Our Honey Bees
Text Box: Here’s a list of what NOT to do when working with bees. Check the hive in the evening. Be stinky/sweaty. Wear only shorts and a tank top. Run when bees are after you. Scream! Wave your arms around. Dance around. I got stung in the butt and again on the hand. The second sting was a stinger stuck in my shirt that I got after everything settled down (after I stopped running and screaming). Olaf brushed the bees off of me but there were several stingers in my shirt.

I received a starter bee hive kit for Christmas 2006 from Olaf.  Here’s a little history on how the bee hobby is going.  I had 1 hive in 2007 and 4 in 2008.  I have 5 hives in 2009.  Spring of 2009 I decided to paint my hives colorful designs.  They look really cool in the yard and hopefully it will help the bees locate their hive easier and not go to the wrong one.
Text Box: The bees arrive in a small wire cage with the queen in the middle in her own tiny cage. It’s about 3 lbs of bees in there or 10,000 bees. Text Box: Here’s the queen in her little cage with her attendants around it. Text Box: Dumping the bees into the hive. NOTE: I’m wearing a painting suit. I found out later that it’s best to get a real hive suit has a veil to zip on. It’s amazing the confidence you get with the correct gear! Text Box: The bees are cleaning out their hive. Check out the worker bees carrying out the dead ones.

Health Benefits of Honey

 

Honey is absorbed in the body within 10 minutes. It’s a natural energy boost.

 

It’s a natural antiseptic for open wounds, scrapes and burns.

 

It will lessen your allergy symptoms when consumed daily.

 

It increases antioxidant levels which are helpful in protecting cell damages caused by free radicals.

 

Aids relief of stomach aches, stomach ulcers, diarrhea, indigestion, dehydration and gastroenteritis.

 

Honey contains the following vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5, B3 and several minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphate, potassium, sodium chlorine, and sulfur.

 

Scroll to the bottom of this page for some home remedies that can be made with honey.

More Honey Uses

 

Facial Cleansing Scrub

Honey mixed with ground almonds makes an excellent facial cleansing scrub.

Facial Firming Mask

A tablespoon of honey whisked together with an egg white, 1 teaspoon of glycerin and about 1/4 cup of flour.  Just smooth on the face, leave on 15 minutes, and rinse off with warm water. 

Moisturizing Pack

Mix 2 tablespoons of honey with 2 teaspoons of whole milk, smooth over the face and throat, and let it do its job for 15 minutes.  Rinse off with warm water, and finish splashing with cold water.

Lotion for Dry Patches
Mix 1 teaspoon of honey with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice.  Apply to hands, elbows, heels of your foot, etc., and wash off after 15 minutes. 

Chapped Lips and Acne

Apply directly to lips of face. It has great antibacterial properties.

Shiny Hair
Mix 1 teaspoon of honey into 4 cups of warm water.  Use as a hair rinse.  And if you're a blond, add the juice of 1 lemon, too.

Mouthwash
Mix 1 tablespoon of honey with a cup of warm water.  Honey cleans teeth and dentures, and kills germs in the mouth.

October 18, 2007: You would think I would have learned by now… I thought I would check on the honey bees syrup supply in the evening without any protective gear and my hair down.  I was done checking on everything and decided to toss a pollen patty onto the top of the frames filled with bees.  I did and they didn’t like it.  They started after me so I ran and tossed everything I had onto the ground, took off my jacket and tossed that and proceeded to run into the house. This whole time the buzzing wouldn’t stop. They were tangled in my hair.  Olaf wasn’t home so I thought I will jump in the shower and that should kill them. I  wet my hair in the sink to calm them and that made them more mad. I couldn’t find them so I took a towel to squish them in my hair somewhere...that didn’t work.  Now I have mad bees in my hair that I can hear but not find.  I started picking through my hair to narrow it down and when I found them I turned on the water to wash them out and that didn’t work.  Bees do not die when soaked. I removed them from my hair and put them in the sink and turned on the hot water. After a few minutes they died.  Moral of the story...jumping in a pool of water or taking a shower will not kill honey bees and always wear your gear AND never ever go near bees with long tangled hair.

A glimpse of 2008—harvested 90 pounds of honey.

I bought two more packages of Italian bees and one more of MN HYG.  My 2007 hive survived the winter and nosema. The hygienic bees are kicking butt in the honey dept.  We had a late start to the season because the bees heading to MN were in an accident and didn’t make it.  Another shipment was sent a few weeks later.  So they had a late start and combined with the cool spring that didn’t help. I had to re-queen one hive because the queen died or I squished her.  This was another educational year. 

 

I purchased a real bee keeping suit and love it.  It’s much cooler then my painting suit.  I also bought a nine frame extractor and an electric uncapping knife.  I’m ready to harvest this fall! 

 

2009 -

5 hives of honey bees
Text Box: The bees cooling off in the summer heat. Text Box: We sell raw honey for 5.00 in a 1 lb squeeze container. It’s available in September and we usually run out sometime in the spring.