The Resources page has been updated with new links. It now includes info on gardening, medicinal and poisonous plats for livestock, and more. Also made a few tweaks here and there.
Hope things go well at the Michigan Permaculture Convergence this weekend. I’m committed to an annual buffalo roundup, but have some friends and family attending.
Posted in Events
Tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) is a moth pest of solanaceous crops, including tomato, eggplant, and pepper. It is closely related to tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta). The easiest way to differentiate the two species as larvae is to check the color of the “horn” at the end of the caterpillar’s body. M. sexta has red horns, M. quinquemaculata has black. Continue reading
Posted in Entomophagy, Pest Control
It has been a real treat to observe the apiary at Two Fish Farms, which now includes seven colonies. The two latest additions are a Langstroth hive and a horizontal top bar hive (HTBH) with an observation window, installed from a nuclear HTBH. I have spent many hours observing the flowering plants on the property to see what the bees are foraging on in this dry, northwestern Michigan summer. Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Practical Tips
Tagged apiculture, honeybee forage species, horizontal top bar hive
Northwest Michigan is something of a mushroom paradise. This spring, I’ve already enjoyed several different foraged mushroom species: morel (Morchella spp.), dryad’s saddle (aka pheasant’s back, Polyporus squamosus, which is not considered a choice edible, but is worth trying), and oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus spp.). And I got to enjoy the first shiitake (Lentinula edodes) harvested at Two Fish Farms from logs inoculated last year. Continue reading
As livestock is an important component of sustainable farm design, I felt it important to establish livestock at Two Fish Farms this spring. Honeybees seemed the ideal choice, as larger animals require investment in fencing for pasture and outbuildings for winter protection, as well as more regular daily maintenance than honey bees.
This spring, I’ve been constructing horizontal top bar hives (HTBHs) for the farm as I’ve had free time.
I invested in two packages of bees, and the farm invested in another three packages of bees. Packages are being sourced from Wolf Creek Apiaries and are expected this week. Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Practical Tips
Tagged apiculture, beekeeping, honeybees, HTBH, top bar beehive
I’m in the process of relocating to Two Fish Farms to oversee the farm’s development as my primary focus.
I initially visited the property last year around this time, when it was in foreclosure, the schoolhouse abandoned to mice and bats, the yard and gardens littered with trash, debris, and rusting motorized tools. Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Site News
Steller Apiaries in Jackson, Michigan hosts horizontal top bar hive (HTBH, aka Kenyan top bar hive) building workshops the first Saturday of the month February through April, and my sister and I attended the March workshop.
We’d already taken Steller’s introductory course on HTBH beekeeping and put deposits down on starter nuc colonies from Steller, so we were anxious to get our first hives built.
Keith and Jessica Steller are both very friendly and knowledgeable, and are a great resource for alternative beekeepers in southern Michigan. Continue reading
Comments Off on Horizontal Top Bar Hive Construction
Posted in Beekeeping, Equipment and Gear, Practical Tips
Tagged apiculture, beekeeping, honeybees, horizontal top bar beehive
Inspecting a top bar hive at Steller Apiaries
I’ve created a page on Beekeeping, (and fixed the broken links initially posted, oops) and I’m very much looking forward to starting multiple horizontal top bar hives in 2013. And not just because I can’t wait to make my own mead…
The page includes some general information, helpful tips, and links to local sources for package bees, hive building plans, and Michigan beekeeping organizations, just in case anyone else gets a case of honeybee fever…
And I just added a couple more links on a new alternative hive design that is very interesting, the Sun Hive (German: Weissenseifener Haengekorb), a rounded Biodynamic design that is like a Skep hive, but uses crescent-shaped comb guides.
Posted in Beekeeping, Site News
Tagged alternative hive design, apiculture, beekeeping