Serious Eats Save The Honeybees Video

Clover

The bare spots around the beds have been seeded with Crimson Clover (Trifolium incarnatum).  Less than a week since seeding and there is substantial growth.  80 degree days in April.  Go figure.

Yellow and white clover remain to be planted in the side and back yards.

Spring Planting

The yard has been a mess since I moved in a mere 4 years ago.  It's New England, so I will still be new to the neighborhood until I have been here for 30 years.  I haven't made much effort besides growing grass (there was none when I bought the place) and moving leaves back from what used to be the yard when the house was built.

 My children consumed by the annual massive leaf fall last year.

Starting up bees has inspired me to clean up the unused, non-yard bits and plant bee friendly plants.

White Dead Nettle (Lamium Album)

Provence Lavender(Lavendula Intermedia)

Raspberries

Blueberries

Sunflowers, giant and not so giant in the raised bed

Heather and Heath

Seed beds containing Creeping Thyme, Catnip, and Echinacea

Also in containers on the porch are Cobweb Thistle (Cirsium), Calendula, Western Columbine (Aquilegia Formosa), Dune Aster, and some Rosemary.  I have more seeds that will go out later as the summer progresses.  

I put out 2 different types of flowering cherry trees and have some cherry bushes on order.  There are a couple of Black Pussy Willows freshly planted.  Needing to be rooted is a whole bunch of pussy willow branches that are sitting in a bucket of water.  

Most of the tilled soil visible around the garden boxes has been sown with Crimson Clover.  I will till up some more of the yard and seed it with Sweet Yellow and White Dutch clover in the next couple of weeks.

Speaking of summer, it was in the 80s (F) today.  Thought it was July there for a second.  It will probably snow before the month is out.

With another couple of weeks until the first package of bees arrive I will have to be content watching the local bees.

Native Bees on Heather from John Duncan on Vimeo.

First Bee of the Year

Just not the right kind :)

Bought some heather from Lowe's yesterday and the bumble was very interested. Stapling together foundationless frames for the Langstroth hive that is not the Perone style one.

How to Build a KTBH Video

Dave does an outstanding series of how-to videos on KTBH construction using Phil Chandler's plans from www.biobees.com.


How To Build A Kenya Top Bar Hive - Part 1 - Top Bars from DavesBees on Vimeo.

Apiary Management Software

I am looking at Beetight.  It covers several types of hive and tracks inspections, etc.  The application blog indicates upcoming features which include inventory management of hive parts as well.

Flowers started

Started seeds in trays today for the following flowering plants:

Sunflower Mammoth (Helianthus annuus)
Bolander's Phacelia (Phacelia bolanderi)
Dune Astor (Lessingia filaginifolia)
Western Columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
Catnip (Nepeta Cataria)
Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)
Cobweb Thistle (Cirsium occidentale)

We shall have to see how the California natives do here this summer.  Should be okay since I am starting them indoors.  They probably won't come back next year even though they are perennials because the winters are a bit cold here.