Sunday, 10 May 2015
Bees Need Water
You probably already knew that bees need water, but then again, did you know they need a good reliable source? Did you know that a hive can drink anywhere from 2 to 2 and 1/2 pints daily? And did you know that if they dont have a place to land while drinking, they easily drown?
Bees need water just like all living things, but they have some unique uses for water as well as normal body function. They use it to cool the hive during hot weather, to process the sugars they take in when being fed, and to maintain their nurseries (brood).
And interestingly, bees seem to prefer "dirty" water that smells a bit over clean water. Apparently it is easier to find that way and they may be obtaining trace minerals as they drink from questionable sources.
Ive tried a couple of different options for keeping my bees in H2O, but my favorite so far is a large drip pan from a water heater. I just stopped up the hole with a piece of pvc with a cap attached and then added some rocks of various sizes along with the water (the rocks give them a place to land and drink from). I dont bother cleaning it out, but I just refill it as needed. Ive located it near my irrigation system so that I can add a dripper to it should we go out of town to keep it full. And if it overflows, no big deal. A little extra debris from the grass and plants around it seems to appeal to the bees.
Just to update you on the bee saga... I tried not to fret over the weekend during yet another cold snap. However, they made it through, only to have to fight off robbing by some "foreign" bees today. I quickly added the entrance reducer, but when I came back a few hours later, it was a free-for-all. (And did I mention ants? poor weak hive... if it makes it, it will be a miracle!)
{Sigh...} I feel so badly for these bees. morning Im going to further reduce the entrance and stuff it with some grass to slow down the robbing. Then Im going to pray that these new bees move on their way and that they havent killed my queen. There just arent enough bees left to defend the hive and I suspect it may have already happened by what I saw late this afternoon. With so much going on, I dont see how they even have time to collect pollen or nectar. (Is this blog starting to sound depressing? Im sure better days are ahead!)
Please share what you use to water your bees and any tips for hive robbers. Im sure we could all use some ideas!
Read More..
Bees need water just like all living things, but they have some unique uses for water as well as normal body function. They use it to cool the hive during hot weather, to process the sugars they take in when being fed, and to maintain their nurseries (brood).
And interestingly, bees seem to prefer "dirty" water that smells a bit over clean water. Apparently it is easier to find that way and they may be obtaining trace minerals as they drink from questionable sources.
Ive tried a couple of different options for keeping my bees in H2O, but my favorite so far is a large drip pan from a water heater. I just stopped up the hole with a piece of pvc with a cap attached and then added some rocks of various sizes along with the water (the rocks give them a place to land and drink from). I dont bother cleaning it out, but I just refill it as needed. Ive located it near my irrigation system so that I can add a dripper to it should we go out of town to keep it full. And if it overflows, no big deal. A little extra debris from the grass and plants around it seems to appeal to the bees.
Just to update you on the bee saga... I tried not to fret over the weekend during yet another cold snap. However, they made it through, only to have to fight off robbing by some "foreign" bees today. I quickly added the entrance reducer, but when I came back a few hours later, it was a free-for-all. (And did I mention ants? poor weak hive... if it makes it, it will be a miracle!)
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| A frenzy of bees from out of nowhere. |
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| Fighting at the hive entrance. |
{Sigh...} I feel so badly for these bees. morning Im going to further reduce the entrance and stuff it with some grass to slow down the robbing. Then Im going to pray that these new bees move on their way and that they havent killed my queen. There just arent enough bees left to defend the hive and I suspect it may have already happened by what I saw late this afternoon. With so much going on, I dont see how they even have time to collect pollen or nectar. (Is this blog starting to sound depressing? Im sure better days are ahead!)
Please share what you use to water your bees and any tips for hive robbers. Im sure we could all use some ideas!
juneau learns to conserve
The halls of the Capitol are dark. Already cool homes are getting cooler. People are line-drying their clothes and using propane lamps. If you havent heard, an avalanche took out the transmission line to Juneaus main source of power -- a hydroelectric project -- and electricity rates are expected to quintuple for the next few months as the utility shifts to diesel generators. Theres talk of businesses not making it, non-profits closing their doors, etc. The city is considering using its entire emergency reserve to avoid laying off employees, among other things.
If your electric bill was 100 bucks a month, now its 500. The question seems to be, How do I cut my consumption to one-fifth what it was, and people are thinking, suddenly, about the electricity that goes into a hot shower or hot tea.
Ive got lots of outdoors pics to put up, and will soon.
Theres also some climate news -- Gov. Palins subcabinet has chosen a bunch of people to serve on advisory and technical workgroups, including many from Fairbanks and many from environmental groups. Read more about it at the state climate change site.
Read More..
If your electric bill was 100 bucks a month, now its 500. The question seems to be, How do I cut my consumption to one-fifth what it was, and people are thinking, suddenly, about the electricity that goes into a hot shower or hot tea.
Ive got lots of outdoors pics to put up, and will soon.
Theres also some climate news -- Gov. Palins subcabinet has chosen a bunch of people to serve on advisory and technical workgroups, including many from Fairbanks and many from environmental groups. Read more about it at the state climate change site.
Homesteading Theres An App For That
Technology has certainly revolutionized life and in the area of homesteading its no exception. So why not take advantage of that technology and use it to help in the areas of quick referencing for information, calculations, calendar memos, and tracking (journaling)?
Yes, there are apps for all that. In fact, there are quite a few! But I like simple, easy to use apps... things I would use for example when Im actually OUT IN THE GARDEN and I dont have anything but my phone with me. I can do all the planning I want in the house, but when I get outside, its like I cant remember a thing!
Here are a few new favorites... All for FREE.
1. Organic Gardenings "Plant Planner".
Features include...
If you like this app, the same people offer a few others for a small fee that might be worth the purchase price such as "Store It Smart" - a quick reference guide to keeping all that produce fresh, including long term storage information.
3. Egg Vestment.
Another amazingly simple app that does only one thing really well... track your egg count and any purchases so you have a bottom line cost-per-egg. L.O.V.E. it!! Would be awesome if they made one for milking goats!
If youre a new chicken owner, those eggs may be very pricy and you dont want to go showing the bottom line to just anyone! But over time, youll see your investment pay off. And thats encouraging.
Also, this will help you set prices if you want to sell your eggs. I opted not to include my housing, but I do include the feed, new chicks, and the occasional "necessary"purchases.
4. Rain Harvest Calculator.
Im interested in rain water catchment and this little app will help me determine how much water I can anticipate from each rooftop collection site. The app includes the formula should you want to do your own, but it will make those calcs for you in US or Metric volumes.
For example, if you wanted to install a system on your chicken coop to water your own flock from rainwater, you could calculate that before hand to know what size storage containers to have on hand for all that water!
I know there a lot more out there, so please share one you really like. is an on-line community and we can all benefit from great information shared among friends. Hope these make your work just a wee bit easier and more efficient!
Read More..
Yes, there are apps for all that. In fact, there are quite a few! But I like simple, easy to use apps... things I would use for example when Im actually OUT IN THE GARDEN and I dont have anything but my phone with me. I can do all the planning I want in the house, but when I get outside, its like I cant remember a thing!
Here are a few new favorites... All for FREE.
Features include...
- Database of plants with complete planting information - herbs, vegetables, and even flowers, which makes it great for those who have potager gardens. And photos are included! If only it included companion planting information and rotation notes! Hopefully in a future update.
- GPS supported location finder identifies frost dates for your garden - this app has been the most accurate by far!
- Weather data for your area - Again, because of the GPS, its highly accurate. It even tells me what weather station the app is using to gather the info. Mine happens to be about 1.5 miles from my house.
- Option to save plants in your virtual garden for future reference. is strictly a listing and not a diagram of your garden. However, it does keep notes of planting dates and harvest dates.
- Calendar - this is a blank page for you to add dates and notes. For example, I added what I want to plant in the future so I have a reminder (no alarm on this app). Also, I included harvest dates and I plan to add dates for sowing succession plantings. Would be even better if the calendar updated automatically if you add a plant to your garden, but all in all its a great app thats easy to use.
2. Vegetable Garden Calculator.
I tend to over plant or under plant. And sometimes I just have no clue! apps features are pretty simple... just a listing of veggies and yield information. Select "add", the number of people you are planting for, and it calculates the number of plants you need. Thats it. Simple and straightforward. If you like this app, the same people offer a few others for a small fee that might be worth the purchase price such as "Store It Smart" - a quick reference guide to keeping all that produce fresh, including long term storage information.
Another amazingly simple app that does only one thing really well... track your egg count and any purchases so you have a bottom line cost-per-egg. L.O.V.E. it!! Would be awesome if they made one for milking goats!
If youre a new chicken owner, those eggs may be very pricy and you dont want to go showing the bottom line to just anyone! But over time, youll see your investment pay off. And thats encouraging.
Also, this will help you set prices if you want to sell your eggs. I opted not to include my housing, but I do include the feed, new chicks, and the occasional "necessary"purchases.
Im interested in rain water catchment and this little app will help me determine how much water I can anticipate from each rooftop collection site. The app includes the formula should you want to do your own, but it will make those calcs for you in US or Metric volumes.
For example, if you wanted to install a system on your chicken coop to water your own flock from rainwater, you could calculate that before hand to know what size storage containers to have on hand for all that water!
I know there a lot more out there, so please share one you really like. is an on-line community and we can all benefit from great information shared among friends. Hope these make your work just a wee bit easier and more efficient!
Saturday, 9 May 2015
An Easter Break
With the arrival of Palm Sunday last week, our family has begun preparing for a Passover Sedar, Good Friday, and Easter. Tonight we will host several college students and introduce them to a Christian Passover Sedar (you can read about why and how we do this here and here). With this event during a most holy week, Ive decided to take a blog break until Monday in order to spend as much time as possible with family and in worship. Please join me Monday for our 10th Barn Hop!
Praying your Easter Celebration is blessed and full of joy that our Savior is Risen indeed!
Read More..
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| Mount of Olives, Jerusalem Photo Credit |
Praying your Easter Celebration is blessed and full of joy that our Savior is Risen indeed!
Grandpa Jakes Sale!
Just passing along a great tip as I know many of you have been eyeing the Grandpa Jakes Campfire Cooker... now might be the time to make a Christmas gift purchase!
Be sure to visit Forgotten Way Farms soon. You only have 3 more days!
Read More..
Be sure to visit Forgotten Way Farms soon. You only have 3 more days!
Barn Hop 67
For the Featured Homestead this week, I picked The Parsimonious Princess! Shes had some great posts recently, but I really liked her post this past week on using chicken nipples to keep the waterer clean (a.k.a. poop-free)!
She went from this...
to this...
and had happy hens drinking clean water, like this...
Check out her blog if youd like a tutorial on how to install these chicken nipples. Ive used them and really think they work great! Mine are on a bucket hanging on the coop wall. The water lasts so much LONGER this way (by staying cleaner).
If youve been a featured blogger on the Barn Hop, either today or in the past, we now have a special button for you should you wish to add it to your sidebar stating that youve been a featured blogger! You can find it on my button page by clicking the hen with the blue barn on my sidebar that says "HR Buttons". Its a good idea to link it back to the page where you were featured so your readers can see where youre actually mentioned. (These buttons do not have a code since it needs to be linked to the page youre featured in and it will change from week to week. Just copy the button or drag it to your desktop).
Be sure youve included an actual link to the Barn Hop, preferably the button, on your post or sidebar, with a link back to us. Thank you for sharing the message about the Homestead Barn Hop!
She went from this...
to this...
and had happy hens drinking clean water, like this...
Check out her blog if youd like a tutorial on how to install these chicken nipples. Ive used them and really think they work great! Mine are on a bucket hanging on the coop wall. The water lasts so much LONGER this way (by staying cleaner).
If youve been featured in the past...
If youve been a featured blogger on the Barn Hop, either today or in the past, we now have a special button for you should you wish to add it to your sidebar stating that youve been a featured blogger! You can find it on my button page by clicking the hen with the blue barn on my sidebar that says "HR Buttons". Its a good idea to link it back to the page where you were featured so your readers can see where youre actually mentioned. (These buttons do not have a code since it needs to be linked to the page youre featured in and it will change from week to week. Just copy the button or drag it to your desktop).
Join The Barn Hop!
Jill @ The Prairie Homestead
Kendra @ New Life on a Homestead
and Amy @ Homestead Revival...
...invite you to link up and share your homesteading adventures!
Did you share any cool new homesteading tips on your blog this week? If so, we’d love to have you link up below! Even if you don’t have a blog, we always welcome your comments!
Please remember that the Homestead Barn Hop is meant to be a place to share homesteading related encouragement and inspiring ideas specfically related to homesteading. In an effort to keep our weekly round-up clutter free, links which are not specifically homestead related, and any promotions such as giveaways, contests, carnivals, etc, will be deleted in order to maintain the integrity of the Barn Hop. Please remember this is a family friendly link up. Any pictures or posts linked to the hop which aren’t appropriate for our children to view or read will also be deleted immediately. We’re pretty conservative, so we ask that you use good judgment and err on the side of caution.
Make sure that you link to your Barn Hop post, not your blog’s main page, so your guests won’t have any trouble finding your great tips!
We would also appreciate it if you would link back to the Homestead Barn Hop in the post that you share! Feel free to grab the banner at the top of this post to link back to us with.
Want a chance to be a “Featured Homestead” next week?
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Friday, 8 May 2015
gov to sue over bears
A week ago, I wrote that Gov. Palin was being rather conciliatory about the polar bear listing. The statement from her office said the state would work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service to designate critical habitat and develop necessary conservation measures. "While the state is disappointed with this decision, Governor Palin said, the state stands ready to assist the USFWS to ensure that polar bear populations remain viable for decades to come."
Today Palin announced the state would sue over the listing.
As far as I can tell, this is the first time Palins administration has explicitly expressed concerns about the impact of the listing on development (if thats indeed what Irwin was talking about). Before, the focus was exclusively on the merits of the science.
On that issue, Palin is reportedly relying on information she wont disclose from scientists who, as I understand it, arent really experts in the field. Tom Kizzia over at the Anchorage Daily News looked into where the state was getting its info and wrote this, which largely profiles the Department of Fish and Games Ken Taylor.
Read More..
Today Palin announced the state would sue over the listing.
. . . [T]he state maintains that there is insufficient evidence to support a listing of the polar bear as threatened for any reason at this time. Polar bears are currently well-managed and have dramatically increased over 30 years as a result of conservation measures enacted through international agreements and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. A listing of the polar bear under the ESA will not provide additional conservation measures. . . . The Secretary’s decision to list a currently healthy species is based on not only the uncertain modeling of future climate change, but also the unproven long-term impact of any future climate change on the species. . . .Palin said the state would also monitor -- and potentially intervene in -- litigation filed by conservation groups aimed at using the listing as a way to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. “Inappropriate implementation of this listing decision could result in widespread social and economic impacts, including increased power costs and further increases in fuel prices, without providing any more protection for the species,” natural resources commissioner Tom Irwin said in a statement.
As far as I can tell, this is the first time Palins administration has explicitly expressed concerns about the impact of the listing on development (if thats indeed what Irwin was talking about). Before, the focus was exclusively on the merits of the science.
On that issue, Palin is reportedly relying on information she wont disclose from scientists who, as I understand it, arent really experts in the field. Tom Kizzia over at the Anchorage Daily News looked into where the state was getting its info and wrote this, which largely profiles the Department of Fish and Games Ken Taylor.
. . . With limited peer-reviewed science available that concludes the bears are doing fine, however, the state devotes most of its space to challenging everyone elses work.Click here for the whole story.
That pits Taylor and his staff -- and several national consultants from the warming-is-overblown camp -- against polar bear biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey and leading international authorities in the World Conservation Unions Polar Bear Specialist Group, not to mention the climatologists of the Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. . . .
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