To top off a great day, a taste of a few morals will do it just right!!
Bees are buzzing, birds are back, and flowers are blooming. We are 1 1/2- 2 weeks ahead of our usual time markers foe the above. Last year we had 20" of snow on May 1st and 2nd...not a pile of snow in sight today and 63 degrees. As you can see in the video of the hive house, bees are very busy. https://youtu.be/FaPniGKonIo An hour before I took the video, many bees were coming in loaded with bright yellow pollen. It just shut off like a faucet...hmmm? At this rate, you may need to add a box to your new packages, mine had filled 3/4 of a deep, so I added a medium. Established hives are building fast also.
To top off a great day, a taste of a few morals will do it just right!!
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It sure has! Life here in the Far North has been busy. See the pics for the latest little "dustin" that we just had. Sure was glad to get it for my "hive insulation..I always feel better when they are actually buried.
March 30, 2024 is the date for the all UP area Bee Conference. After a 3 year absence, there is a great conference being put together and registration is now open... **************************** The Upper Peninsula Beekeeping Conference is back in 2024!! A conference dedicated to the special challenges of keeping bees in Northern climates. Saturday, March 30, 2024 Glenn T. Seaborg Center on the campus of NMU Come to Marquette for a day packed with "all-things-bees"! Keynote by Dr. Meghan Milbrath, followed by four tracks of concurrent sessions, four sessions per track. Additional speakers include Ana Heck, Dr. Adam Ingrao, Charlotte Hubbard, Mike Connor, and several local folks who are steeped in knowledge of beekeeping and habitat. There will be vendors on hand and lunch is included in the ticket price. For more information, including program schedule, session descriptions, and registration, or to jump directly to the registration page use the buttons below. Conference information Registration ******************************** Stay warm and see you in March Joel The Superior Beekeeping Club is hosting “BEEKEEPING 101”!!
Peter White Public Library Community Room Saturday, March 19, 2022 – 10am to 3pm (one-hour lunch break, “on your own”)
Masks are required in the library. Hello all, It has been a long time since I last posted...March of 2021. Much of our club activity has been very diminished over the last two years, as has been true of many other activities. Stay tuned for more info. on our Beekeeping 101 class on Saturday March 19th at the Peter White Public Library in Marquette. It sure will be nice to return to at least some semblance of normality. The bees this winter appear to be surviving the recent cold (-10 this morning). Although snowfall is about normal, 120", due to earlier warm ups, our snow cover is not as deep as normal. I like to see my hives buried this time of year. For those that have wondered what I have been doing these past months: * Woodworking as usual * Making lumber on my small sawmill * Continuing the maple syrup making...coming soon * Working the bees, extracting honey, making candles * Spending time in the sitting(writers cabin). I did a bio. of my Dad and an autobio., which is all part of a larger family history project * Still making 50-100 gallons of cider in the fall * Canning in the outdoor kitchen * Tending gardens *Time with the grandkids * Making new trails through the woods Twice a week sauna time *As always cutting firewood ** New to me is art...oil painting, acrylics, and charcoal pictures. I am taking an art class from Marlene Wood at the Marquette Library. I was inspired by my 9 year old grandaughter, Sorrel and her beautiful art work.She has since moved to Maine, but I am continuing to take the class. This is certainly a new adventure for me. As you can see,I tend to stay a bit busy. I fully intend to wear out, not rust out and will have a good time doing it:)
Hope to see/hear from you soon. Just updated the wildflower gallery. I have certainly been a bit slow with this. I am watching 5" of heavy snow blow around..should melt away soon. Maple sap season has been very erratic..it started early while I was in Tennessee. Made 2 gallons of syrup and nothing since. New bees coming in mid-April and I have a lot to do to get ready.
I couldn't get this picture to go in the post yesterday. It has been very cold here for the last three weeks, but not much snow. Our normal at this time is about 130"..this year only about 80". There are UP areas that have really been hit in the last 1 1/2 weeks with 2-5' of snow..yikes! Normally these hives would be buried.
January 2021
It’s been a while!! I last posted back in May of 2020 which seems like a lifetime has passed since then. So many normal beekeeping activities have not happened….club activities, group extractions, classes, planning sessions, and conferences. Beekeepers tend to be pretty hands on people and on-line activities are just not the same. That said, we should try for the next best option, which revolves around zoom type activities. It appears the Michigan Beekeepers Association has put together a virtual conference on March 3rd-6th. It looks like they have put together an impressive lineup of speakers. Some have been here at our UP conferences in the past..Charlotte Hubbard, Meghan Milbrath, Anna Heck, and Rich Wiske. ********************************************** Just in from Michelle at the Superior Beekeeping Club Michelle Landis Superior Beekeeping Club 18tsSponirnsoreedh · Ok this is first come first serve. Due to the cancellation of the Upper Peninsula Beekeeping Conference in 2020 and the lack of a 2021 Conference. The Superior Beekeeping Club has paid for a limited amount of seats at the Virtual Michigan Beekeeping Association Conference. https://www.michiganbees.org/spring-conference/ Please PM me to receive a code for registration. This opportunity is for members of an Upper Peninsula based club. I will be working a midnight tonight and will have the opportunity to respond through out the night. So please feel free to message at anytime. But still be patient it may still take several hours for me to respond. ********************************************** *This certainly has been an unusual UP winter to this point. We have about 75” of snow so far, but should have 120 in a normal year. My hives are usually buried at this time and are now exposed to 10-15 below 0 in the morning and a high of around 7 during the day. How come we never get the perfect winter, spring, summer, or fall ?? *I recently made a quick video on making simple beeswax candles for my grandson and his friends in Tennessee. Check it out here if you have an interest….https://youtu.be/Brza4NVGdLg *I just finished a longer term project that those of you that have been here and have seen the old 1870’s log cabin here on the property, might like to see. It has a few issues, but you will get the gist…nothing to do with beekeeping..a historical video. https://youtu.be/bwlt4UjgQng What a crazy spring in more ways than one. Seven of the 1st 9 days of May have had us with morning temperatures in the low 20's. So much for our bees coming 2 weeks later than normal and all of us expecting balmy weather. No real warm up(50's) coming until Wednesday. My bees may miss out on the maple tree blossoms altogether..keep feeding your bees!
With local clubs not meeting, MSU, Meghan and Ana have stepped up to produce some informative beekeeping resources..see https://pollinators.msu.edu/resources/beekeepers/ May in the North Country: Good morning all,
Please check out the following zoom webinars hosted by Michigan State University. With local meeting not happening at this time, the one tonight on hiving packages would be especially helpful to new beekeepers. All of you please take care of yourselves and also prepare for the "coming of the bees." First-Year Colonies: What to Do When the Bees Arrive Tuesday, March 31st, 2020 at 7pm EST You may join the Zoom webinar online (recommended so you can see images) at https://msu.zoom.us/j/120541110 or via phone: +1-312-626-6799 (Webinar ID: 120-541-110). This webinar is intended for first-year beekeepers. Supplemental materials: video on purchasing bees, video on installing a nuc, and video on installing a package Established Colonies: Early-Season Management Thursday, April 2nd, 2020 at 7pm EST You may join the Zoom webinar online (recommended so you can see images) at https://msu.zoom.us/j/648413775 or via phone: +1 -312-626-6799 (Webinar ID: 648-413-775). This webinar is intended for beekeepers with overwintered colonies. Supplemental material: MSU Bee Blog (subscribe for updates) Established Colonies: Preparing for Swarm Season Monday, April 6th, 2020 at 7pm EST You may join the Zoom webinar online (recommended so you can see images) at https://msu.zoom.us/j/343539256 or via phone: +1-312-626-6799 (Webinar ID: 343-539-256). This webinar is intended for beekeepers with overwintered colonies. Supplemental material: Swarms: the biology and control of swarms in northern states article The following is primarily from my Michigan Bee Association UP report:
* Today is March 20th and and our bees still have 2 feet of snow on the ground and winter storm today.
Click here for a printable Michigan Beekeeper's Association (MBA) membership form. Click here for a list of MBA benefits. |
Joel LantzKeeper of bees. Archives
February 2022
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