Click here for info on our Spring 2010 Beekeeping Classes!
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I use two different styles of hives: Top Bar Hives (TBH) and Langstroth Hives. Both types of hives have advantages and disadvantages. TBHs are a more natural way to keep bees. A TBH does not have man-made frames on which bees draw comb; instead, the bees make their own comb. As a result, you get happier bees since they are doing what nature intended, but they do produce less honey. Langstroth Hives are the ‘typical’ box hives you see in fields and orchards. These are man-made boxes which encourage the bees to produce a lot of honey. The bees are more stressed, but they work harder.
Our bee season was not as productive as we would have liked. You can put a hive in your yard, but you can’t make it produce honey! It was a rainy, cool summer and our honey yield was down. So we’re making new plans for next year. We are going to try to move the hives in our backyard to a sunnier location. We also have several people that have already voiced interest in hosting hives on their property.
Liam will be leading two workshops at the upcoming PASA conference, Beekeeping for Beginners I and II. He will also be teaching several classes this spring, so if you’re thinking about keeping bees this year, be sure to check out the dates for our Spring classes.
We had a busy holiday season making our beeswax candles. Our candles are made with 100% beeswax with no added colors or fragrances. Beeswax burns longer than traditional petroleum based candles and creates a beautiful golden glow. Throughout the holiday season, I have been burning pillar candles on our windowsills instead of the “candlestick” lights that everyone uses. Because they don’t drip, I place them right on the windowsill and they burned for 2-3 hours each night for several weeks.
Our candles were sold at the Centre Furnace Mansion Historical Society’s Stocking Stuffer event, the open house at the Long Lane Flower Shop, and also at the Old Gregg School farmer’s market on Saturdays. We will continue to be at the farmer’s market on select Saturdays. If you are interested in placing an order for candles, please contact us for pictures and pricing. We have not gotten them on the website yet. We have a wide variety of sizes and seasonal candles and can do custom gift wrapping. We shipped gift baskets to Vermont and New Hampshire this year and got good reviews!
The schedule for Spring 2010 Beekeeping Classes can be found here.
Click below to play videos of bees at Half-Acre Farm:
Bees on a Cleansing Flight, Video 1:
Bees on a Cleansing Flight, Video 2:
If you cannot see the videos above, please click on the links to the videos below:
This Beekeeper’s Philosophy
As a beekeeper, I am committed to using minimal pesticides (as defined below) and minimizing the stress on the colonies. I do not believe that bees are only honey producing machines which live one year and then need to be killed and replaced. I believe that bees should not starve, and as such, if my bees need supplemental feeding, I will feed them a sugar solution. When I do have to feed I use non-organic sugar, simply due to the cost of organic sugar. I do not feed bees a sugar solution if I know that I will be harvesting honey from the hive. This practice dilutes the purity of the honey and is frowned upon, if not illegal.
Some of my beekeeping practices include:
Natural/Organic beekeeping practices: no non-USDA certified Organic pesticides; small cell foundation/natural comb; less intrusive hive management techniques (the bees know what is right); Integrated Pest Management
Genetic diversity is the spice of life. I use open mated queens; ‘feral’ bees incorporated into the apiary; different strains of bees, Buckfast, Italians, Carnolians, etc.
No migratory pollination services. Bees don’t naturally travel thousands of miles to pollinate certain crops. Bees are a relatively stationary organism. Migratory pollinators add undue stress to the bees, and limits the proper proteins bees need to survive.
Education is the key to understanding. Bees are a mysterious organism, they sting, they buzz and people are taught to be scared of them. However, bees are gentle creatures, sting only when necessary, and people need to ‘unlearn’ the fear of bees.
