The birds and other creatures with hoover them up.
I fed the bees although I am pretty much finished with the bees for the winter. Fingers crossed they make it through the winter.
The approaches to the plot look really good now so all I have to do is spend a few hours on the plot each weekend for the winter and we should be in good shape for the spring....fingers crossed. Round two down. How many more to go?
Digging up spuds is easy if boring. I decided to make it interesting by digging quite deeply and cleaning out all the weeds. I am well overdue harvesting the spuds so only the remains of the ridge so where the spuds might be. I used my fork as a rake and pulled back the tangle of ground cover weeds that are on Bed1, the spud bed.The ground was surprisingly clear under the weed mat. There were just a few Dock and Thistle making a living in the rows. The soil is beautiful. Keeping off the soil during the wet weather has paid off. It is not compacted. The fork, my usual spud harvester, was not doing a very good job because the spuds are small and dropped through the tines. I swapped the fork for the spade and made much quicker progress. I did not even cut any in half. Mind you I did start the spade further out from the centre of the row than I would have with the fork. I whizzed along the first row but it was hard on my back. Having finished the row I levelled out the soil with the back of the fork and decided on some different work to rest my back muscles.
The grapes have grown well from the late start but did not produced any grape to speak of. I got the secateurs from Degsy and spent 15 minutes trimming back the vine adjacent to the piece of bed I was working on and secured it back to the wires. There was more vine on the floor than on the wires by the time I had finished.
The nettles have had a field day. There are growing all around my compost bins, path and in the corner of Bed1. I started off tentatively pulling at the stems. I went and got my heavy gloves from Degsy. Whist there I put the kettle on. Back tot he nettles with glasses and gloves on. I prodded, poked and teased the mass of roots from under the soil and path. Then I went round to the big compo bin and I prodded, poked and teased the mass of roots from under the bin then round the back of the compo bins and did the same again. That corner of the plot now look bare now the nettles are gone and the grape trimmed.
I got my brew from Degsy and sat on the big compo bin in the sunshine and watched the Kestrels soaring. It was not long before the Rooks were aloft to chase the Kestrel away. I resolved to feed the birds this winter even though they scatter the seeds and they grow as weeds.
I happened to be standing by the Asparagus bed and idly prodded a weed out of the bed, then another and another and before long I was ripping into the weeding. The Asparagus bed weeds very easily. Whilst in the area I cleaned off the Rhubarb bed of wilted leaves and dropped them in the compo bin. I missed harvesting the Comfrey bed so it looked very unkempt. I combed the wilted leave back into the centre of the bed and stamped it down. Five minutes of combing and stamping and that bed look tidy too. Comfrey is as tough as old boots so won't come to any harm from a bit of rough treatment.
I went back to spud harvesting a slowly motored down another row. Spuds in the bucket, weeds in a ever growing pile in the middle of the plot. Having finished the row I went round the edge of the bed with my narrow spade and cut a gutter against the timber border. The back of the became a rake and finished off the bed a treat. In the hour or so since the first row of spuds was harvested the sun and wind had dried out the top of the soil. It showed as light grey against the black moist soil.
The slugs have run riot this year with the wet weather and little gardening taking place. Every time a turned over a likely piece of leaf or bag there I would find a clutch of slug eggs. Generally I scooped them up and put them on the top the compo bin which acts as a giant bird table. Other times I left them where they were since I had removed whatever was covering them. The birds and other creatures with hoover them up.
I fed the bees although I am pretty much finished with the bees for the winter. Fingers crossed they make it through the winter.
The approaches to the plot look really good now so all I have to do is spend a few hours on the plot each weekend for the winter and we should be in good shape for the spring....fingers crossed. Round two down. How many more to go?
Sunday, October 14, 2012
The fight back begins....with tea
Last weekend I found a little free time to go to the lottie. I have to admit it is a mess. I decided the fight had to begin at some stage or to walk away. I decided to fight back. I started by opening the big compost bin to turfing into it the gone-over flowers and grasses from around the bin and the adjacent patio area. I also shovelled in the compost I ran shovelled out a few months ago. I have no where else to put ten barrow loads of compost. It least it will kick start the compo bin. The up shot was front of the lottie looks better and I have some room to work.
Over the summer I have been dropping off horse muck every fortnight. The result is a big pile of the stuff. It is nicely worked down by the worms and is ready to be dropped on the plot. I feel some major mulching coming on.
Yesterday [Saturday] morning I to meet some folks about a market pitch in Castle Donington. It was less daunting than had imagined. There was tea and bacon butties to keep out the cold. I was done by twelve noon and set off for trailer duties. I met Allotment buddy Steve at the lottie and immediately stopped for a brew. Steve favours a Kelly's kettle, I favour a Trangia. In this case the Kelly was already bubbling so it would be rude not to take tea. We had a sit at the top of my plot placing ourselves gingerly onto my garden seat. The weather has given the planking a beating over the years and it days must be numbered. It is just a case of when the comedy chair collapse happens. Steve had to go and I set about digging up some spuds. The soils was wet but not too bad. I got a nice crop of spuds and a cleared a patch of soil to boot. Just another 400 square yards to go and the plot is perfect.
When dropped out the trailer I went over to see the bees. I topped up the feeders and observed the fronts of each hive for five minutes. Even though the nights are colder the sun still has some warmth especially with the clear skies we have had recently. The bees where coming and going with vigour. Some of the bees were bring back pollen. They need pollen to make the food to feed to the larvae so pollen = larvae food = eggs = queen, so all is well for the time being.
Over the summer I have been dropping off horse muck every fortnight. The result is a big pile of the stuff. It is nicely worked down by the worms and is ready to be dropped on the plot. I feel some major mulching coming on.
Yesterday [Saturday] morning I to meet some folks about a market pitch in Castle Donington. It was less daunting than had imagined. There was tea and bacon butties to keep out the cold. I was done by twelve noon and set off for trailer duties. I met Allotment buddy Steve at the lottie and immediately stopped for a brew. Steve favours a Kelly's kettle, I favour a Trangia. In this case the Kelly was already bubbling so it would be rude not to take tea. We had a sit at the top of my plot placing ourselves gingerly onto my garden seat. The weather has given the planking a beating over the years and it days must be numbered. It is just a case of when the comedy chair collapse happens. Steve had to go and I set about digging up some spuds. The soils was wet but not too bad. I got a nice crop of spuds and a cleared a patch of soil to boot. Just another 400 square yards to go and the plot is perfect.
When dropped out the trailer I went over to see the bees. I topped up the feeders and observed the fronts of each hive for five minutes. Even though the nights are colder the sun still has some warmth especially with the clear skies we have had recently. The bees where coming and going with vigour. Some of the bees were bring back pollen. They need pollen to make the food to feed to the larvae so pollen = larvae food = eggs = queen, so all is well for the time being.
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Its been a while since I last blogged. Tons of stuff has been gone on in my life and that does not include the weather. A super quick catch up in six bullet points:
The good/bad allotment idea was to follow an idea that said do not weed through the winter. The weeds will preserve the soil structure and nutrients and when composted the weeds would give back again. Good idea but British weather put paid to that idea, too dry then to wet. Result a very weedy allotment.
The weather has affected to bees in that they have not been able to gather enough food. They have also had a bad time in swarming and subsequent need to mate. I seems to have five viable hives but they seem a bot weak going into the winter. I project the winter to be relatively mild so food resource is going to be an issue in the early spring. Anyone care to guess what the weather will be like in the spring of 2013?
The family stuff is just time spent. I hope the parties involved come to a decision. Christmas will be tricky.
- Nearly made redundant.
- Good allotment idea did not turn out so well.
- Started a little business
- Weather affect the bees
- Trouble and strife within the family diverted me from applying to my usual stuff
- Weather affected my allotment schedule
The good/bad allotment idea was to follow an idea that said do not weed through the winter. The weeds will preserve the soil structure and nutrients and when composted the weeds would give back again. Good idea but British weather put paid to that idea, too dry then to wet. Result a very weedy allotment.
The weather has affected to bees in that they have not been able to gather enough food. They have also had a bad time in swarming and subsequent need to mate. I seems to have five viable hives but they seem a bot weak going into the winter. I project the winter to be relatively mild so food resource is going to be an issue in the early spring. Anyone care to guess what the weather will be like in the spring of 2013?
The family stuff is just time spent. I hope the parties involved come to a decision. Christmas will be tricky.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Eating Strawberries
Sunday dawned clear and early, too early for me. I made a cooked breakfast to help get me going. It was a lottery as to whether it rain on not. I went to the lottie first determined to do some weeding. I got a few bags out my store at the lottie and took my spade along to Bed2. This bed had the onions and leeks last year. There were a few Leeks left in. Unfortunately there a several Docks too and they are big. Just for a change they are being out completed so are not too strong. I got stuck in a dug out all the docks and bagged them to be taken off site for disposal. It is quicker said than done. With the Docks out I went round and pulled up the Thistles and the Sow Thistles. They came away easily from the wet soil but as you can imagine a was getting covered in wet soil. The job needed doing though. I stopped after and hour. I was soaked but I had three big bags of weeds to show for my trouble. The plot does not look any better but the weed cover is much thinner and since the Dock were bagged before they seeded I have saved seven years weed. If only that were true. I had a chat with a lottie neighbour and cut some Asparagus before packing up to go to the Bees.
The drive across the farm to the bees was very muddy. Degsy managed the mud without an issue. The chunky cut tyres are coming into their own in the mud. I put on my bee suit on and wondered what I would find when I went through the gate. I had already seen the River Mease and could see that it had dropped since last week. It was relatively dry underfoot but the grass was wet. There is lot of tall grass in the apiary so I got a second soaking. The hives had weathered the weather and the bees were flying freely. One the Queens has emerged in one of the hives but is not yet laying. I will leave that one until next week. If there are no eggs I shall unite the Nuc with this hive. One other Hive has a plump sealed Queen cells. I hope to find that Queen has emerged by next weekend and with luck may have started laying. The other hives are in good order and are lying in honey. I have just got to be patient. I think the hives are in good shape to bring in a honey crop in the next eight to ten weeks.
Back at home I tidied up my workroom. H and I marshalled our camping gear. We have a wedding next Saturday evening which requires camping at the venue. I hope the promised hot weather turns up this week even if it just dries out the ground. Depending how it goes I might even use my Christmas present which was a non-stick frying pan for my Trangia! We even tried to sit out side to read our books and eat the Strawberries H collected from the garden. It too blustery and cold so retired to the comfort of the living room. H was not far behind. Blooming British summertime.......
The drive across the farm to the bees was very muddy. Degsy managed the mud without an issue. The chunky cut tyres are coming into their own in the mud. I put on my bee suit on and wondered what I would find when I went through the gate. I had already seen the River Mease and could see that it had dropped since last week. It was relatively dry underfoot but the grass was wet. There is lot of tall grass in the apiary so I got a second soaking. The hives had weathered the weather and the bees were flying freely. One the Queens has emerged in one of the hives but is not yet laying. I will leave that one until next week. If there are no eggs I shall unite the Nuc with this hive. One other Hive has a plump sealed Queen cells. I hope to find that Queen has emerged by next weekend and with luck may have started laying. The other hives are in good order and are lying in honey. I have just got to be patient. I think the hives are in good shape to bring in a honey crop in the next eight to ten weeks.
Back at home I tidied up my workroom. H and I marshalled our camping gear. We have a wedding next Saturday evening which requires camping at the venue. I hope the promised hot weather turns up this week even if it just dries out the ground. Depending how it goes I might even use my Christmas present which was a non-stick frying pan for my Trangia! We even tried to sit out side to read our books and eat the Strawberries H collected from the garden. It too blustery and cold so retired to the comfort of the living room. H was not far behind. Blooming British summertime.......
Last week....wet, wet, wet
It had been raining most of the week. Somewhere between drizzle and downpours but all of the time some kind of rain was falling out of the sky. It was trailer weekend so I went off to do that job. That took me to the lottie. I tried some weeding but I got covered in sticky soil as soon as I went near the plot. Nevertheless I yanked out some of the bigger weeds that where about to flower.With the trailer emptied in double quick time and a bit of weed pulling I was done and not too wet.
After dropping the trailer back to the stables I went on to the bees. The bees were flying despite the rail. I don't suppose you get to have evolved for 27 million year if a bit a rain stops you. I gave the hive a tap. The bees gave a buzz back. Some of the foragers were carrying pollen so those hives have Queens. One of the hive as a sealed Queens cell last week. The bees from that hive were not gathering pollen so I guess she has not yet emerged. Next weeks visit will tell.
I did not expect to be able to inspect the bees. The reason went she to see where the river was. Would it be within its banks or not. There had been flooding in other parts of the country. It was very wet under foot. To water was about an inch deep but the river had not over topped its banks but it was very full. The water under foot was just the elevated water table. The main hives are about 18inches off the ground so they would be fine. The Nuc was a different story. The Nuc is just sitting on an upturned plastic produce tray. I move the Nuc to one side and place the hive barrow in its place. I then put the tray and Nuc on the barrow, That lift the Nuc about 18 inches off the ground. Should the river flood and so long as there is little current The Nuc should remain dry. Bees are still coming and going from the Nuc which looks promising.
When I was at the lottie I lifted the roof on the hive and a look in I could see the bees were active and seemed to more of them. That is how it should bee. The bees had found the feeder and had gobbled up have the syrup. That will help build them up. I should say that this hive has a glass crown board so even when the roof is off the bees are contained in the hive. Removing the roof floods the inside of the hive with light which as you can imagine stirs the bees a little. However they are quite gentle and do not pile out of the hive to see who is disturbing them.
Last job was to drop in on my buddy who has found a projector screen for me. He is an avid user of Freecycle. Click HERE for the website. Freecycle is about reusing unwanted items and it is free.
After dropping the trailer back to the stables I went on to the bees. The bees were flying despite the rail. I don't suppose you get to have evolved for 27 million year if a bit a rain stops you. I gave the hive a tap. The bees gave a buzz back. Some of the foragers were carrying pollen so those hives have Queens. One of the hive as a sealed Queens cell last week. The bees from that hive were not gathering pollen so I guess she has not yet emerged. Next weeks visit will tell.
I did not expect to be able to inspect the bees. The reason went she to see where the river was. Would it be within its banks or not. There had been flooding in other parts of the country. It was very wet under foot. To water was about an inch deep but the river had not over topped its banks but it was very full. The water under foot was just the elevated water table. The main hives are about 18inches off the ground so they would be fine. The Nuc was a different story. The Nuc is just sitting on an upturned plastic produce tray. I move the Nuc to one side and place the hive barrow in its place. I then put the tray and Nuc on the barrow, That lift the Nuc about 18 inches off the ground. Should the river flood and so long as there is little current The Nuc should remain dry. Bees are still coming and going from the Nuc which looks promising.
When I was at the lottie I lifted the roof on the hive and a look in I could see the bees were active and seemed to more of them. That is how it should bee. The bees had found the feeder and had gobbled up have the syrup. That will help build them up. I should say that this hive has a glass crown board so even when the roof is off the bees are contained in the hive. Removing the roof floods the inside of the hive with light which as you can imagine stirs the bees a little. However they are quite gentle and do not pile out of the hive to see who is disturbing them.
Last job was to drop in on my buddy who has found a projector screen for me. He is an avid user of Freecycle. Click HERE for the website. Freecycle is about reusing unwanted items and it is free.
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