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.