Napa Valley Bee Company

Honey Press Video

I know I have been over it a zillion times, but man, do I love the idea of letting my bees build their own comb. We don't have to go into it here, but it's super biodynamic to let the bees create wax and construct their hive. Gunther Hauk talked about it in his book, which I can't find my copy of right now, but you should really spend five and check it out -- it changed the way I'm managing my bees. I guess the main reason I'm embracing it is because fundamentally it's right for the bees. Why use foundation imprinted with a pre-determined cell size -- whether it's plastic or wax. Let the bees decide what cell size they want -- 4.9mm, 5.4mm, or whatever...quit trying to muscle them with your agenda. You know, I really can't stand people telling me what to do, why should I tell my bees what to do? Another reason I'm sold on foundation-less hive management is because if for any reason you need to cut a chunk of comb out of a frame it is like cutting butter. Don't get me wrong, I've heated a knife to red-hot with a torch, it will cauterize straight through plastic foundation, but there are easier ways to get a queen cell off a frame safely. 

Last year I was working with my boy Serge on rearing queens using the Hopkins method. Most of mine failed but the one thing that was a major success was how easily I was able to access those day-old eggs by simply and effortlessly cutting only straightup comb, no foundation. Maybe next spring I'll go into it more, but don't trust me -- seems like some of these other guys like Serge, Randy Oliver, or Michael Bush are much better at it.

Here is the biggest reason I choose to let my bees build their own comb:

http://gallery.me.com/megsmith/100605

Keeping it real, I'm not a hater I just crush a lot.

 

Thug Style!

Flight of the bumblebee.... kind of!

 

Why is it every time I see bee hives that don't belong to me I'm drawn to them like a moth to a flame? Even if they're not my business, I can't help it. I should be MYOBB - Minding My Own Bee Business.

It's a sickness, I'm all-consumed by wanting to open them up and check out how the bees are doing; well that, and more importantly, how is the beekeeper managing the hive? I'm not talking about pulling a bunch of the frames, checking the brood and all, just a little peek at the top bars to see the size of the cluster. Okay, I lie, it's not past me to pull a frame or two especially if I have a hive tool handy, and in a pinch I've done it with a pocket knife too. It's bad, really bad. Don't hate me, I'm only thinking...why not? We're all in this together, no one should have anything to hide, right? Don't worry, I'll let you know I've been there. And sure, if you want to pop into one of my colonies, I'm all good. Just don't roll my queen. Truthfully I had never dreamt of opening someone else's hive, at least without asking, until that one day I ran into a small group of colonies off the side of the road while I was out riding bikes with the boys. Okay, so I'm the ring leader, but they're all beekeepers too, they know the drill. These particular green hives were pretty ghetto -- no inner covers, the top covers were all but falling apart, and all the boxes were straight up - jacked up - the whole nine-io -- nasty! What kind of beekeeper keeps their bees in those conditions? Why is it against the law to mistreat a dog or cat but a beekeeper can keep bees on old janky diseased gear with no regulations, right..?  That's what I'm saying. My boy Jason Beeman said it best, "It's better to be a honeybee hero than a honeybee zero". Whoever owned these hives were plain  negligent. That day we didn't open the hives, it was too cold and drizzling so we rode away...but only 'til the next sunny day. Yeah yeah yeah, so you're not down..?  Just don't slip up off your bee path. Be a bee keeper not a bee haver. For all the bee ballers out there trying to do the right thing we're already looking at a long uphill battle, we don't need anymore obstacles from the beeks not up on their game.

Tighten up!

I'll let you know I've been there...

 

 

 

 

If you like honey you need to read this...

Interesting...

Giving it the squeeze...

I am processing more and more of my honey through a little tabletop wine press. It kinda sucks cause, my God, it takes forever and my kitchen is perpetually sticky, but well worth it!
I'm over forcing my bees on foundation -- predetermined cell size is counterproductive to what the bees know and want to build themselves.  Beeple < bee people >  LET YOUR BEES BUILD THEIR OWN WAX for crying out loud.

As for filtering, all I use is a utensil consisting of a wire or plastic mesh held in a frame, used for straining solids from liquids, for separating coarser from finer particles, but not separating pollen from honey.  Oh,I guess it is generally referred to as a sieve...!

Okay, if you don't believe me, check this out:

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isnt-honey/

 

Working the bees with Davis

(For those of you who don't know, I have a 7 year-old son that has always been into bees. I'm pretty sure "bee" was the first word he learned how to say. I have been taking him out to my apiaries since he could barely walk. Now all of a sudden he really wants to help and be more than just the "smoker kid".)

Spent the last few days working bees with Davis, I figure in another decade or so he'll be able to take over this menagerie I'm creating. He has totally stepped it up with the bees. Last week Davis was giving the tours to the guests who came to visit the trailer at the Napa Valley Museum. He told me he wants to teach them everything he knows about bees. I'm blown at how accurate he is. Check him out:

Assessing the bees in the observation hive before his lecture. Will ya' look at that cluster? Massive!

 

Looking for the queen.

 

Pulling frames at Hesta Farm.

 

Looking for day old eggs.

 

Really focused on finding that queen.

 

 
There she is! He was pissed when he saw she was marked, "That's not fair"!

(I'll explain why I'm marking queens later.)

 

Davis, a frame of bees, and our new bee-dub at Andy Erickson & Annie Favia's place.

Getting down on it!

A few Davis took of me:

These bees are bumpin'.

Writing up records, a necessity!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Too busy for words.

So your mostly getting pictures this time:

The bees are all over the onion flowers at the farm.

I guess there's a place in Napa called Beehive Peak. How awesome is that? How la-may is it that I've never heard of it or been there? Really.... I saw it in Chuck O'Rear's new book Napa Valley.

Holding bees at Calistoga Ranch

Calistoga Queen

Super cool comb bees built in a fire box on Peartree Lane.

Bees in Billy G's roof.

 

Teak hives on their new deck:

Moving the teak hives with a refrigerator dolly

Gorgeous aren't they?....

No really....

 

Father's Day swarm removal:

I'm on a roof- I'm on a roof.

These guys were absolute bee ballers, seriously, they did a stellar job wrangling bees for the first time. That big kid got half the swarm dumped on his head and stayed true. Not that it matters, but they are from Colorado.

I know, I was just on about those guys from Colorado being the bee ballers but really... Check me out. The following night after I hived the swarm, I shuffled that fatty double decker hive, zero emission style, on my bike. While your at it, check those bling bling tires!

Light didn't work so well for seeing in front of me while riding home, but it sure made for great photos.

I I I saw the queen the next day releasing the bees at College Ave., so now you can too.

 

Bees at the bed and breakfast:

Not too big - not too small - but all and all they're in the wall.

Long narrow comb with cocktail mermaids holding the pieces together. I caged the queen cause I didn't want her to split, litterly!

 

 

Hitchhikers:

I picked up Barret and Brian hitchhiking in Rutherford, dropped them off a day later and 7 miles closer to their destination. Learned a lot about thumbing it and jumping the train.

Hitching a ride to go work the bees at Calistoga Ranch

 
  Rudy von Strasser hitching a ride on the back of my beekeeping splitty.

 

Zero emission swarm removal

Last week I decided to ramp up my "zero emission beekeeping" a notch by doing a swarm removal on my bike. Now, I've already done several hive removals with my crew on bikes before, but this is the first time I actually rode a swarm home on two wheels! Towards the end of last season I found that the only chance I had to get in any spin time during the week was if I started peddling to some of my clients apiaries. It's pretty nice zig-zagging up and down the valley between Highway 29 and Silverado Trail. I'm loving it so much that now I am offering it as a service through the Napa Valley Bee Company. Yep, I'm committed to living the beekeeper-cyclist dream through sustainable living. Literally, that's how we roll around here! Wait 'til you see the trailer I am having made to tow behind my hoopty for the project...The bees from this particular swarm flew from a massive, old oak tree in North Napa behind the old Red Hen, you can see the tree from the freeway. Every year we can count on a primary and secondary smaller swarm splitting from this beautiful old oak. Last year the colony we collected did astounding, so well in fact, we put them in our indigenous bee breeding program after just one season. This year's swarm appears to be doing just as well, currently up valley at the Montessori Farm.

Here is a quick little video my neighbor Dave made as we rode home:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jmXGgjBX_s

 

This is what I saw when I first arrived at about 8:30 am on 4.11.11

 

This is what they looked like close-up.

 

This is what they looked liked hived up on the front of my bike close-up.

 

This is the note that was left on the door explaining the swarming bee sitch.

Take home message here is:

Ride your bike whenever you can...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chaenomeles speciosa in my pie holiosa

Looks can be deceiving with the flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa). But not to Donna Bonick who called me earlier today to tell me the bees are all up on the eight plants she has around her property. She said the bushes were actually humming as she walked by. Note to self... this is a great early spring forage for the bees. I have a pretty big apiary out on the Bonick farm in the Carneros so any forage is good forage when it comes to the C-side. The honey from that area has a truly unique flavor, could it be the quince?... Most of the year this shrub is a mass of tangled, thorny branches with mundane foliage. But, in spring the beast becomes a beauty with showy single or double blossoms. In October we are rewarded with apple-pear like tart fruit that makes a great marmalade, jelly, or Honey-Poached Quince Pie. Check it out: (http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/honey-poached-quince-pie/Detail.aspx) and the picture Donna sent me from her cell phone.

Thanks Donna!

 

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A couple great reads for a rainy day.

 Super excited about this rain, although it's really putting me off my hive winter preparation. But hey, if it's any indication of the winter, we'll have a bumping spring for our bees. Just because it's raining doesn't mean you don't have to think about your bees. Start figuring out what you're going to plant around your yard or apiary to help contribute to the year round nectar & pollen sources you all ready have. I personally will be looking very closely at California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum foliolosum). But for now here are a couple great book recommendations for this rainy day...

I have been revisiting a fabulous book Michael Theile (http://www.gaiabees.com) told me about a year or two ago. Michael has made me re-think a number of my beekeeping practices. I knew Buzz had to be good because he believes it to be the new Bee Bible, replacing The ABC XYZ of Beekeeping. Don't bee put off by the silly name, the pictures are amazing and the text left me dreaming about bees as I fell asleep reading in bed. Also when I went to order the book on Amazon Michael had written a raving review, the only reviw, but it was raving! I figure if he's behind a book enough to spend time writing the first review about it, it's gotta be good enough for me. And I'm convinced it's a good enough book for you. Few books really change to way I manage bees but between The Buzz about Bees and Gunther Hauk's Toward Saving the Bees I am a changed - more informed - beekeeper.

It even comes in Arabic!

هل لديكم الكثير النحل تزدهر منك قراءة هذا الكتاب

May your many bees prosper from you reading this book.

Here's what Kim Flottum has to say about The Buzz - in English not Arabic. I definitely agree with him on this one!

 

 

This is a great read too. A little BD wooo-wooo, but he has a lot of information that just makes sense, although I am being told by my father-in-law that Biodynamics are a hoax and Rudolf Steiner was a complete nutcase, a flimflam man with a tremendous imagination, a combination if you will, of an LSD-dropping Timothy Leary with the showmanship of a P.T. Barnum. Hummmm, we'll have to get him to drop in here for a little guest blog sometime soon.

Check him at:  http://biodynamicshoax.wordpress.com/

 

Here is another book that has been recently recommended to me by none other than our local cover crop cowboy Mark Griffin. In an e-mail he says "Rob, I just got a killer book called Honeybee Democracy, have you seen it?  Bomb"! At the time I hadn't seen the book, but subsequently with a lil' help from the information super highway I found a link to Bee Culture's site where you can read Chapter 3. From the 10 page pdf the book looks really great, kind of a hybrid... with the knowledge in The Buzz and the real life experience I've read in the books of Sue Hubbell. Honeybee Democracy looks like it's well worth the cover price and it appears you can order it from Princeton University Press where you can catch a read of chapter 1. So between Bee Culture and the publisher's site all you'll need to come up with are the Prologue, Chapters 2, 4 thru 8 and the Epilogue  -http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9267.html

As a quick side note speaking of Bee Culture, I'd highly recommend you all sign up for Kim Flottum's Catch the Buzz. To get you the very latest information from the world of beekeeping and all the things we touch as fast as possible, Catch The Buzz.

Sign up here: http://www.beeculture.com/content/catch_buzz.cfm

Although last time I tried to subscribe it didn't take, I've been ripping off the link every time I see it posted on the Sonoma Beekeepers Yahoo group. Ettamarie Peterson is the best for disseminating information.

Till the next rainy day.... feel the democracy and catch the buzz.

Up coming bee stuff you need to know about

Bee people,

I want to let you know about a couple bee classes and events coming up that you, or someone you know, might be interested in:

 

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Urban Beekeeping with the Solar Living Institute in San Francisco

This Saturday, August 28^th I am teaching an Urban Beekeeping class through the Solar Living Institute in San Francisco. We’ll cover all aspects -- or as much as we can in a day! -- of introductory beekeeping. Topics include how and where to get bees, sustainable hive management, and a little bee biology. This is a one-day class and I always look forward to it because of the fantastic location. My long time honey homeboy Michael Emery opens his beautiful Union Street flat to us for a full day of bees, art, and incredible views of the bay and Alcatraz. After all the bee talk and lunch in North Beach we finish the day with a hands-on hive inspection of Michael’s roof top hives.

http://www.solarliving.org/store/default.asp?catid=,0

GA 102: Urban Beekeeping
Aug 28 2010, 9am-5pm

In this introductory course, students will learn the basics associated with starting and managing a sustainable bee hive in an urban setting.  Though a somewhat unlikely setting, cities are excellent environments for keeping bees if permitted by municipal code.  This course will introduce students to the basic concepts and terminology associated with urban beekeeping, as well as the equipment necessary for keeping a successful hive.  Students will learn what steps are necessary for establishing their own hive and ensuring its success over the ensuing beekeeping season.  This course will be a mixture of lecture, discussion, and hands on.

$80.00

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Beekeeping and Preserving Your Bounty with Michael Lauher at Connolly Ranch

 

A little more on the local Napa front, Michael Lauher and I are starting our next class at Connolly Ranch, which will be a series of 4 Thursdays starting the 2^nd of September. We’ve decided to mix it up slightly as far as conventional beekeeping classes go. One thing we have seen happening over the past few years is that to be successful at beekeeping one has to be a good gardener too, and the same for gardeners – they need too to have a clear understanding of honeybee husbandry. To get the most out of your garden it takes having healthy, productive bees in the immediate vicinity. Michael and I have been looking very closely at what our bees are pollinating and how we can best utilize their efforts. Last year for one of the beekeeping classes we had a canning and preserving night that was so popular we decided to up it a notch this season. The Connolly Ranch kitchen is perfect for large scale canning projects; last year we canned amazing peaches in honey, local pickles that were unreal, and canned tomatoes that my Italian mother cried over! So...this session we’ll offer a class in beekeeping where we will visit local beekeeper’s apiaries for group hive inspections, and double back on exactly what the bees are providing – local produce we can harvest and put up for later consumption. So, if you have hives that need attention or an orchard that is dropping fruit this might be the class for you.

Beekeeping and Preserving Your Bounty

People seem to be using any available land to grow vegetables, fruits, and keep bees. With all this food being grown in your own backyard, what are you doing with all that excess produce? The logical thing is to preserve the bounty for later use. This class will focus on beekeeping and zero emission honey production but will also cover canning and making preserves from locally grown fruits and vegetables. Get hands-on experience with bees, honey, and canning in Connelly Ranch Kitchen. 4 weeks

$85

http://www.adulted.nvusd.k12.ca.us/classes_commint_se.html

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Summer Hive Check-up at Nimbus Arts

When it comes to beekeeping, “what’s good for the Napa goose is good for the St. Helena gander”. Join Nimbus Arts and the St. Helena Montessori School when we open their amazing apiary for a series of classes to assist the up valley beeks with their hives. Starting September 28^th for four consecutive Tuesdays I’ll be hitting the north valley highways and byways visiting apiaries of students that want to make sure their bees are on track for successful over-wintering. Remember, September and October is the time your colonies are raising the bees that in-turn will be rearing the winter bees. The winter bees are vital to the hive during winter for a productive hive in the spring. Let’s catch any problems early while we can still remedy the situation before our bee hands are tied and there’s not much we can do later in the fall. My experience has been that primarily one of two things kill bees in the winter; the varroa mite, or small colonies that just don’t have the numbers to get them through the cold months. Both those things we will be able to clearly diagnose and address during this class.

Summer Hive Check-up
Instructor: Rob Keller
Wondering how your hives are doing? Want to see how other beekeepers in the valley are keeping their bees? Nimbus is scheduling apiary visits to Napa's top beekeepers. Don't wait until it's too late - have a hive check-up before fall, and learn from each other! This course will cover a fall hive inspection with a written record and photos of each student's apiary. We will cover wintering preparations and building stronger colonies going into winter and other suggestions. A great class for new and experienced beekeepers! $85

BEE-3 Teen/Adult | Tues, Sept 28 and Oct 5, 12 and 19, 6:30-8:30pm

http://www.nimbusarts.org/

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Solfest September 25 and 26th  at the Redwood Empire Fairgrounds Ukiah, Ca.

and lastly....

September 25 and 26^th I will roll my world’s largest mobile honeybee observatory up to Ukiah for Solfest. Long before I started working for the Solar living Institute I heard about these unbelievable green festivals they held yearly in Hopland. Since that time the green gala has gotten far too big for SLI to hold at their compound and has had to move it to the much larger Redwood Empire Fairgrounds. Admittedly, this is my first year attending the celebration but if I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it big. Solfest is the perfect venue for my converted 1966 26-foot Airstream showing off the secret life of bees -- by way of an 8 foot high two-sided observation hive. Seriously, if you haven’t seen the trailer yet do yourself a favor and hop on over to Ukiah and check this out for a day... or two. I’ll be there with my Apis posse Michael Lauher, my neighbor Dave with his balling tow vehicle, and my 6 year old beekeeping son Davis. Who knows...maybe even Jason Beeman will join us. We’ll be causing a ruckus, rocking the big silver bullet full of bees. I think I’m even meant to give a lil’ seminar for an hour sometime Sunday. Really, it’s all about me and my bees – oh, and keynote speaker R.F. Kennedy, Jr.! Drop by, say you read this and we’ll give you a beer.

Solfest

As we move into the next decade we look for sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions to guide us into the future. At SolFest we bring together a world class selection of speakers and panelist to discuss both local and global issues.

Come and be a part of the change for a better world, discuss and share your ideas.

http://solfest.org/index.html

Bee how to

Hey there, this is Clay Newton. I'm Rob's web/social media guy. I help Rob get online and preach the bee gospel, and in exchange, he's hooked me up with a hive and makes sure the ladies are happy. We're drinking coffee, rapping about art, and making some updates.

We're creating a new section called "Bee How To" which will help you tackle some of the sticky issues in bee keeping. Keep coming back for some tasty knowledge.