No Icefishing This Year

Well it seems between work and warm winter weekend weather patterns. Right when you plan to go fishing, warming ice is treacherous to say the least. The Boys and I have not had an opportunity to go fishing. Lord willing this year will be different as in having enough time to do more outdoors. And of course good weather would be nice, but not a requirement. Please when You pray, remember the fish less one's in Wisconsin. :)

Warm Winter Day

Hello to everyone who comes here to read my Blog. I recently went out to the bee yard at My friend Franks house to check the bees. It was an unusual warm winter day for Wisconsin 50's in February. Opened up the front access and found the hive almost plugged with dead bees. Not unusual for winter die off, started cleaning out the dead. And bees started pouring out in aggravation at me for poking around. I used a switch of switch grass stems and carefully cleaned. To my surprise lots of new young bees came out. And plenty older ones too who were straightaway challenging me. Me and Frank stepped back and let them settle down. Then went back to cleaning and more bees came out. So I then took the time to look at all I could as to see if any mites were attached. Could not see any on all that I looked at, and I and Frank looked at a lot of them. We were both surprised at the bees behavior when they landed. The older bees were cleaning the younger bees before going back in. This is a plus in the hygienic behavior of our bees. We were pleasantly surprised to say the least. From the looks of mine and Franks Colony's our bees are doing fine. Even with the hard winter we have had so far. We are preparing for spring and the addition of three more packages of bee's. We will place one at Franks and two at another bee yard I have found. Franks will be in a Lang type with no foundation and mine in Abbe WarrE type. Am looking forward to this new season with the bee's. :)

Updates / Beehandling 08 / Icefishing 09

It has been a long time since my last post. For this I apologise to all, hopefully I can correct this. The 08 year was very busy with work and Family. My bees were a passing sideline as I went home. I keep them 16 miles south of my home at my friend Franks place. It is easier for me being this is my way home each night from work. I get off interstate and drive 10 minutes and I am there. The Bees did well making three swarms this past year. But honey was down at the end because of low rainfall. Frank caught one swarm and I hived them and they absconded. And a Friend called with another, and they absconded. So I know of 5 feral colony's out there in Wisconsin. One being the bee tree where the single one came from. I am building more WarrA hives this winter and hope to populate them this 09 swarm season. I got in contact with a pest control man. And He agreed to give me all his swarm calls. So I hope to fill up as many hives as possible. I am posting some pics with this of feral swarm catch. And me and the boys hope to go icefishing soon. :) :) :)

What we, me and Frank and Micah did on Sunday 4/27/08

We waited a week to check on our Queens, my friend Frank and I. Weather was holding in the cold zone, below 50*F. So on this bright 54*F Sunday we dove in to check and feed. The girls had released the Queens and ate all the syrup(quart baggie feeders). Alot of wax building going on, did not look for eggs. We will wait and give them some more time. Waiting on warmer weather before we check any further. Took my 6 year son old son Micah to take pics and Frank to help, and this is what we accomplished.

Opening up Hive.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g122/ch1216dr/P4270027.jpg
Removing empty Queen cage, its on top there.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g122/ch1216dr/P4270021.jpg
Putting in extra pollen pattie.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g122/ch1216dr/P4270042.jpg
Friction can feeder.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g122/ch1216dr/P4270059.jpg
Placing feeder on inner top.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g122/ch1216dr/P4270072.jpg
This is Frank, a new beek in the making.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g122/ch1216dr/P4270068.jpg
Second deep on to protect the feeder and the girls from robbers.
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g122/ch1216dr/P4270055.jpg
My friend Frank and Micah our photographer, who took 70 pics in 15 minutes. Not bad for a first time around bees and no veil on Micah our camera man. http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g122/ch1216dr/P4270093.jpg
I want to thank Micah for his bravery and great pictures, and Frank for his friendship and trust.

Thanks Guys

Somethig Old , Something New

Late 1960's I started beekeeping, with the help of my Dads friend from work Mr. Bill Thompson. He was ready to retire from beekeeping as well as sheet metal work. And was looking to pass His bees to someone new. I ended up with all 6 of His hives and all of His bee equipment soon after.

He taught me all He new about bees at that time when beekeeping was much simpler. I kept bees until I went into the Coast Guard at eighteen. Now 32 years later I am returning to something that I truly love to do. While doing so I am teaching my friend Frank how to work with bees and my youngest Sons as well. Frank and I were talking one day about different things and I told him how I would like to keep bees again. About how much I enjoyed them and what it was like to work the hive all through out the year. And to prepare Him for the for sure bee stings that happen when working bees. We agreed to go to gather in this venture and commited to our first new hive equipment and Beekeeping gear. Then we purchased two 2lb packages of Italian bees and installed them Sunday the 19th of April 08. We are in conventional hive boxs now, Langstroth type with 8 frames per box. I have returned to my roots so to speak and started to make my own bee equipment as in the past. Two more brood box's and extra bottoms and soon honey box's. These box's are also refered to as supers, so from now on that is how I will call them. Here is the begining pictorial of our beekeeping adventure. I would like to note that we, Frank and I are also looking to start beekeeping in a most natural way. This way is refered to as TBH beekeeping or Top Bar Hive, frameless and foundationaless. Which really means You let the bees run the hive and You work with them not against them. So this will be a testamonial to this type beekeeping too. I have attached a link to the finest TBH bee forum, here on my blog in two places. So if Your interested come on and check it out, I am sure You will bee surprized at what you'll learn. ChainDriveCharlie

I will edit and add more at a later date. cdc

Sam's First Fish 6/18/03 - 3 1/2 years old

It was cold and wet when my cousin Rick and I took my son Sam fishing for his first time. A lite drizzle was falling on us while wading in the Sheboygan river. Rick and I were catching fish but not Sam. After awhile Sam laid His rod down to play and forgot about it. Until I said lets go home, no Daddy I'm still fishing said Sam. Let's go son, pick up that rod and let's get going. As He picked it up I saw the lake Chub on His hook and exclaimed You got a fish!. You should have seen that smile, come on let's go show Mom Sam. So this is what Mom saw when we called her out to see Sam's first fish. That fish was not the only one that got hooked on fishing that day.

Ice fishing 2008

Some more ice fishing winter 2008, my two Boys Sam 8 and Micah 6, my good friend and Bro in CHRIST Frank. These photos are from a trip to Gerber Lakes and Fox Lake Wisconsin, two seperate fishing trips.

Gerber Lakes
Trying to get Micah to kiss the first Fish, are You crazy Dad!

Frank and the Boys
The Boys and me
Fox Lake 2-10-08