Happy Halloween

Aren't these the cutest little clowns you've ever seen!!!!

My girls at ages 2 and 4 - many years have passed but they're still the best treats I've ever gotten.

Wake County Beekeepers at the Fair

The Wake County Beekeepers Association was the big winner at the fair this year. A really good display booth and lots of ribbons from individual members for honey, mead, photography and cooking.






A beeswax angel ornament tree.

Denton Bell's photograph with his bee beard.











Don Hopkins in the bee booth at the fair.










The webcam inside the bee booth so you could see the bees up close.

Wax Moth Control

Para-Moth (paradich-lorobenzene) is used to control wax moths. I've put my empty supers outside this year due to lack of space in the barn and some wax moth issues last year - stacked about 4 or 5 high on pallets and top and bottom closed off - then you put the moth crystals on the top super - I put mine on a paper plate - about 3 oz and close it up. The gas produced is heavier than air and will escape. It's a strong smell much like moth balls - well, it is moth balls.

The supers will be fine all winter and I'll check again to replace the crystals when needed. I'll have to air all these out in the spring before using on the hives - like you do your winter clothes if you've had them in storage. This is the only chemical I use for my bees but wax moths are nasty and will destroy foundation in a minute.

Of course, it was cold as Moses last night, so any wax moths were probably killed by the cold but better safe than sorry.

Cutest Thing at the Fair

Without question, this was the cutest thing at the NC State Fair. He was just a mess - running around, kicking up his heels, having a big old time.

A little snack - then it's time for a nap.

Wildlife in North Carolina

In the September 2008 issue of "Wildlife in North Carolina" is an article by Clyde E. Sorenson, a professor of entomology at NCSU, "Plight of the Honeybee, Flight of the Bumblebee". Professor Sorenson writes about the different types of bees - 300 to 400 species of native bees in North Carolina - honey bees, carpenter bees, digger bees, leaf-cutter bees, bumblebees, sweat bees - just to name a few.

Carpenter bees, which resemble bumblebees, are noted for excavating small round holes in houses or other wooden buildings, in addition to gathering pollen. Their tunneling rarely does any damage.

This bee is covered in pollen.

Last of the Quilt Show Photos

There were so many quilts and such a variety of patterns, colors and styles.

Quilt Show Photos

"Turning Twenty" pattern with a beautiful border fabric.

"Chubby Chicks" pattern by Teri Christopherson.

And this is a great looking quilt made from Hawaiian shirts bought from the thrift store.

Log Cabin - Courthouse Steps

Courthouse Steps

Inspired by Kaffee Fassett


These were beautiful quilts with color and more color.









And they were made by the same person for each son's graduation from UNC.







The back of the quilts looked as good as the front - pieced backings were fabrics used in the quilt. The quilting was the same on both quilts - circles.




With a little help from the "white glove lady".

Durham Orange Quilt Show

This weekend the Durham Orange Quilter's Guild http://www.durhamorangequilters.com/ held their quilt show "A Thread Runs Through It" in the American Tobacco Campus in Durham. Over 300 quilts for viewing and they were quite stunning with a little something for everyone. http://www.americantobaccohistoricdistrict.com

In the next couple of posts, I'll be showing you some of my favorites.



And since it was so doggone cold this morning, here's a small wall hanging/table runner inspired from a Christmas card.

Pumpkin Tree

I usually get pumpkins from a farmer near my Mom's but this year with the economy gone to h--- in a handbasket, I'm passing.

But for several years, I've made a pumpkin tree and I have pumpkin lights on my barn.

Hunter's Moon

October -Hunter's Moon

(also known as Blood Moon or Sanguine Moon)

In times past, autumn moons were said to help hunters tracking their prey. They could continue to track their prey by moonlight even when the sun had gone down.

Traditionally, it was a feast day in parts of western Europe and among some Native American tribes, called simply the Feast of the Hunter's Moon, though the celebration had largely died out by the 1700s.

www.nightskyinfo.com

Photo by David Haworth

Checking the Bees

These were taken Monday when we opened the hives. Just nice shots of supers and you can see brood, pollen and bees.

Bee Yard - October

Mr. Ellis also helped me with my bees on Monday - just checking everything, what needs to be done before it gets cold and as I said before, it's nice to have someone else look at your hives. Quite a change looking on Monday from the last time I opened the hives.

I had put empty supers on Hive #6, 4 and 1 on August 17th - these supers were empty when we checked Monday - they were all taken off. No wax moths which is just amazing.

Hive #6 had brood in the second super and not much going on in the brood box - they had moved up to work so we switched them around. The top super has honey in it - we removed two supers that were basically empty.

Hive #4 - The top super was empty. We did take the other super and put on Nuc #1 so now Hive #4 has 1 super and a double brood box.


















Nuc #1 - I had put a super of honey from the freezer on 9/15/08. They are okay but will need to be checked before frost.


















Nuc#2 - Added a full super of honey from Hive #4.














Hive #1 - took off top 2 supers - they were empty.

So I'll check toward the end of the month and see how they're doing. I did see a few hive beetles - not enough to be concerned with. The ants were terrible in Hive #6 and #4 - I'll be putting some used motor oil around the bottom of the hives.

Didn't see drones (those boys are toast right about now) but the bees are bringing in lots of pollen and there was brood in every hive. Seems the bees have used a lot of their stores already so I'll need to check on them again.
I'm not a big fan of feeding hives but you do what you gotta do. Sure don't want them to starve this winter.

Beekeeping Help

Monday was a bee day with Mr. Ellis helping me check my bees and also helping Ann. Mr. Ellis is a wealth of information and has been a beekeeper in Johnston County for years.

Ann's hives were in great shape other than lots of hive beetles in two of the hives. She had propolis covers on two of the hives and the hive beetles were under the tops. She's getting some hive beetle traps and that should take care of them.

Lots of brood and pollen. It's always nice to have someone with lots of experience look at your hives. And I like to look at other folks and their set-ups and how their bees are doing.

I was the photographer and sometimes smoker - I really just hung around - like these girls - they just wanted to get back home. And I got some autumn clematis from Ann so it was a good day all around.

What you doing?

Lily and the girls today - the closest she's been and that's pretty doggone close.
Dottie is the lucky girl today.

She just loves to look inside their coop and the smell . . . . . .











Here's the girls on the way back into the coop - some going and some deciding which way they need to be going!

Bayer - in the News again!

http://www.NaturalNews.com/024362.html





German government researchers have concluded that a bestselling Bayer pesticide is responsible for the recent massive die-off of honeybees across the country's Baden-Württemberg region. In response, the government has banned an entire family of pesticides, fueling accusations that pesticides may be responsible for the current worldwide epidemic of honeybee die-offs.

Another article on 9/30/08 about Bayer and the pesticide, Clothianidin, and the effect it has on honeybees. Bayer CropScience blames the honeybee deaths on incorrect application of the pesticide.

A group of North Dakota beekeepers are suing Bayer alleging that imidacloprid was responsible for CCD in that state in 1995. One-third of North Dakota honeybees died that year after imidacloprid was applied to rapeseed there.

Does this mean the US will ban Clothianidin?

Miss Minnie, Dottie and Ellie Mae

Well, last Friday I let the little girls outside for their first adventure in the yard.

Unsure how Lily would react - would I be able to get them back in the coop or would they leave and never return?

The good news - Lily is unconcerned and the girls are indifferent to her - she's just a big black something hanging around. She did want to herd them a little the first day - just helping out a little.

It was a little tricky getting them in Friday but Saturday they went in on their own. So they're getting in a routine.

Yesterday, they did great and will now go back in the coop when they're done digging and scratching. Of course, it's time to eat then so there's an incentive.

They're still not roosting and sitting on the ground at night but they'll get the hang of that too.

And no eggs - maybe soon - they sure are eating enough!

But they're so cute and silly.