Video of our Swarm Capture

Here is a video of the swarm capture from Brehm School yesterday.  As I mentioned, this was my first time capturing a swarm by myself, and it shows.  I made quite a few mistakes, but I learned quite a bit as well.  The next one should go better, though since it resulted in a successful catch, I guess it went OK.


https://www.facebook.com/Brehm.Preparatory.School/videos/768872643281175/

BEE-autiful II...and III!!!

Two weeks ago we were afraid we wouldn't get any bees this year.  If you want to buy bees, you need to order them in February to insure delivery, and we here it was April when we were getting set up.  But now...we are on our third hive, all caught from swarming bees.

You might remember Jim, our beekeeping neighbor, from whom we acquired our first swarm.  His bees swarmed again, he invited us to take them, and on Monday, we captured a swarm even bigger than our first one.

Here you see a video neighbor Jim took of me shaking the swarm into our box.  The trick is to get the bees as close to the box as possible, so they fall a short distance, and as many of them land in or on the box as possible.  A lot of them landed near the box and later crawled in.  A number of them were still on the branch, and later flew in to join the rest of the swarm.  Once most of them were in the box, we eased the cover over the top.  Once again, we returned shortly after dark to close the entrance, strap all the pieces of the hive together, and take it back to our house.


Yesterday (Wednesday) I was planning to get some blueberry plants in the ground before the rain came.  I had the first row laid out when a call came from Ruth about a swarm.  It turns out that there was a large swarm right outside her daughter-in-law's classroom at Brehm school.  Now it turns out that we had bought extra hives the day we got our second swarm, so we had a place to put this new bunch.  But I had only put a coat of primer on the new hives, and hadn't yet put a coat of paint on them, and I hadn't yet assembled the frames that go inside the hive to support the comb.  Oh, well.

I rushed to the woodshop and quickly glued and nailed the ten frames required to fill the hive.  I inserted the foundation into each frame, plastic sheets with a honeycomb shape imprinted on them upon which the bees can build new comb.  I threw everything in the car and drove hell-for leather to Chrissy's school.

She had the area around the swarm roped off to keep the kids away.  She helped me bring in the hive and watched as I set it up.  The swarm was so close to the ground that I couldn't get right under it.  (Didi I mention this was my first time trying to catch a swarm by myself?)  I placed the box as best I could, Chrissy gathered such students as were interested in seeing this, and once I had an audience, I shook the branch to drop the bees. 

Maybe a third of the swarm fell, the rest still hanging tightly to the tree.  I thought they had started going in, but no, the ones in and on the hive soon climbed back up to join the swarm.  It eventually became clear that they were not going to go easily into a new, freshly painted hive.  Eventually I got more serious about getting them in, slowly edging the box under the swarm, shaking them again to drop them.  This was showing signs of progress, but there were still lot on the tree, and the main branch didn't have enough give to shake them loose.   I finally put on my beekeeper's gloves, reached in and and started scooping the bees onto the hive.  Apparently I reached critical mass, and the little buzzers finally accepted the hive as their new home.

Again, we left the hive till the evening, going in after supper to put a strap around it, close the entrance, and take it home.  By this time the rain had come, which got us wet, but also kept the bees from venturing out. 

Once home, we still had to prepare a spot for the hive, so there I was, running a shovel though the wet dirt, in the rain, to level a place to put the concrete blocks upon which to set the hive.  It will do for a temporary perch until we can get something a little more permanent.

So there you have it.  Two hives in three days.  We've got one more hive available, and I expect to fill that before very long.  We'll keep you posted.

BEE-autiful!

Those of you who know us, know that we like to keep busy with a variety of projects, besides the ones you see at craft fairs.  Recently, Ruth has gotten the idea that she wants to be a beekeeper, so she acquired a hive, a couple of bee suits, some tools, but, until yesterday, no bees.  Then came the call.

 Our neighbor down the road, Jim, has bees, and he called that one of his hives had swarmed, that is, some of the bees with a queen had flown into a nearby tree and were making a big bundle while searching for a new place to call home. I took up our empty hive (pictured at left) and he set it up under the swarm (the dark blotch in the middle of the tree, right above the open hive).

 Here is a close-up of the swarm,  The bees are all clutching one another, and form a fairly cohesive mass.  Once we had the hive in place, Jim bent the limb down as close to the hive as he could, then gave it a quick shake.  A huge clump of the bees fell directly onto the hive, some of them falling atop the frames, and many of them landing on the inner lid.

Well over half the swarm came down on the first shake.  Some were hanging over the sides, and some were flying around.  But all of them quickly got down to the business of getting into the box.

 This video shows the bees moving into the hive.  They move as a mass, and you can see them receding from the left side of the inner lid.  Gradually, Jim was able to set the inner lid and place the cover on top of the hive.  We left it there till after dark to allow all the bees from the swarm to get inside.  We plugged the entrance with a piece of wood, tied a strap around the whole hive, and loaded it on the truck for the short trip home.

We had the platform already prepared, so we carefully set the hive on the stand, and left it alone till morning.

Ruth goes to work at 5:30a, but before she left, she opened the hive and put in a feeder filled with a sugar-water solution for the bees to feed on till they get established in their new home.  The bees went through a quart of this sugar-water by 1:00p, and I replaced the jar with a new one.  Tiny holes in the lid allow the bees to draw off the water without it dripping down into the hive.  There is lots of activity around the hive, and lots of bees flying in, out, and all about.

So what does this mean for you?  It's too early to say, but it may well be that in the next year or two, the beeswax in some of our products, such as our lotion bars and lip balms, might come from the bees we have raised ourselves.  In any event, we're looking forward to lots of fresh honey when the time comes.

Holiday Craft Sale at SIU - 2016

Get ready, 'cause it's coming up.  The one we look forward to every year, a great ending to a great season.  The Holiday Craft Sale at the SIUC Student Center is always one of the best shows of the year.  This is the show we have done the longest, and every year it just gets better and better.  We'll be in our usual location at the foot of the escalators with a wide variety of products old and new. 

Have you tried our Shower Fizzies?  Take the lid off, put this in the bottom of your shower, and when the water hits it, peppermint, eucalyptus, and camphor will waft upwards to help open even the most stubbornly stuffed nose.

Dry hands?  You can't do better than one of our Lotion Bars.  This solid lotion melts on to your hands to spread a protective layer, sealing in the body's natural moisture and saving your hands from the ravages of winter.

Some one who's hard to buy for?  Make them up a gift basket of goodies in their favorite scent.  We have a number of products for which you can even mix and match our scenting oils for a unique scent of your own.

Take a look at our unique wine racks, made from wood from the forests of Southern Illinois.  Or they might prefer a solid cutting board.  You won't find cutting boards made of cherry or walnut at a big-box store.

We're sure you'll find something to love at Ruth & John's, so come on out and see us.

Autumnfest, John A. Logan College, 2016

We're looking forward to one of our favorite shows of the year, Autumnfest at John A. Logan College in Carterville, Illinois.  This great event never fails to bring out the best artists from Southern Illinois and beyond.  This is one of your best chances to take care of a big chunk of your Christmas shopping and give your loved ones a truly unique gift, handcrafted by a local artist.

Stop by and see us at our usual spot in the cafeteria.  We've got lots of new products, as well as your old favorites.  We'll be looking for you.

Heritage Festival, SIC 2016

We're back at the Heritage Festival in Harrisburg's Southeastern Illinois College this weekend.  This is always a fun show, with a lot of artists we don't see elsewhere.  Saturday 9:00-4:00p, and Sunday 10:00a-4:00p. We will be in our usual spot in the corner of the gym.  It looks like another beautiful weekend, so come on out and get a jump on your Christmas shopping.

Illinois Wine & Art Festival 2016

This weekend is the Illinois Wine & Art Festival, just south of the visitors center at Rend Lake.  We will be returning for another show filled with some of the best artists in the area, as well as lots of that good Illinois wine.  With 40 artists and 12 wineries from around the state, this is a show you don't want to miss. 

Illinois Wine & Art Festival

September 24 & 25, 2016
Sat 11am - 6pm • Sun 11am - 6pm
12 Wineries • 40 Artists • 4 Bands • Great Food

  

We'll be set up in the middle of the grounds next to Vahling Vineyards.  We've been next to them for a number of shows, and we enjoy having them as neighbors.   This is a great opportunity to sample wines from wineries you otherwise wouldn't get to.  For example, I'm looking forward to seeing what Castle Finn Winery from Marshall, Illinois, has to offer.  And the Niemerg Family Winery from Findlay, Ilinois is a new one to me.

We'll have some new products just for this show, so come on out and see what we've got.  You'l have a great time.