It's 12 degrees Celsius under a mackeral sky. Almost warm enough to check on our bees and see how many have survived. There's a fair amount of bee skat on the upper entrance of the hive, which may indicate they've got the flu. It's that time of year my friend Brian Campbell says he knits tiny sweaters for his bees. I love that image!
What's in bloom? The winter jasmine has been blooming for weeks and the witch hazel's been out for awhile too. Yesterday I noticed pale green hazel catkins, snow drops, and the pale palette of heather blossoms. What's blooming in your neighborhood?
We are busy poring over seed catalogs, getting our lists made and sketching out our garden beds on paper and in our imagination. This year I'll be focusing on tea herbs for the bees. Let me know if you have any favorites. If you have room for a little patch of clover I'm going to get some seed and I can give you some. I just found out how much dried clover buds cost and zowee, it's worth growing your own.
Oh and if anyone has a fail-proof trap for catching mice, let me know. A family moved into our house and yet again they are über mice and avoid every kind of trap we have. And yes, they found my hive frames but I managed to move them before they did much damage. Here's hoping you all have good news when you open your hives this year: "A hive for every one and honey too."
It's 12 degrees Celsius under a mackeral sky. Almost warm enough to check on our bees and see how many have survived. There's a fair amount of bee skat on the upper entrance of the hive, which may indicate they've got the flu. It's that time of year my friend Brian Campbell says he knits tiny sweaters for his bees. I love that image!
What's in bloom? The winter jasmine has been blooming for weeks and the witch hazel's been out for awhile too. Yesterday I noticed pale green hazel catkins, snow drops, and the pale palette of heather blossoms. What's blooming in your neighborhood?
We are busy poring over seed catalogs, getting our lists made and sketching out our garden beds on paper and in our imagination. This year I'll be focusing on tea herbs for the bees. Let me know if you have any favorites. If you have room for a little patch of clover I'm going to get some seed and I can give you some. I just found out how much dried clover buds cost and zowee, it's worth growing your own.
Oh and if anyone has a fail-proof trap for catching mice, let me know. A family moved into our house and yet again they are über mice and avoid every kind of trap we have. And yes, they found my hive frames but I managed to move them before they did much damage. Here's hoping you all have good news when you open your hives this year: "A hive for every one and honey too."
