Wild weather swings the last couple of weeks: anywhere from single digit highs, to above freezing lows & back again.
7” of snow & an 8 hour power outage Saturday & Saturday night. At least we have wood heat; a standing-pilot stove & oven; and oil lamps & candles, as well as a ton of flashlights.
Today, I ordered a package of honey bees; and bought a “complete” hive. Of course, that includes only the bottom brood box; I’ll have to add another ‘pantry box’ for the second story, and 2 or 3 honey supers for harvesting.
Also made a start on buying essential equipment for working with the bees.
We’re hoping they’ll do a better job of pollinating for us in early Spring, when the apricots are in bloom. We really have a dearth of pollinators. 50 or so pounds of honey in the Fall wouldn’t hurt, either.
Hubby has been thinking about getting some bee hives, but the focus now is the greenhouse. He’s studying various ways to heat it for year round use. Criterea: Cheap, quick, sustainable, not dependent on electricity.