Commenced:
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01/01/2005 |
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Submitted:
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08/04/2011 |
Last updated:
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16/02/2016 |
Location:
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Cherokee, Victoria, AU |
Climate zone:
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Cool Temperate |
(projects i'm involved in)
Project: Fernglade Farm
Posted by Chris McLeod almost 10 years ago
I couldn’t help myself, I had to somehow work the word “bee” into the title of this week’s blog! Hehe!
A small section of the bee food flower, vegetable and herb garden |
Last week I received a phone call from an unknown phone number and the person never left a message. I thought that it would be one of those awful calls and you all know how they go: “We know that you have nothing better to do, so we thought that you’d like to participate in a survey”. As they didn’t bother leaving a message, I didn’t bother finding out what it was all about.
Then the following day at about the same time they phoned
again. I thought to myself, not again, so I steeled myself to deal to them thoroughly
and send them packing on their way. What a surprise to find that it was Robert
from Bee Sustainable in Melbourne* calling to let me know that my new bee colony
was ready to pick up. Glad I took that call, and I quickly arranged a time to
pick up the colony.
There is a general rule which seems true to me that states
that you have to kill a plant or animal at least three times before you can
actually say that you know something about that particular plant or animal.
European honey bees have been a complete disaster here. Actually
they’re a bit of disaster everywhere across the planet as humans have made a
right mess of that species.
Anyway, my story with bees began about two years ago, when I
purchased a hive from a commercial producer. My first mistake was that the
commercial producer sold me a hive with an old queen, although this was unbeknownst
to me at the time. I did originally read lots of books on bees, but the reality
is always – like everything else – a little more complicated than that.
The second mistake I made was that all of the books that I
read at that time advised me to place the hive in a sunny spot. In the meantime
a local guy that I know gifted me another colony and things were looking up for
some serious honey production at the farm here. Honey is really good because
not only is it the major source of sugar in cool temperate climates, but it
also produces the tasty drop “Mead” which over the past few years has become
something of a production line here.
For the rest of the entry: http://ferngladefarm.blogspot.com.au/
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