We are getting ready for the Conway Farmer’s Market this Saturday, October 11th!
Market Line-Up:
- Micro Tomato Plants
- Aloe Vera Plants
- Basil Plants
- Homemade Soaps and Beeswax products.
Coming soon: Herb Garden 6-pack, Radishes, Mixed Lettuce, and Carrots
Bees
Hello everyone, let me tell you what has been going on with the bees. We lost a small hive a month ago and are currently losing another. The first loss was due to robbing, and I’ve written about that already. This last one, George thinks, is a poor-quality queen. She might be old or just wonky as she is laying brood in what is called a shotgun pattern (see image). This describes a scattered brood pattern, indicating a problem. It does not lack nutrition, because we are feeding them, and it doesn’t appear to be diseased because we test and treat all our hives. It can happen if the queen is poorly mated, if she is a laying worker bee, etc. But we are not even going to use her brood in another hive, just in case.
In reading up on bee anatomy, we are learning that the quality of the queen is highly important to the strength of the hive in every way. The first hive that died was from a swarm (swarms usually take their old queen). The second was from a split where they made their own queen. If we had noticed the shotgun pattern earlier and purchased a new queen, then this second hive would probably have survived. It is difficult to know when to make these decisions because it means killing a queen, which we hate the idea of. But moving forward, we’ve decided to freeze them if it’s a matter of hive survival. I know I’m a softy; I own it.
Garden
George has planted around 100 cloves of garlic. These are smaller than the elephant, and he planted them in both the garden and the raised beds. I hope they do as well. He has also planted carrots and radishes in the garden, which should be ready soon.
Our indoor plants are doing very well! We still have aloe and fresh new basil, as well as some beautiful micro tomatoes. Some of our herbs from the 6-packs grow slower than others, so we are waiting to sell them when we know they will all take root.
The Market
In the past, we’ve had such a weird array of items that it has been difficult to identify our niche at the Farmer’s Market. We are listed as farmers because honeybees are considered livestock, and our focus is on our honeybees. We hope that by the end of next year, our bees will be producing enough honey that we can sell it year-round. So, while they are multiplying, we will grow seedlings and small crops that will fill the gap in honey production and help pollinators flourish; they go hand in hand after all.
Early this year, we grew a crop of crimson clover, and next year we want to add sunflowers to the mix for our bees. The soaps and balms are excellent byproducts of having bees, too. So, stick around while we try and master the art of beekeeping.
♥Bee Happy♥
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