Drstratton - My Backyard Journey Journal

[drstratton]

I love fresh eggs! Years ago when I built my first coop, my first egg cost $730. After that, the rest were free!

That was one expensive egg...

I should count my honey production like that too...

How did you know I needed a good laugh just now!

 

[SageHill]

The buckwheat is in full bloom. We figure it's about 160 acres.

Dale walked out and said there are bees all over it. Of course it's not just our bees. They also have hives set out by the fields. And I'm sure everyone who keep bees in the area are working this field.

We've got wild buckwheat growing here. Not sure if it's even close to that - but I do snap off a huge "bouquet" of it to top of the morning feed. My sheep think it's candy.

 

[drstratton]

We've got wild buckwheat growing here. Not sure if it's even close to that - but I do snap off a huge "bouquet" of it to top of the morning feed. My sheep think it's candy.

What a great treat for them.

 

[farmerjan]

Happy Tuesday!
Somebody started laying while we were gone!

It's Astrid! She came in the coop as I was posting that someone layed...lol I knew she was getting close. She's 15 weeks, so since I have 3 eggs and another coming today, she started right at 14 weeks.

I just put down fresh straw, she wasn't sure at first, they've only had shavings, but she figured it out.

On the bee front...no guard bees came after us...lol

15 weeks???? Are you sure you meant 15 weeks???

 

[drstratton]

15 weeks???? Are you sure you meant 15 weeks???

Yes, they were hatched on April 30th. I'm calculating she was actually a couple of days over 14 weeks.

Definitely sooner than I was thinking. But, I knew she was close.

This is Astrid! She's an Aquila. Which is a cross of a Black Australorp and Rhode Island Red, with a little White Plymouth Rock mixed in. She matured very quickly. I have a Barred Plymouth Rock, that looks just as close to laying.

This was taken on August 13th.

 

[drstratton]

Dale spotted another buckwheat field today that we didn't realize had been planted. It's about the same distance as the first field from our house. Should be a good flow.

 

[fuzzi]

Yes, they were hatched on April 30th. I'm calculating she was actually a couple of days over 14 weeks.

Definitely sooner than I was thinking. But, I knew she was close.

This is Astrid! She's an Aquila. Which is a cross of a Black Australorp and Rhode Island Red, with a little White Plymouth Rock mixed in. She matured very quickly. I have a Barred Plymouth Rock, that looks just as close to laying.

This was taken on August 13th.
View attachment 120620

She is gorgeous! And love the name, my great grandmother was Astrid, but the "d" was silent.

 

[drstratton]

She is gorgeous! And love the name, my great grandmother was Astrid, but the "d" was silent.

When I was coming up with names for my girls I did a search for elegant names for twin girls. I imagine your great grandmother was an elegant lady!

 

[drstratton]

Good morning all and happy Wednesday!

Waxing foundations for a new honey super. I don't expect this to be drawn and filled. But, we are hoping for more drawn comb for next season.

I've probably said this before, but I've learned that it's best to wax the foundations before popping them into the frames. If you wax after it's in the frame it can warp. It also allows me to get wax all of the way to the edge. I warm a block of wax and use it like a crayon.

 

[drstratton]

I think I'm going to try an experiment. The prewaxed frames always have a smooth look to them. We forgot a deep frame and left it in the sun. It was halfway under something. When I found it the half that was exposed had that same smooth look. First I'm going to try the heat gun on a low setting to see if I can achieve that. If that doesn't work, I will set them in the sun. I will do 4 like that and leave the other 4 as they are after I've rubbed the wax on. I want to see if the bees prefer one over the other. I will mark the frames so I can be sure of what they are when I check them.

I will checkerboard (alternate) the frames. I've noticed that bees will sometimes fill out one side of a box first. I think checkerboarding will give me a better idea of what they prefer. I'm also hoping to see if one works better than the other to eliminate the chance of wonky comb.

Maybe it won't make a difference, but it will be good to know either way.

This is the frame that was melted in the sun. I wish I would have thought to mark it.

The super frames are yellow so it's harder to see the wax. You will have to zoom in.

Rubbed

Rubbed and heated

We will be installing the super tonight or tomorrow.