friendshillapiary

A honey bee only has the ability to produce about an 1/8 teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.

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As you read documentation about honey being found unspoiled in King Tut’s tomb as well as findings from other Egyptian archaeological excavations that verifies the honey as being from 5,500 years ago, you can’t help but have a sense of awe. Hieroglyphics show honey being used even long before then.

Honey is known as the super food and it’s really no surprise as to why it is touted as so, to a Beekeeper. We get to see the amazing things that honey bees do, up close and personal. What a privilege it is and it shall never be taken for granted!

This photo is close to what one-eighth of a teaspoon of honey looks like. It looks like a lot in the large picture, but in reality it’s only a few drops. Check your kitchen utensil drawer for your measuring spoons and see what it really looks like. Not likely can you find a set of measuring spoons with an eighth tsp. option. Most start with only one-quarter teaspoon.

Here are a few links to great interesting articles on the subject:

Save the Bees

Smithsoniun Magazine

Planet Bee Foundation

National Library of Medicine

Feeding the Bees in the Winter

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As we are getting another short round of winter-like weather today, I wanted to share a quick post with an activity that is relevant to our honey bee’s winter survival. In the photos above, notice how there are a lot of bees up top. There are even some on the inner cover and there are some inside the zip-lock bag as well where we have provided sugar patties inside the bag. There is a slit cut into the bag from the underside to give the bees access to the sugar. Instinctively, bees will continue to move upward as they eat their way through their food stores inside the two deep boxes. It is typical to have all of the bees in the top box by the end of winter and none in the bottom deep box. We will reverse the boxes in warmer weather as the nectar begins to flow. For more about our seasonal activities, here’s a link to our Seasons page.

Tootles, the little Sapphire Gem is a favorite on our homestead. She likes to help with the bees.

Ginger and Echinacea Tea

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Echinacea Budding
…Thy Medicine

Soothing a Sore Throat or just wanting a warm healthful beverage on a cold winter day…

Echinacea Full Bloom

Ginger and Echinacea Tea

  • Hot water to fill your cup(s)
  • 1 teaspoon echinacea flowers or prepared roots
  • 1 teaspoon ginger root, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • a few drops of Lemon juice, (optional)

Start with a tea kettle of hot, not boiling water. Boiling water will destroy some of the beneficial properties in your herbal blend as well as in your honey.

Prepare your herbal blend and place it in an infuser or tea steeper. If you don’t have a special infuser or steeper, you can use cheesecloth, cotton fabric wrapped and tied with a natural string. Or you can use a small kitchen strainer. I like using the all-natural materials for the pure quality of the flavors. Place your infuser into the cup and pour the hot water over the herbs. Let it “steep” for several minutes. You can stir in the honey at any time. The longer you steep your tea, the stronger the flavor will become. Note: with some herbal blends, less is more, depending on your own tastes.

Mix and match and add additional goodness from various other optional ingredients, like lemon juice, other fruit juices, etc.

At my home, I almost always have a tea kettle with warm to hot water on the stove at all times, in the winter. I never know when the urge is going to strike for a refreshing and uplifting cup of tea, especially on a cold winter day. Plus it adds moisture into the otherwise dry atmosphere from the home heating sources.

Enjoy!

Gardening

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Gardening is something that I have known all of my life. I have very fond memories of my Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, Myself down to my own Daughter, each with our hands (and toes) in the dirt. There’s something special in the way that a seed can be placed into the soil, the warmth of the sunshine, the sound of a gentle rain, and the huge significance pollinators play within this great circle of life.

A home garden is a form of survival. It’s knowing where your food comes from. It’s the satisfaction of the process. Home gardens are therapeutic and they offer so many healthy benefits; from the exercise all the way to the consumption. It holds the complete meaning of “Life”.

Our lives essentially, exists from the Earth. I believe that it is up to each of us to care for her. Don’t suffocate her with litter and pollution, chemicals and waste. She deserves so much better than what humankind has been doing to her over the industrialized revolution of this past century. I’m aware that culture, demographics and even morals may partly be the cause of lax in how people perceive nature. Some people haven’t had an opportunity to get up-close and personal with her. If you ever get the opportunity, reach out to those who are less than fortunate to experience the natural world.

I feel that it is in my blood to glorify nature as I see it. We get our oxygen from her, our vitamins and minerals, our food and clothing, our homes. That reality, is too often, overlooked. Nature has such an immeasurable amount of positive energy to offer and does so generously, to anyone who seeks it. My experience living as cleanly as I have, is nothing short of a Blessing. So my part in caring, is to share what knowledge I have gained through my extraordinary experiences. Reach out if you have any questions.

Here is a link to a page for Nectar and Pollen Sources that you may find helpful when planting for pollinators.

MVBA/ISBA 2023 Summer Conference

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Both, the Mississippi Valley Beekeepers Assoc., Inc. (our Local Organization), and the Illinois State Beekeepers Association, (our State Organization) has kept both Tim & I busy with the planning and development of the 2023 ISBA Summer Conference. It is being held July 14th & 15th in Quincy, IL.

It is not often that we have the opportunity to have such experienced and knowledgable Beekeepers from all over the country come together in such close proximity to our hometown!

We have a wonderful Speaker line-up, Delicious Locally Catered Foods, Live Bluegrass Music all the way from Tennessee, Numerous Vendors, (Including Friends Hill Apiary), Contests & Giveaways and so much more! For more information, you can visit Mvbees.com.

Here is also a Direct Link to Purchase Tickets.

We hope to see you there!