greeting fellow pincushions

[Heritage Ranch]

hi all, i joined the ranks of bee keepers last year for the purpose of expanding and integrating more permaculture in my little farm/ranch. doing the langstroth thing for now, but considering top bars. just 1 hive for now that bailed out on me last fall and over wintered near by. (they continued to use the feeder) i fed them again this summer and hope maybe to get them to swarm next spring. in the 10 yrs i have had my ranch i had never seen a honey bee till i brought in my hive. so i dont mind them going wild, they were a captured wild swarm anyway. and my main purpose was to bring in pollinators, so i guess it was successful. they did a fine job in the garden and the local flower pots. i hope to learn lots and maybe share a thing or 2 as i gain knowledge and experience.

[Claressa]

I know what you mean about pollination. In my last two years of gardening I got a grand total of 6 squash and maybe 30 cucumbers. I never saw more than a couple lazy bumblebees. Since getting my hives this year I've had bushels. I kinda hope I've done my job well enough this year that the ladies DO swarm. More for everybody, right?

Vive la Reine!