Right along with trying to avoid waste, the French Paradox should make us think more about what and how we eat.
Author Archives: sa.fifer
attacking the problem of food waste in france
Gallery
This gallery contains 3 photos.
Great post with links to more provocative reading. We all need to think about our food, the consequences of how much we waste and ways to make better use of food resources.
A closer look into the hive
Sunny, but only 57 degrees Fahrenheit today, but I decided that I had to get into the hive enough to see what food stores were like. So off came the quilt box and the frame where the candyboard USED to be. It’s completely gone just as I thought from my hasty 
peek the other day. Since it was rather breezy, I pulled only a couple frames and didn’t open the bottom hive box, didn’t look for the queen (except on the top of the frames), didn’t look for queen cells, or anything like that.
What I did find when I removed the quilt box was an empty candyboard frame. Not a crumb left, and the bees were building comb in the space left when the candyboard was devoured. I certainly was not expecting to see that. Since it was cool and breezy, I decided not to attempt to clean away the burr comb (brace comb or bridge comb are apparently all the same thing) on the top bars–I just wussed out and put the candyboard frame back on. It looked as if there was brood, and capped honey in the burr comb on top.
There wasn’t a sign of clustering–bees were spread all over the middle and upper boxes just going about doing what bees do. I just wasn’t expecting to see them actively building 
comb at this time of the year. The two outer frames in the upper box, and the middle box are being drawn too–even though bees seem reluctant to work on those–they like to go right up the middle.
When I lifted the upper box, I found some more burr comb between those two boxes–and bees spread out doing their thing. (Not the best pictures, but I didn’t spend a lot of time taking them.) There were pupae in the brace comb between the boxes which was a surprise, but I still didn’t pull frames to locate the brood. Maybe I’m overly cautious as a “newbie”, but I didn’t want to chance chilling the brood that was on the frames.
I think the weather we’ve been having is confusing the girls–I know they are confusing me–and I’m glad that the “bee school” starts Monday so I can ask 
some questions of experienced beekeepers. It’s been a strange season so far.
Those “white bees” that you see where I’ve disrupted the burr comb are the pupae–they would have started to darken like the girls and would have chewed their way out of the comb soon. I guess overall it looks as if I have a thriving hive here–and more bees on the way though the weather forecast is calling for cooler weather soon with daytime highs in the upper 30s and low 40s for the next week. Nighttime temperatures in the teens and twenties for about the next week.
After looking in the hive today, I think there is enough honey for the next bit, but I need advice from an experienced beekeeper on whether to feed–and how to do it in cold weather.
I was happy to see pollen being brought into the hive today though I don’t know where they are finding it–maybe on the Third Fork trail which is close. There was a fascinating array of colors–orange, reddish-orange, deep yellow, lighter yellow, greenish yellow, and some that could be called green or maybe chartreuse.
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14 Jan 2016 hive report
Today is grey, drippy, damp, at the very least; otherwise it been pouring rain every time I’ve had to go out to run an errand. On my trip to the hive today I saw a couple of the girls peeking out as if to check on the world without actually going out. I think it was the bee version of “yuck”.
Yesterday was sunny and warm so there bees flying and bringing in a bit of pollen. I was at least able to lift the cover and get a glimpse of the inside of the hive. The first thing I noticed was that the girls have carefully applied propolis all around the edges of the quilt box so that it is difficult to lift the shavings and burlap to see down into the hive. The cedar shavings were wet on the top, but dry down next to the burlap despite all the rain and humidity. That was good to see (and feel).
candyboard 13 Dec 15
I was finally able to tug one corner of the burlap loose to peer down to the top bars of the upper box. That immediately left me standing there with my mouth hanging open. The candyboard appears to be completely gone. Though I did not lift the quilt box off, I couldn’t see any candy left anywhere. There were bees on the top bars moving about and doing whatever it is that they do this time of year in this crazy weather, but certainly not clustered.
Looking back on my hive notes, I see that I put the candyboard on the hive on 11 November 2015. As you can see, there was a lot of it eaten by the 13th of December. (I can tell that I’m going to want next year’s candyboard to have some support in it, because I couldn’t lift this off the upper box to really look into it on that last inspection–not even a year yet and I’m developing some definite preferences for equipment.)
04 Jan 2016
Looking at the seven-day forecast, it might be warm enough tomorrow, if it’s not raining or too windy to get a better look into the hive. If not tomorrow, it’s likely to be a week (at least) before I can do an inspection.
Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping that I’m just being a worrywart, novice beekeeper, but you can see that this pollen basket is not exactly stuffed–this was taken 04 January 2016–not exactly when you’d expect bees to be bringing in lots of pollen.
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Jabberwock
I love the names of the liqueurs from the Brothers Vilgalys. Jabberwock conjures up some interesting images for me–something dark, smoky, and exciting, and maybe just a tad bit scary.
I can’t say which of these liqueurs I like best–they are all so different, so I have them all, but this one is close to the top of the list–partly because I love strong, black coffee and I like the spice of chilies.
The ingredient list for this one includes coffee, chicory, lemongrass, eucalyptus, manzano & chipotle peppers. Just like the other liqueurs from Brothers Vilgalys the flavors just unfold as you sip. There is definitely some heat–it’s going to make your mouth feel warm. With the first sip there is the “brightness” of the lemongrass and the eucalyptus, then the heat starts to build, but the heat doesn’t hide the “dark” coffee and chickory. The lemongrass and the eucalyptus come through in the nose. There’s a long, warm finish where the smokiness of the chipotles lingers, even as the heat fades. Another winner!
(It’s a fantastic addition to hot drinking chocolate–the coffee and the chickory enhancing the chocolate flavor and the chilies adding some spice.)
Greek Lamb Casserole
In the chilly, grey, damp weather we’re having now, I see this in the near future! Making the shopping list for tomorrow.
Christmas day at the hive….
I’ve just been out to take a look at the hive–I can’t help wondering if the girls boggled by the weather as I am. Sitting here working with the windows open is just not what you expect for the 25th of December.The bees are still foraging, but there is not a lot of pollen coming in, though there seems to be more today than a few days ago. Maybe more blossoms out there after the warm period we’ve had.
From the looks of the candyboard, there’s been a lot of noshing going on up there, as well as bring in what they can find. This yo-yo makes it really hard to figure out what to do with feeding. It’s been so warm that I’m now wishing that I had not placed the candyboard yet–I could still have been feeding syrup–but hindsight is so much better than foresight!
Now I’d best take a cue from these busy little creatures and get on with current indexing–do a little foraging myself for entries.
Merry Christmas, happy holidays to all!
Holiday wishes
I hope that all of you have very special holidays: good food, good conversation, with good friends–and add a little good wine too!
Happy holidays!
Hive Report (13 Dec 2015)
Warm enough today to I could open the hive and remove the strips I’d placed for Varroa mite treatment. There was a lot of activity at the front of the hive.
I didn’t do a full frame-by-frame inspection but removed all the boxes to get at the mite strips and remove the wooden entrance reducer and place a metal mouse guard for the winter.
Seems that the girls have been noshing on the candyboard already–in retrospect I probably should have waited until December to put it on, and just continued with the syrup feedings until then. But hindsight is always better than foresight.
When I lifted the two upper boxes they were heavy–so they must be full of honey. Just looking down between the frames it looked as if there was a good supply of capped honey. The bees weren’t clustered–they were busy throughout all the boxes.
The bottom box was lighter–probably because some honey has been used from there already since there’s not much for them to forage on at this time of the year even though I’m seeing a little pollen being toted into the hive.
I didn’t try to find the queen this time–with all the activity and loads of bees I assume she is in there doing her thing–and it’s too late in the season to really do anything if not. Keeping fingers crossed.
I’ll take a peek later when there’s a warmer day just to see how much of the candyboard has been devoured, and add sugar if necessary.
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Winter sunrise
My kitchen window is really the first thing that I actually attend to each day. It may well set the tone of my day–at least for what I want to eat.
It’s the view I have while getting enough caffeine into my system to become a functional person. Sitting at the kitchen table, with a café latte in hand, watching a winter sunrise is a good start for the day.
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