Late Summer Bees

Summer is winding down and the bloom is definitely off the rose.  There is just not much blooming right now so I decided to go out and check on the bees and see how they're set for food.

The strong hive seemed to have a decent amount of honey, but the the split and the nuc didn't seem to have a whole lot.

From 2015-08-10

These are the frames I bought from a local guy who traps bees for a hobby.  They looked pretty good in his yard, so I'm hoping they'll take when I combine them with one of my weak hives that appeared to be queenless.

From 2015-08-10

I also decided it would be good to start feeding the weaker hives so they can stock up some stores for winter.  I've been experimenting with top feeders (shown below) which dedicate the food for the weak hives but require more visits and manual work.

From 2015-08-10

As opposed to a community feeder which can be left for longer periods of time but has no protection for weaker hives.

From 2015-08-10

At this point, I'll probably continue to do a mixture of both.

Forest Creatures XIV

Latest Forest Creatures video.  Got some great footage of a deer in velvet, a hawk, and flock of turkeys drinking at a vernal pond in the forest.

How To Inoculate a Mushroom Log

We had some extra time Saturday so Sarah and I decided to make good use of an oak tree I had to cut down for a fence we're building.

We had a few packets of  Warm Blue Oyster mushrooms from Mushroom Mountain sitting in the fridge that needed to be used and this was the perfect opportunity.


After cutting the tree, the first step was to section up the trunk into approximately 2 foot lengths.  Once that was done then next step is to start drilling holes in the log to tap the mycelium covered plugs into.

As you can see, the plugs in the packet are covered with white mycelium, so they should work great.

From 2015-07-15

We started off the drilling by measuring 2" in from the end and drilling a hole the same size as the plug.  Then we drilled another hole every 6" in a straight line down the log.

From 2015-07-15

After the holes were drilled, we followed up by going down the line and gently tapping the plugs in.

From 2015-07-15

After that was done we  rolled the log about an 1/8 of a turn to start the next row about 3" across the circumference and 6" down from the end.

By doing this, we created a star pattern that gives maximum coverage for the mycelium to take over the log.

From 2015-07-15

While we were drilling, we got our double boiler going to melt the paraffin wax we'd be using to seal all the plugs we'd recently tapped in.

From 2015-07-15

The purpose of the wax is to seal the hole so insects or competing mycelium don't get in and take over the log before our warm blue oysters do.

From 2015-07-15

The tree we cut wasn't huge, so we made the logs a little longer than usual.  A rule of thumb is that you get a season of mushroom fruiting for every inch of diameter.  It would seem good to get the largest diameter possible.

However, the larger diameter increases the amount of time it takes for the mycelium to fully take over the log. With this skinnier log, we're expecting 6-9 months before we get any fruiting.  With a bigger one it would be proportionally longer, not to mention being harder to lift and handle.

Also, notice the aluminum foil at the end of the log.  We wrote down the date and what kind of mushroom on it and stapled it to the end because, after 6 months, I'll have no idea what we used.

From 2015-07-15

As you can see, the plugs are hard to spot once they're tapped in.  We found it effective to wax them immediately after tapping them so we wouldn't miss any.

From 2015-07-15

Plugs waiting to be tapped.

From 2015-07-15

After a couple hours of work, we got them all done.  We were able to get about 100 plugs put into about 20 feet of oak.  Not a bad days work.  Looking forward to sampling the fruits of our labor. (no pun intended)

From 2015-07-15

Fence Posts Are In! New Gravel

It's been so stinkin' hot lately that work at the prop has slowed to a crawl.  One project I've been putting off, due to the heat, was burning some of my brush piles.

I had a pile of bulldozed cedars by the camping area that has been bugging me all summer.  Last Saturday, despite the 90 degree weather, I decided to burn it.  That was probably a mistake since I just about gave myself a heat stroke, but it was worth it get the pile burned down a bit.

Here's a before shot.  I was so tired after that I forgot to take an after shot.

From 2015-07-15

Even though it was so hot, I made a push to get all the fence posts in.  I kept hoping the fence line would get less rocky as we approached the end.

From 2015-07-15

No such luck.  It was basically solid limestone the rest of the way.  The white power to left of the jack hammer is the rock I pulverized in the post hole.

From 2015-07-15

Eureka, the end!   I finally made it to the end of the fence line. Now I just need to put up the slats and put some sealer on it and it will be done.

Once I've recovered financially and physically, I'll start on the other side of the gate in the upper right corner of the picture below.

From 2015-07-15

Here's another view of all the posts I put in.  By the end I was averaging about 4 posts a night.  Not too bad for one old guy, a manual post hole digger, and solid rock.

From 2015-07-15

My other project is preparing for getting a barn built.  Step one was leveling the area.  Step two is putting some gravel in while a big truck can still get back there.

From 2015-07-15

Here's the truck trying to make the corner.  It's always such a happy day to see the gravel get put down.  It makes everything look so much more civilized.

From 2015-07-15

Now to push it out a little thinner with the bulldozer.

From 2015-07-15

Building Longer Fences

The new fence continues to grow longer.  It's been a tough slog though, due to solid rock along most of the fence line and working in 90+ degree weather.

From 2015-07-06

Most of time we get in about 3 posts before exhaustion sets in.  However, on Saturday we set a new record and got 5in .  Seth and I were pretty wiped out after that though.

From 2015-07-06

As I plot the course of the fence line, I've been trying to figure out how to get it to follow the terrain but still look level.

I played with using a level, but then you risk big gaps between the ground and the bottom row.  However, the ground isn't that level, so if you measure up from the ground you get a lot of variation as well.

There's probably a really good, easy technique for doing this, but so far, the best I've figured out is a hybrid approach.

I get  a rough measurement from the ground to the bottom row then level it but make adjustments for gaps between each row.  Then I eyeball it and if it looks good, I lock it in.

From 2015-07-06

I think it's worked pretty well so far.  I'll probably figure out the pros do it about the time I'm on the last section like usual.

From 2015-07-06

The new winter pen is also coming along well.  I've got the gate sections in and have been working on crossbars and wire supports.

It's kind of tedious so I haven't been moving as fast on this as I have on the front fence.

From 2015-07-06

We also had a nice summer storm last week that filled the pond as full as it's ever been.  All of that in one big storm.

From 2015-07-06

The bees have been enjoying the summer heat.  Here they are hanging out on the front porch, trying to cool off.

From 2015-07-06

Buidling Fences

They say a strong fences make good neighbors.  Well, after all the work I've done on fences the last couple weeks, we ought to be the best neighbors around.

The first fence project is squaring up and enlarging our original winter goat pen.  When we first put it in, we just kind of followed the road and nailed the field fence to trees.  It worked well enough but it wasted a lot of space and trees aren't the best thing to nail to.

From 2015-06-23

This time we're doing it right by putting braces every 20 yards.  It ought to make it a lot easier than putting cedar posts every 6 feet.

From 2015-06-23

Here's one side of the new gate.  Ready for fence!

From 2015-06-23

We're also putting up a more decorative fence up along the road.  I've been sick of how mangy things looked with all the splindly little cedars growing.  I could never cut them down though because it would leave a big opening into the prop for trespassers to stroll right in.

From 2015-06-23

My solution was to just start adding on to existing gate section and take it down the road one section at a time.  We put in two or three posts, let the cement set, then come in a couple days later and do the slats, then repeat the process.

From 2015-06-23

Out other project, the bridge, has been on hold.  I've been overloaded with the fences and have a few technical difficulties to think through, so it'll stay on hold until I get those resolved.

From 2015-06-23

Beeswax Candles

It's taken a while to get around to it but we finally started doing something with the beeswax ingots we've collected.

Sarah was feeling crafty and decided to make some candles.

Step 1.  Weigh out some beeswax and palm oil.  The palm oil helps smooth it out and keep it from cracking.

From 2015-06-23

Sarah learned the hard way that using the nice glass measuring cup is not a great thing to melt the wax in.  Cleaning it afterward was tough.

From 2015-06-23

After melting the wax, the next step is coat the wicks.

From 2015-06-23

Once the beeswax is melted, add some palm oil and mix together.  Melting in the palm oil makes for a nice smooth consistency and pretty, creamy color.

From 2015-06-23

Stand the wicks up.  We decided to use these cute, custom mason jars instead of molds mainly because we don't have any molds.  We also liked trying something different.

From 2015-06-23

Once the wax is poured, tie the wicks up so they are straight.

From 2015-06-23

Let them cool over night.

From 2015-06-23

Viola!  A nice beeswax candle.

From 2015-06-23