What do six pounds of bees look like?

I'm glad you asked. Lookee here.

Also included in each cage is a can of sugar syrup that the bees feed on during travel. This can is probably 24 oz. or so, but I'm not sure if that's included in the weight. I believe 3 pounds of bees means somewhere between 10 and 15,000 bees.

Here the cage is opened, and the can is removed, just prior to shaking them all out. Yes, I wrote "shaking." You shake the bees out, but their bodies have been sprayed down with my own sugar water concoction to limit the flying around.

The queen cage is outside of the shipping cage sitting on top of the frames. It's the bee-covered shape with the white, plastic strap hanging off of it.

Here's what it looks like after about 1/2 of the bees have been shaken out onto the open super.

After a sweaty and nerve-wracking job (Crap! Are they going to be gentle or pissed when I shake them out?) here's the hive shut up tight with some grass plugging up the entrance to give them some time to adjust.

Here's to a sweet season!

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Good reads of 2009

I haven't made a list like this in a while, and I believe I discussed most of these on the blog as I finished them, but I thought I'd make a handy short-hand list for you and me. These are only in the order I read them and do not indicate any preference. The Open Door * Frederica Mathewes-Green The Children of Hurin * J.R.R. Tolkien The Omnivore's Dilemma * Michael Pollan Agrarianism and the Good Society: Land, Culture, Conflict, and Hope * Eric T. Freyfogle Wonderful Fool * Shusaku Endo Up the Rouge: Paddling Detroit's Hidden River * Joel Thurtell and Patricia Beck Johnny Cash and the Great American Contradiction: Christianity and the Battle for the Soul of a Nation * Rodney Clapp (I started the following in December, but I haven't finished them--so far they are excellent: Love and Hate in Jamestown * David A. Price and The Picture of Dorian Gray * Oscar Wilde) Try one of these--let me know.

Worth Quoting

There are but three social arrangements which can replace Capitalism: Slavery, Socialism, and Property. --Hilaire Belloc ...

The Completely Unsexy Adventures of Constructing a Driveway

Yesterday marked the third phase in our attempt to create a homestead at the Martin Hollow. We now have a gravel driveway. Does this mean wild bacchanalia there? In a word: no. It simply saves me about 400 feet in walking when I'm carrying various tools designed to destroy decontextualized organisms, e.g. autumn olive and garlic mustard. It is also the beginning of our footprint on the land and it helps us to visualize where the house and garage will eventually be placed. The above are two views of the approach from our road which ends in a cul-de-sac (and a large pond just beyond that) to my right (north). Here's a closer view after the gravel has been added (above). This view is from the road facing south. Notice the culvert next the shovel? I told you this wouldn't be sexy. Just below is another view from the road looking northwest. You can see the bobcat tractor in the distance. This (to the left)...

I Am Not Hamlet

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