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Displaying results 1 - 20 of 115 matches (0.01 seconds) As part of transboundary cooperation within Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiatives (KSLCDI), the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) facilitated a seven-day learning exchange visit of Nepal guided sustainable forest management in Nepal. Kapilvastu and Nawalparasi are two of 40 districts in Nepal where sustainable forest management is currently practised. This system includes the application of Integrated Ecosystem Management in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region through its Transboundary Landscape Initiatives (TBL). To facilitate communication, harmonise The Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KSLCDI) has implemented different measures aimed at supporting local communities to handle waste and sanitation issues in Pulan County. pattern, and existing local management practices, if any, at a landscape scale to use that science and Sustainable Management of Beekeeping in Nepal: An Effort of ICIMOD Yarsagumba (Ophiocordyceps sinensis), a highly prized Himalayan herb, is commonly known as caterpillar fungus and grows naturally in the northern alpine grasslands of Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Tibetan plateau of China within the altitude of 3,000 to Department of Soil Conservation and Watershed Management (DSCWM) The annual ‘Regional Review and Annual Planning Workshop for the year 2016 and 2017’ on Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation and Development Initiative (KSLCDI) workshop took place 16 to 18 August 2016, in Kathmandu, Nepal and was organised by The five-day INTECOL 2017 congress organized 74 symposium sessions and three workshops featuring stimulating ecological research on a broad range of topics from around the world. Around 2,000 participants from over 70 countries attended the event. collaborative action in managing rangeland resources. It has Frequently asked questions on bees and pollination We finally stood up. Our eyes were closed, our hands held in a circle. Our ears were pricked up to the tune of singing cicadas. Only the call of the cuckoo punctuated their song. We allowed ourselves two minutes to soak up the music. attempt to transform water management through water use master plans Villages in the Koshi River basin have to contend with a myriad issues around water management, including how it is distributed, how much is distributed, and ICIMOD, in collaboration with the Hashoo Foundation (HF) and Seplaa Enterprises (SE), organized a workshop on gender and social entrepreneurship on 10 August 2017 in Pakistan. The one-day workshop sought to explore collaborative means of addressing From the signing of the Partnership Agreement between the China-International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (CN-ICIMOD Committee) and ICIMOD during the board meeting in Kunming in November, the first ever CN-ICIMOD Steering Committee (home stay programme), waste management, off-seasonal vegetable production and cooperative marketing system practiced at community level, a five day cross-learning visit for Nepal A training course titled “Application of Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for the Mapping and Monitoring of Glaciers” was organized in Afghanistan from 14-18 January 2017. The training was organized in response to the In an effort to scale up climate-smart technologies and practices piloted in Barshong Gewog through the Local 12th Five Year Plan (FYP) for Tsirang, Bhutan, the Support to Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation in the Himalaya (Himalica)

First Lessons In Beekeeping In the preface to this book, author Keith Delaplane says of his first book on beekeeping, "Its pages opened to me a golden world of honey bees and beekeeping and guided my stumbling steps that first spring season. My story is but one of thousands who have passed through the door opened by Dadant's little book ." That "little book" was the 1968 edition of Charles P. Dadant's 1917 classic First Lessons in Beekeeping. Dadant's book and its succeeding editions have been America's first stop for beginning beekeepers for over 90 years. For the latest edition, Delaplane honors the tradition of sticking to the basics, while fully engaging the new realities of beekeeping in the 21st century. Here in this book is everything you need to know to become a successful beginning beekeeper.

Moving beehives from one location to another is often a necessary step in apiary management. Commercial beekeepers routinely move large numbers of hives often during a season, to pollinate crops, avoid pesticide applications or to utilize specific honey flows. Beekeeping hobbyists may also move bees to distant honey flows or pollination sites, or to bring home a newly purchased hive. Mullein is a hardy native, soft and sturdy requiring no extra effort to thrive on your part. Whether you care to make your own medicines or not, consider mullein’s value to bees, bumblebees, butterflies, moths, dragonflies, who are needing nectar and nourishment that is toxin free and safe to consume. In this case, all you have to do is… nothing. What could be simpler? At the same time that U.S. commercial beekeeping is circling down in a death spiral, hobby beekeeping is booming and almost every beekeeping club in the country has at least twice as many members as it did twenty years ago. What this means is that if you are fortunate enough to live in a place with relatively clean and varied sources of pollen and nectar, the potential for a successful family-sized commercial apiary is better now than it has been for many decades.

The summer reading program is here at is is Metamorphosis @ Your Library. At the Berwyn Public Library we have 2 displays going all summer. One will not change and it is a coming-of-age theme with two annotated lists. My server was not accepting the word documents so I will post the text here. Aciman, André. Call Me By Your Name Beautiful Italian countryside is the setting for Aciman’s psychological study of a first crush and young gay love. Seventeen year old Elio is used to his parent’s summer guests, but this year’s graduate student Oliver is a true charmer. Elio’s intense feelings and the boys’ eventual romance is detailed in Aciman’s lush prose. Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home Bechdel, author of the popular Dykes to Watch Out For comic strip, presents her autobiography in a graphic format. The story mostly revolves around her relationship with her closeted, philandering father and how she reconciles his homosexuality with her own coming out issues. Díaz, Junot. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao The Wao family saga has been influenced by the fuku curse as well as by the history of the Dominican Republic’s brutal dictator, Trujillo. The curse is blamed for much of the tragedy that befalls the family, but Oscar, an overweight “ghetto-nerd” is convinced he can still find true love and happiness. Told in a distinctive voice, this impressive novel won this year’s Pulitzer Prize. Hedges, Peter. An Ocean in Iowa Seven year old Scotty Ocean is devastated when his mother abandons the family. He is sure it is his fault and his only remedy is to stay seven forever. Hedges’ follow-up to What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? is perfectly realized through the eyes of Scotty, reminding the reader of how the world is perceived at seven years old. Iweala, Uzodinma. Beasts of No Nation Civil war breaks out in an unnamed West African country. After a young boy’s family is killed, he is taken by a guerilla leader as part of his army of children. As a soldier, the boy commits unspeakable acts in order to save his own life. Told in the boy’s broken West African English, this slim novel is intense and affecting. Langer, Adam. Crossing California The California of the title is California Avenue in Rogers Park; it is also the dividing line between East and West, poor and rich, Jewish and not. With this setting and the backdrop of the Iran Hostage Crisis, Langer tells the funny, sweet and pop-culture laden coming-of-age story of Jill and Michelle Wasserstrom. Lowenthal, Michael. Charity Girl Frieda Mintz is a naïve young woman working in a department store during World War I. During an impulsive evening with a soldier, she contracts an STD and is sent to live in a detention center for so-called “charity girls.” There she is subjected to ridicule, poor conditions and invasive medical exams; learning the hard way that life isn’t always simple. Mosley, Walter. Fortunate Son African-American Thomas and white Eric are raised as brothers for the first several years of their lives but after Thomas’ mother dies and he goes to live with his alcoholic father, they end up following very different paths. A touching parable about race, culture, privilege and unconditional love. Sittenfeld, Curtis. Prep Escaping her middle class, small town Indiana upbringing, Lee Fiora heads to an elite private high school on the East Coast. She’s not the prom queen, she’s not the loser, she’s not the jock, she’s plain and a perfect, insecure adolescent observer and ultimate partaker of the politics of private school. Brown, Rita Mae. The Rubyfruit Jungle The book tells the story of Molly Bolt, a lower-class girl growing up in rural Pennsylvania, learning about sex and dealing with her own homosexuality, leaving home and starting a life of her own, college, city life, dating, etc. When a college romance erupts into scandal, she decides to follow her dream of being a film director and makes her way to New York--where she finds that her gender, even more than her sexuality, has stacked the deck against her. Fischer, Jackie. An Egg on Three Sticks Abby Goodman lives in a comfortable suburban San Jose, California, home in the early 1970s with her staid, predictable father, her precociously bright younger sister and her mother, Shirley. It is Shirley's descent into suicidal mental illness that sets Abby's internal compass spinning out of control. The pain of adolescent years is compounded by the challenge of a family torn apart by the ravages of mental illness. Johnson, Diane. Le Divorce When California girl Isabel Walker comes to visit her stepsister Roxy in Paris, she discovers that Roxy’s husband has left her for another woman. Roxy is distraught, alone, pregnant and left to face her in-laws at Sunday dinner. It is up to Isabel to help Roxy pick up the pieces and decide if this is the time for Le Divorce. Lamb, Bette Golden. Bone Dry Cancer patient Carl Adams has been blasted and wasted with chemotherapy until he is barely alive. Tomorrow, he will be given his last chance for survival and infused with his own bone marrow, frozen and stored in the lab of one of California’s most prestigious hospitals. Then he receives the note: “We have your marrow…pay or die.” Letts, Billie. Where the Heart Is Novalee Nation is 17, pregnant and on the road with her boyfriend who leaves her stranded when she goes in an Okalahoma Wal-Mart to buy a pair of house slippers for her swollen feet. She doesn't dissolve, but adapts well to her unfortunate situation and camps out in the local Walmart, where she winds up having her baby. The book explores her growing relationships with various inhabitants of the town, as we watch her and her baby grow and mature. Margolis, Sue. Gucci Gucci Coo Ruby Silverman is thirty two and still single, running Les Sprogs, an exclusive baby boutique, when her mom (at the age of 50) announces her pregnancy. Though Ruby enjoys her line of work, she can't help but to feel a little pressure to find the right man and maybe start a family of her own. Then she meets Dr. Sam Epstein, an American doctor working in London. All goes along beautifully until Ruby uncovers some possible shady goings on at the maternity hospital that may involve Sam. Mitchard, Jacquelyn. A Theory of Relativity Georgia and Ray die in a tragic car accident, leaving behind their one-year-old daughter Keefer. Georgia's adopted brother Gordon McKenna wants to adopt Keefer, believing it would fulfill his sister's dying wishes. Unfortunately, his wealthy in-laws also wish to adopt Keefer. The issue of what constitutes a "blood relative" arises when Gordon's adoption request is initially dismissed because he is an adopted relative rather than a blood relative. Salinger, J. D. The Catcher in the Rye Holden Caulfield, a seventeen year old prep school adolescent, relates his lonely, life-changing twenty-four hour stay in New York City as he experiences the phoniness of the adult world while attempting to deal with the death of his younger brother. Reluctance to leave the wonderful, innocent, carefree world of youth is understandable and almost universal – the quintessential coming of age story. The other display case has a more whimsical feel. For now it is books with insects, but coming in July it will change again. Here is the text... The insects in these stories may be found in the title or they may be found in the plot. Anderson-Dargatz, Gail. A Recipe for Bees Augusta Olsen has been given the gift of clairvoyance from her mother. Unfortunately it has not kept her out of a loveless marriage or a lackluster life. It isn’t until she starts using her mother’s other gift, the craft of beekeeping, that she is able to transform her life. Blunt, Giles. Black Fly Season It’s spring in Canada’s remote Algonquin Bay and that means the arrival of swarms of black flies. When a young woman walks into a bar covered in fly bites not knowing who or where she is, the locals are as confused as she is. It is up to two local detectives to solve the mystery of who she is. Estrin, Marc. Insect Dreams: the half-life of Gregor Samsa Gregor Samsa, the main character from Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, has been sold to a Viennese circus after turning into a cockroach. After the circus loses interest he heads to America, becoming a half man, half insect superhero, revisiting major events of the 20th century such as Prohibition, the feminist movement and the Scopes trial. Herbert, Frank. Hellstrom’s Hive In Herbert’s future police state America, Dr. Hellstrom has been working in his underground laboratory creating something so horrifying that not even the Agency could have imagined it. He is breeding a human hive where individual will is suppressed and all work is done for the good of the collective. Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis Waking to find himself turned into a giant beetle-like insect, Gregor Samsa becomes a disgrace to his family and an outsider in his own home. Is this the most famous story of metamorphosis? Perhaps, but it is definitely an absurdly comic parable about alienation. Kingsolver, Barbara. Prodigal Summer In a detailed Appalachian setting, Kingsolver presents three intertwined stories during the course of a humid summer. Wildlife biologist Deanna Wolfe, “bug scientist” Lusa Landowski, and feuding neighbors Garnett Walker and Nannie Rawley are revealed through their relationships with nature and the land they share. Pearl, Matthew. The Dante Club Members of the Dante Club, including Oliver Wendell Holmes and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow are busy translating Dante’s The Inferno. Halting their work is a series of grisly murders based on those found in the pages of The Inferno. Knowing that their knowledge of the author is not common, the Dante Club decides to conduct their own investigation. Saul, John. The Homing A crazed entomologist turned serial killer has chosen insects as his method of murder. Fifteen year old Julie Spellman has been infected with a buzzing concoction of mutant mind controlling insects that also gives her the ability to infect others. A fast paced thriller not for the weak of stomach. Swainston, Steph. The Year of Our War Three humanoid species live peacefully together until they are threatened by the Insects. It is up to Jant Comet, who is the only one among the humanoids that can fly and has access to an alternate universe, to save his world from an imminent civil war. 2018 is the Summer of Horror - I am so happy that the rest of the publishing world is coming around to realizing that horror is so great. But, on the other hand, I am also aware that ho... 1 week ago

Marketing Intern, Cycle Hack A STORY OF A CYCLING, HACKING AND MAKING ENTHUSIAST I’m Keir McCluskey, a product design engineer by day and an all round graphic designing, event organising, social media marketing and CycleHacking superhero the rest of the time. Yeah, OK, maybe I’m overselling myself a wee bit, but people might Google my name and find this blog post so… TAKING A SECOND LOOK Let me tell you about my Adopt an Intern journey. When I first saw the advert for this job, I was in a mid-exam-studying panic and after the briefest glance over it, and seeing the dreaded words “social media marketing”, I cast it aside. This phrase tends to conjure up dark images of an intern sitting on Twitter trying to meet posts-per-day quotas and engagement figures. But oh my, how wrong I was, in every way possible. I am so thankful that my need to constantly procrastinate during exam time made me take a second look over it. THE STARS HAD ALIGNED I had heard of CycleHack before but must confess I didn’t know much about Snook. After looking into them, it became immediately clear that these guys were about what I was about. They believed in driving forward positive change with the power of design and this aligns with all I hope to achieve in my future career. I also very conveniently happen to be a cycling, hacking and making enthusiast. It seemed like the stars had aligned on this one and brought me the perfect internship. At this stage I didn’t care what the job was, they could have employed me to make the tea for them and I would have accepted. I just wanted to be involved in this company and play my small part in helping CycleHack change the world. With only 24 hours until the deadline, I took one full day off studying to do the perfect application and then crossed my fingers. One week later I had a very pixelated Skype interview and the following week I’d found out I got the job. Coincidentally, this was the same day as my exams finished. Good fortune and buses alike. None for ages, then it all comes at once. GETTING STUCK INTO ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING When I got to the office on my first day and had a meeting with Sarah it became clear that my role would be in no way like the nightmare scenario I had initially pictured. In fact, it seemed like I would be getting stuck into absolutely everything which was really exciting. I mean yes, there was the daily running of the Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts, but this almost acted as filler activity between other amazingly varied tasks. I devised and implemented a marketing plan to promote the Glasgow event, coordinated all information from Glasgow HQ with global organisers across 4 continents in 26 locations, sourced equipment, beer and prizes to ensure we delivered an amazing event and even got to use my graphic design abilities to produce signage, tickets, information packs and facilitation tools that would be used by people all over the world. Amazing. SO MUCH TO LEARN In the short time that I was an intern here I learned a vast amount, both about professional working practices and also *CLICHE ALERT* about myself. On the surface, I learned the practical side of event organisation like putting together extensive planning documents and subsequently implementing them in a tight time frame. Even organising volunteers, local stakeholders and coordinating with 26 other global organisers. I had never been involved in organising anything of this scale before and to be handed this level of responsibility really challenged me to achieve more. This internship truly gave me confidence in my ability to deliver under pressure and to prioritise my workload successfully. I feel in myself a new found confidence in my own abilities and also a drive and passion to use my skills to change the world. A POST-IT NOTE CLAD MAC HAVEN, STRONG COFFEE, GREAT BANTER AND AMAZINGLY TALANTED PEOPLE I had an amazing time working on CycleHack within the Snook offices. The energy, vibrancy and skills of my fellow coworkers was truly inspiring on a daily basis. I’ve never really worked in this kind of professional design environment before but it pretty much lived up to every expectation: a post-it note clad mac haven, of strong coffee, great banter and amazingly talented people. I should give a special mention to Charlotte at Snook for co-organising CycleHack Glasgow with me. Her constant positive outlook and ability to complete any task I could in half the time to double the quality helped make my whole internship a great experience and CycleHack the funnest thing I’ve ever been involved with. A big thanks to everyone at Snook for squeezing me into your wee office, making me feel so welcome and for all giving up your weekend to make CycleHack Glasgow a massive success. The highlight for me was seeing all that hard work finally coming together. When I saw everyone begin CycleHacking something just clicked and I would say that it was at that moment that I finally got “it”. It’s very difficult to explain, but to witness such diverse people collaborating in a dynamic and positive way still truly astounds me. When I then expand what we were achieving on a local level in Glasgow to 25 other locations in the world, it’s something pretty special and it’s amazing to have played my part in it. ‘SNOOKIFY’ ALL MY FUTURE PROJECTS So with CycleHack done and my internship drawing to a close it is time for me to find something else useful to do with my free time, design abilities and new skills. As I already said, it’s my ambition in life to bring about positive change in the world by applying my skills as a designer to a wide variety of scenarios. With that in mind, I will be returning to my other love apart from cycling which is the environment, in my role as Biodiversity Promoter at the University of Glasgow. Keep a look out for some exciting new developments in biodiverse gardening, community gardening and beekeeping happening around the university campus. I’ll use everything I’ve learned about time management, event organisation and collaborative working to bring a little bit of Snook to all my future projects in this area. In September, I’ll return to do my Masters year of Product Design Engineering at the Glasgow School of Art and I’m quite sure it will be the hardest year of my life. I’m sure that I will in someway “Snookify” my final year project and ensure I apply their immensely user driven design ethos to everything I do. I’d also like to put a shout out to Sarah as she has been amazing and really supported me throughout my entire internship. To witness someone with such a clear vision for what they do that pursues it with such positive energy has been amazing. I would really like to run my own business one day and to work beside someone as ambitious, productive and friendly as Sarah, seeing the way she operates on a daily basis, has been truly inspiring. Adopt an Intern Alumni Marketing Intern, CycleHack

Six Powerhouse Food Policy Councils Driving Local Food in Cities August 4, 2014 | Morgan Bulger There are now food policy councils in every state across the U.S., tasked with bringing diverse stakeholders together towards the creation of policies and laws that help develop the economic, environmental, and social infrastructure that makes up a local food system. Below are six food policy councils that have put in the work towards urban agriculture zoning, food access, and institutional purchasing, and have achieved results. 1. Cleveland, Ohio: Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition The Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Food Policy Coalition, founded in 2007, has been instrumental in establishing the food legislation landscape in Cleveland as well as facilitating and managing a variety of programs to improve food access for area residents and assist institutions with their local food procurement. The coalition conducted a thorough vacant land inventory for Cuyahoga County, and helped to create Urban Garden District Zoning legislation, which passed in 2007. Cleveland also passed a Farm Animals and Bees legislation in 2011 and an Urban Agriculture Overlay District zoning policy. This combination of policy efforts, in combination with water policy legislation, has allowed the coalition to facilitate agricultural production throughout Cleveland and the surrounding suburbs. In addition to supporting development of the urban agriculture landscape, the coalition has been a force in ensuring that farmers’ markets in the area accept EBT and SNAP, and manages the Produce Perks program, in which customers using their EBT card at farmers’ markets receive up to a $10 match on produce purchased. The organization has also done work with institutional purchasing through the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, has conducted numerous community food assessments, and has played a role in creating regional resources such as the Local Food Guide and Cleveland’s Healthy Food Guidelines. 2. Baltimore, Maryland: Baltimore Food Policy Initiative The Baltimore Food Policy Initiative in Maryland has made strides towards a sustainable local food system with a multi-pronged approach addressing food policy, retail food options, food production, and school food. In 2012 , the initiative worked to update the city’s zoning regulations to allow for more innovative urban agriculture projects, in addition to updating Baltimore’s health code to allow for the raising of chicken, rabbits, goats, and bees in the city. The initiative also worked to adjust a state level policy to allow and encourage farmers’ markets to accept food assistance benefits. The organization has also implemented a “Healthy Carry-Out” initiative and a “Virtual Supermarket” to increase opportunities for residents to eat local produce and other healthy foods. Additionally, the organization supports Homegrown Baltimore, the city government’s urban agriculture initiative and CSA, as well as the numerous farmers’ markets in the area. The group also works closely with Baltimore city schools to increase healthy foods purchased and served to students, in addition to facilitating a variety of sustainability and health related programming in the schools. 3. Knoxville, Tennessee: Knoxville-Knox County Food Policy Council The Knoxville-Knox County Food Policy Council in Tennessee was the first Food Policy Council in the nation and in the world. Since its formation in 1982, the council has played a major role in expanding bus routes in the city and county to help residents access grocery stores, in addition to working with the local school districts to expand breakfast and lunch programs. The council helped to create an ordinance allowing for residents to raise hens on their property, and has mapped the area’s grocery stores, community and market gardens, and farms. The council has also provided general support for local food projects such as urban farming and community gardening as well as farmers’ markets. Their collaborative and diverse model has been replicated by food policy councils across the globe. 4. Austin, Texas: Sustainable Food Policy Board Established in Austin, Texas in 2009, the Sustainable Food Policy Board has made many accomplishments in the areas of agriculture zoning, healthy food access, and establishing a local food economy in the city. In 2013 the board was integral in establishing an Urban Farm Ordinance that allows for urban agriculture in every zoning district. Built out of a working group framework, the organization has also made progress towards establishing food security in the area, engaging the community around food system issues, establishing sustainable local meat processing, bringing healthy local foods into city and county facilities, and building capacity for healthy local retail options. This board focuses their work through policy recommendations and letters of support to the local government and backs their recommendations with data and research from their Codes and Metrics working group. 5. Los Angeles, California: Los Angeles Food Policy Council The Los Angeles Food Policy Council has helped to enable a collection of policies within the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles public school district that allow for urban agriculture and local food procurement. In 2005, the city established a Child Nutrition Policy requiring city departments to serve healthy snacks and foods to children in city-funded programs. The council has also incentivized retail outlets to open stores in urban areas, and has addressed fast food restaurants and environmentally preferred purchasing. Recent projects of the council include incentivizing healthy street vendor food and encouraging zero-waste planning throughout food establishments. The council backs all their programs and policies with research, including food system snapshot reports and community market research to support new urban food initiatives. 6. Milwaukee Food Council The Milwaukee Food Council has established a holistic approach to addressing food policy issues in Milwaukee, including both policy and programming. In 2010, the council worked with the city to create and pass the honey ordinance, enabling residents to begin beekeeping on their property, and in 2011 the city collaborated with the council again to pass the eggs ordinance, allowing residents to raise chickens for eggs on a residential property. In 2012, the council worked with the United States Environmental Protection Agency to create the Milwaukee Urban Agriculture Code Audit, which identifies potential legal barriers to urban agriculture. The council is dedicating to measuring the various facets of urban agriculture and the local food system in Milwaukee, in addition to supporting urban agriculture, fostering economic development, and innovating to bring low-income residents access to healthy foods.

Dear Uncle Drone, Last winter we had an interesting talk by an experienced beekeeper, during which he told us that old beekeeping books are available free online. I wonder if you can tell me how to go about finding these books? Uncle Drone answers: I have researched this and found the following: While the talk you mention suggested that there was a need to use a Tablet or Kindle to see these books I have found that this is not completely necessary, you can also access and read them on any Android machine, Mac, PC, iPad or iPhone but you do need to have an Amazon account. - Using your chosen machine, log onto Amazon and search for “Kindle App” - Select your machine type and download and install the Kindle App following the prompts - Once installed sign in with your Amazon login - Use the search facility to find the books of your choice Books that are of interest to beekeepers who want to understand the wider picture of beekeeping and those who are interested in progressing their studies for the higher beekeeping exams include the following (not exclusive) list. - A Manual or Easy Method of Managing Bees by John Moseley Weeks - The Hive and the Honey Bee, A Bee Keepers Manual by Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth - Mysteries of Bee-Keeping Explained by Moses Quinby - New Observations on the Natural History of Bees by Francis Huber - The Different forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species by Charles Darwin - The Mason Bees by Jean-Henri Fabre - Bramble Bees and Others by Jean-Henri Fabre Readers need to be aware that all these books relate knowledge of the time in which they were written and that this can and has changed in many instances, however, much is good information and even out of date information is useful for developing the more advanced beekeepers to understand the evolution of the craft. Few developments ‘parachute’ into the craft they evolve from many years of observation and understanding. While there are numerous free books available, others for which there is a charge are also available, to pay charges it can be necessary to have a PayPal account or use a plastic card. Have fun – Uncle Drone

Meet the Bees Next course date: The date will be during the active beekeeping season at a time when the weather is suitable. Your tutor will contact you to arrange an appropriate time. Time: The course will take between 1 and 1.5 hours. Venue: East Riddlesden Hall apiary Meeting the Bees is the next logical step after the Bees and Beekeeping Course. Here you will have the opportunity to actually handle the bees at our Association apiary. We’ll organise a small group session where you will be led by a couple of very experienced beekeepers. This will be in April or May and is entirely weather dependent. If the weather changes we may need to cancel at short notice, this is for both your safety and enjoyment of the experience. On the day ABKA will provide you with a full bee suit. You must bring clean wellies, marigold type washing up gloves, your specs for close up work if you need them and something to tie long hair back (if you still have any). We will get suited up and you will be checked over to ensure you don’t get any unwanted visitors inside your suit. Seeing the inside of a hive for the first time We will talk a little about beekeeper and bee hygiene, demonstrate how to open a hive, where best to stand, use of a smoker and hive tool and how to remove a frame with bees on and inspect it. You will get a chance to hold the frame and we will describe what’s happening on that frame and answer your questions. You will be able to hear the noises the bees make, watch their busy little bodies and feel the warmth they exude. You’ll smell the pollens and honeys. You will see the worker bees, the cell types and the queen hopefully. You’ll see tiny eggs (this is why you’ll need your specs), healthy larvae, capped brood and even the odd baby bee emerging from its cell. There may even be the odd drone. Then we will carefully reassemble the hive. It will probably take an hour. It’s engrossing and marvellous and always takes longer than you think. There will then be a 20 minute question and answer session to discuss anything arising from the day’s activity. What to bring along: - Clean wellies or boots suitable for tucking in a bee suit. - Snug fitting Marigold type washing up gloves and bands to hold them closed at the wrist. - Something to tie back long hair if appropriate. - Glasses if you need them for close up work. If you would like to Meet the Bees, please submit an application form.

The bee smoke is made of Herbs and it will do no harm to bees. It can help calm bees. It is good for both hives and bees Each beekeeping smoker fuel pellet burns roughly 15 to 20 minutes giving you the perfect amount of time to check a hive or two. The smoke created from honey bee smoker pellets disrupts your bees’ ability to sense natural pheromones secreted to distract them making them seem calmer. when bees come to their hive and honey; Safely feed your bees, check on and clean your hive, and collect honey by smoking the hive Bee Smoker Fuel Tool - Efficient Beekeeper Smoker Fuel - Distracts Your Bees - Long Lasting - Safe for Your Bees Payment & Security Your payment information is processed securely. We do not store credit card details nor have access to your credit card information.

Some people that are interested in beekeeping get their training from beekeeping classes in Holden West Virginia but it can be very costly. Fortunately there are cheaper ways to learn the art of successful honey bee farming in WV. Beekeeping can be a full time profession or a hobby that is simple. Nevertheless, more often than not, what started as a hobby would become a profession. But you cannot just tell and decide yourself that you will begin to do beekeeping. You need to have satisfactory knowledge and comprehension on the area that you are going to enter, before starting on any hobby or profession. Then it is about time to indulge yourself in your line of interest if you’ve been putting off your interest in beekeeping for quite a long time. Bee farming may seem easy; learning the fundamental beekeeping lessons can enable you to get away to a great beginning. What does a beekeeper should understand? You should have total interest on beekeeping to start at the right foot. You’ve got to spend time taking care of your own colonies of bees. You should have consented to share your home space. There are possible dangers in beekeeping that can hurt not only you but your family as well. Your focus isn’t just to make money by selling honey; a great beekeeper should have fire and a keen interest in rearing bees. An apiarist should know the right location for the beehives. You need certainly to make sure that beekeeping is enabled in your area, if you decide to set your beehives at your backyard. There are several areas restricted to beekeeping; you have to get permission relating to this. Beekeepers must understand whether beekeeping supplies can be found in the area where the beehives are situated. You may never know when you must attend a local beekeeping shop; it is best that a nearby beekeeping store is not inaccessible. Equipment and protective gear will also be very important to beekeepers to know. Beekeepers are prone to bee stings; the correct outfit must be worn during beekeeping sessions. Understand the right type of suit to choose to keep you from any possible danger in beekeeping. Last but definitely not the least, among the beekeeping lessons you should know is that: it’s essential for the beekeeper to understand the proper manner of picking honey. If you are unable to harvest honey all the beekeeping attempts would be ineffective. The procedures should be known by a beekeeper in gathering the honey from the comb; beeswax is also part of the returns in beekeeping.

One Wednesday afternoon a couple of weeks ago, as I was crunching through a gnarly document at work and trying to get things buttoned up for a planned couple days off work, a coworker who knows I keep bees sent me an IM asking if I knew anyone who could come get a bee swarm at her brother’s house. Um, yeah! I quickly responded: ME! She sent me a photo and details: her brother lived a couple towns over, about 15 miles from my home, and the swarm was only 6 feet off the ground, according to her SIL. I had been planning to stay late and work on the document from hell, but even if I stayed four more hours, it wouldn’t make much difference with this doc. So I left at 5:30 and rushed home to get my bee gear. I put my 6-foot ladder in the car, a cardboard box, some duct tape, some bungie cords, baling twine, a hive box and lid (in case I could just dump them directly in), some lemongrass oil, my bee veil, and my Rottweiler (Daisy wasn’t about to be left behind!). I got there just as it was getting dark, and went back to look. It was a nice size cluster – not too large – and only about 6 feet up on a branch I could easily snip with my pruners. No need for most of the stuff I’d brought, but that’s okay. I didn’t even suit up; I just positioned the cardboard box under the swarm, and snipped. Done. I should have suited up. I got dinged in the nose, and a few very angry bees flew around me as I got the lid on the box and started taping. It seemed they were finding a hole out, so I kept going with the duct tape until finally they were secure. I’m sure my coworker’s brother thought I was a little nuts as I taped and taped and taped and taped. They were bees, not wolverines. The nose sting wasn’t too horrible, but as I drove home I could feel that one must have gotten me on the ear, too. Ah well. It was after dark when I got home, so I left them in the box for the night, on top of the hay bales in the garage. In the morning (thankfully I’d already planned to take the day off!) I got everything set up and dumped them in. (This time I did put my bee veil/jacket on.) It wasn’t as easy as a bee package install, but went pretty well nonetheless. The branch I’d snipped went into the hive box with them (they were still clustered on it) and I put everything back together as soon as I got the bulk of them secured into the hive. Then it was time to sit back and wait, with fingers crossed that they liked the hive and would stay. Later that afternoon the sun was out and they looked happy, flying in and out and getting acquainted with their surroundings. And three days later, it looked like they planned to stay and were setting up house! I was thrilled! After five years of beekeeping, I feel like a real beekeeper now, having caught my first swarm. It had to be the easiest swarm catch on record but you just never know. This past Wednesday I picked up my package bees. I’d ordered them before I’d heard about the swarm, and briefly thought about cancelling the order to save money, and to avoid contributing to the practice of buying package bees (I saw a YouTube video once of how they are packaged, and it’s brutal), but I really want two hives going, and with any luck this year is the year I’ll learn how to split a hive, and not be so dependent on buying bees from others who raise them. I got the package after work, so it was 7 p.m. before I got things ready for them. I half thought of waiting until the next day to install, but decided to go ahead with it. The sooner they’re in a hive the better for them. I put on my bee jacket (with netted hat or veil to protect my head (face and eyes!) from bee stings), even though package bees are notoriously docile (so are swarms – ha!) and dumped them in the hive. I got these bees from a local hardware store only a mile and a half from my house (so no half hour drive with 15,000 bees in the car with me) and when I talked to the owner, himself a beekeeper, he said they would be 4 pound packages. I figured he meant 3 pound, which is the norm, and indeed, my receipt when I paid for them said “3# package bees,” but I have to say, there were a LOT of bees in that box. Maybe it was because they were obviously so much healthier than last year’s package, which, frankly, was half dead when I got it (and had an unusual amount of fully dead bees in there). This year it seemed like the cage was magic, I kept pouring them out and it seemed like they just never stopped. It was wonderful! Finally, as civil twilight moved into nautical twilight, I had all of them out of there that I could get out, and the queen in her cage attached to a frame inside the hive. There were a few small clusters still hanging onto the inside of the box, so I just put the box on top of the hive for the night. They were still there in the morning, but by the time I got home from work that night, the cage was empty (and not a single dead bee to be seen!). The first couple of days after installation were chilly and wet, but they were still out flying more than I expected. I let the queen out of her cage the second night and she is beautiful. I’d waited, due to last year’s fiasco. I was never sure what happened, but on my first inspection of that hive, a week or so after installation, I saw queen cells. Meaning, the bees were already replacing the queen that came with them. Not good. I’d done the old “candy plug” in the queen cage when I installed that one, replacing the cork with a piece of marshmallow. The theory is that by the time the bees eat through the candy, they’re bonded with the queen. The plug had fallen out before I finished installing them, so she was loose immediately. Which, frankly, shouldn’t be a problem. The bees love their queen. My guess is she was one of the half dead bees in that package (probably due to overheating – hundreds of packages are hauled up from California in a trailer, and it was hot that week…). She obviously lived long enough to lay some eggs, and the hive replaced her as soon as they could. But that put us back another month, with regard to the new queen maturing to a laying queen, and then we headed into a drought summer, which made for some hard work to find flowers and nectar. A lot of area beekeepers had bad losses this year. When I realized my hive was dead in early spring (and I’m pretty sure they were probably dead by December) there was a shockingly small amount of honey left in the hive. It hadn’t been robbed, either. I plan to take better care of these hives, monitoring better and getting the hives better protected. I’ve taken steps towards the second – I’ve moved the bee yard to the garden area (fallow again this year) and closer to the house. I also have them up off the ground. They’re temporarily set up on top of dog crates (truly the Swiss Army knife of dog equipment) and I’m trying to figure out how I’ll set them up permanently – benches, picnic table, bee barn…I’ll be doing some Google searches on this topic to see what will work (and that I am capable of building by myself) and get something together in the next month or so. I tend to be somewhat lackadaisical about regular inspections. It’s so disruptive to the bees, and I hate opening up their house just so I can see if they have brood and honey stores. But maybe if I’d done so with last year’s hive, I’d have realized they didn’t have much in the way of honey stores. I don’t know that feeding them would have helped, as it was a challenged hive from the beginning, but I only did about three abbreviated inspections in total, which isn’t enough. This past weekend the weather was picture perfect, warm and sunny and true bee weather. And both hives are loving it. The swarm hive is doing well; they are making a lot of honey already and while it seems like they aren’t drawing out much comb, I have to remember how small they were to start. This was obvious when I got the package bees, which had probably four times the number of bees to start (and the package bees are guzzling the sugar syrup I’m giving them – a quart a day compared to the swarm hive’s half pint or so). The swarm hive is healthy, and even if I haven’t seen the queen (I rarely do) I see larvae, and they are doing what they should be doing. Happy bees = happy beekeeper.

My friend Joanna asked me to recommend a book about bees and beekeeping several years ago. I gave her a spare copy of Bees at the Bottom of the Garden from the beginners’ course that I took at Ealing and District Beekeepers Association. Bees at the Bottom of the Garden by Alan Campion is a bestselling book for novice beekeepers that explains very simply how to set up a hive and what to expect in your first few years of beekeeping. It’s an easy-to-understand, practical guide for beginners with useful diagrams and seasoned advice from an experienced beekeeper. Joanna found the book interesting but too technical, for her: “I don’t want to keep bees, Emma,” she said, “It’s a very good textbook, but I just wanted to have a read about bees and beekeepers for enjoyment.” I was surprised by her comment; by then I was already a beekeeper in my second year and still closely reading Alan Campion’s book alongside all my beekeeping activities. When Alastair Laing, an editor at Dorling Kindersley (DK), approached me to write a section for The Bee Book, I thought of my conversation with Joanna. The publisher had an idea for a book that would open a window onto the amazing world of bees and show what the beekeeper does for everyone to enjoy. There would also be a section on planting gardens for bees and pages of recipes for making the most of bee bounties like honey and beeswax at home. My family and friends have asked many questions about bees and beekeeping over the years: “What’s the difference between honeybees and bumble bees?”, “Why do bees swarm?”, “How do you get the honey?”, and “What do beekeepers do in winter?” I have always enjoyed telling people about the bees, although I have seen a few glazed eyes from sharing too much information. DK is well known for their beautifully illustrated books that make a detailed topic accessible to every reader – so I loved the idea of being part of a book that would allow my non-beekeeper family and friends to enjoy the wonder of bees. Alastair needed a writer for a section that showed how a beekeeper cares for bees and for a recipe section. So I accepted the job. I hoped that my pages would provide a helpful look at the year ahead for the novice beekeeper about to take their first steps, as well as an enjoyable read about a fascinating hobby for the arm-chair enthusiast. Writing for The Bee Book was a lot of fun and I felt lucky to be part of the team as the pages were brought to life by the beautiful design of Kathryn Wilding and the wonderful photography of Bill Reavell. Alastair commissioned Judy Earl and Bill Fitzmaurice of Harrow Beekeepers Association for their expert knowledge on crafting with beeswax, candle-making and recipes on honey, beeswax and propolis, and to take part in the photoshoots as well. My favourite story from the making of the book is how a swarm of honeybees happened to settle on a tree around the corner from a photoshoot one day. This allowed Bill Reavell to capture Bill Fitzmaurice demonstrating swarm collection in action (pages 158–159)! The chapters that I enjoyed reading most, however, were on the amazing world of bees by Fergus Chadwick, and how to plant a garden to attract bees by Steve Alton. I hadn’t seen these pages during the production of the book and was full of curiosity by the time my copies arrived in the post. Fergus reveals a treasure chest of bees around the world including the Himalayan honeybee, Australia’s sugarbag bee, and the blue carpenter bee of southern Asia. His section is beautifully illustrated by Bryony Fripp. Steve explores how to attract bees to your garden with an array of bee-friendly plants and guides to making bee homes. I wrote my pages with my first year of being a beekeeper in mind. I remembered there was so much to learn and I couldn’t know everything at first. The Bee Book is a great introduction to bees and beekeeping for those who would like to become beekeepers but are not quite ready to own a hive yet, and for the novice beekeeper about to take their first steps, it illustrates what might be expected of the year’s work ahead. My acknowledgements thank my first-year mentors Ian Allkins, Andy Pedley, Pat Turner, John Chapple, and Alan Gibbs, and also my hive partner Emily Scott of Adventures in Beeland. Mentoring doesn’t stop after your first year and there is always more to learn, which is why it’s so important to be part of a beekeeping association. I’ve enjoyed keeping hives at Ealing apiary alongside practical beekeepers like Thomas Bickerdike, of Beekeeping Afloat, and Llyr Jones, often a beekeeping partner-in-crime, and many more. I’d also like to say special thanks again to David Rowe for his assistance during the photoshoot at Ealing apiary, to John Chapple for his tip about the winter tunnel (page 166), and a huge thanks to Ealing and District Beekeepers Association and Harrow Beekeepers Association for letting DK photograph the hives at their apiaries. You can find out more about The Bee Book and order a copy from DK or Amazon. And if you are thinking about becoming a beekeeper, do follow one of the most important pieces of advice in the book – join your local association and take their introductory course! You won’t learn everything you need to know about bees and beekeeping even with a library of books at your disposal, but hopefully The Bee Book will be one of many that you’ll enjoy reading.

You will receive 10 traps with this order. This is the Better Beetle Blaster. 1- add a small amount of vegetable oil. 2- insert into hive. Insert in between the top bar frames. 3- Remove and discard when the beetle blaster is full of dead hive beetles. Caution: Make sure not to drop any vegetable oil in your hive. Videos on you tube show simple installation. Track Page Views With. Auctiva’s FREE Counter. The item “10X BETTER BEETLE BLASTER Between frame hive TRAP beekeeping beehives ORIGINAL” is in sale since Wednesday, October 10, 2018. This item is in the category “Industrial\Farming & Agriculture\Livestock Supplies, Equipment\Other”. The seller is “kmksnowboardgirl” and is located in Riverside, California. This item can be shipped worldwide. - Brand: Unbranded - MPN: Does not apply

Gunning for an Adventure In an earlier post titled Weekends in Canberra, I promised to write some articles about some of the things you can do around the ACT (Australian Capital Territory) and southern highlands region. Today we made our way to the Harvest Festival at the Canberra Environment Centre, where there was some great live music, eco community groups and many stalls selling local fare, much of which was organic. One of my favourite things I love to buy at organic markets aside from fruit and vegetables, is honey, and I was not disappointed. The Harvest Festival had two stalls with honey and beekeeping information, with both offering free samples of a range of eucalyptus and wild flower varieties. We bought a litre of new season honey which is slightly candied and a thickish texture. It won’t last long at our house, I am a fiend for good honey! Seeing that it was such a lovely day, Marty suggested that we take a drive to Gunning, located around halfway between Yass and Goulburn. On the way, we stopped in at Gundaroo Village for a delicious lunch at the The Cork Street Cafe. This cafe has a long standing reputation for excellent pizzas and beautiful homemade bread rolls and focaccia. Marty had a focaccia with local prosciutto, semi sun dried tomatoes and bocconcini and I had a small Fungi pizza (mushrooms and parmesan). We shared both of our dishes as neither of us wanted to miss out. Our lunch was washed down with a nice pot of English Breakfast tea, while we enjoyed the lovely day sitting at one of the outside tables, shaded by a big umbrella. After lunch we headed off to Gunning, which was well worth the drive (about 1 hour from Canberra). It is a quaint little place, with lots of historic buildings and a population of about 500 people. It is a town and region that is rich in terms of creativity as well, with many artists, performers and writers living in the surrounding area. We checked out the Picture House in the main street, as I was curious about all the old books and film memorabilia. When we headed inside, we were greeted by none other than Max Cullen, an actor who has has featured in many excellent Australian movies and television shows, including Baz Luhrmanns’s The Great Gatsby and one of my favourite ABC shows Rake. Max very graciously posed for a photograph, giving me his special signature sign. Picture House also has a gallery, with work by local artists and a performance space. I really loved the old ticket window, complete with the mannequin ticket seller. She does look a bit like she was jettisoned from the 1970s, check out the hair. The Picture House website says that “Actor/Artist Max Cullen and artist Margarita Georgiadis, have occupied The Coronation Theatre (circa 1937) in Gunning since 2004. Renamed The Picture House, The Coronation Theatre ceased showing movies in the mid 1960’s and was abandoned, nearly derelict before Max and Margarita set to work renovating it into what is now a shining landmark of cultural and artistic enjoyment.” Max encouraged us to go into the performance space, where there was a local contemporary dance performance, which was really interesting – and free to watch. Talk about great timing! One of the dances was titled “Dervish” and we looked at each other excitedly, thinking it would be like the Sufi Whirling Dervish dance/performance we are familiar with from Turkey. But it was quite different to what we expected, though still very engaging. Something else that stuck me as a bit unusual, were the people dressed in colonial outfits in the audience. We guessed that we must have missed some sort of colonial recreation event, as Gunning was settled quite early in comparative terms. To provide a condensed history, the broader region was originally home to two Australian Aboriginal language groups, the Gundungurra people in the north and the Ngunnawal people in the south. The region (specifically Gundaroo) was first explored by Europeans in 1820, and settled the next year by Hamilton Hume. In 1824, Hume and William Hovell left Gunning to discover the overland route to Port Phillip Bay where Melbourne is sited. Gunning was originally a coach stop, and service centre for the surrounding farms mainly growing Merino sheep. It had a police station and court house, post office, and school. For many years it was also a major stop on the Hume Highway, the main highway between Sydney and Mebourne. The highway now bypasses Gunning. Anyway, we had a fantastic day on our outing. Our spontaneous decision to go on a short trip reminded me that there is so much to see around the region, and to make the most of the glorious weather while it lasts. There are many little towns all around the southern tablelands of NSW, the region which skirts the ACT. Many of these small towns and villages have very interesting histories and characters. I will leave you with this photograph Marty took, which sums up Gunning beautifully.

BS 14 x 12 (Deep) Brood Frame & Foundation Assembly Pack x 10. Suitable for British National, WBC and Smith hives if the top bar lugs are shortened. Includes frames, wired foundation and gimp pins for easy assembly. Frame assembly pack includes. National 14 x 12 Hoffman Frames – with Gimp Pins. BS 14 x 12 (Deep) Brood Wired 100% beeswax Foundation. Please note, you will need to assemble the frames and foundation together yourself. Storage – Keep covered in dry cool conditions. Simon the Beekeeper VAT GB195409676. Deliveries are dispatched every day (Monday to Friday), excluding UK bank holidays. The item “Beehive National 14 x 12/Brood Frame Assembly Pack x 10″ is in sale since Thursday, September 28, 2017. This item is in the category “Pet Supplies\Beekeeping”. The seller is “simonthebeekeeper-global” and is located in Nuneaton. This item can be shipped worldwide. - Brand: Simon The Beekeeper - Product Type: Beehives

PCI’s Njira Integrated Water Resources Management Program In Malawi’s Shire River basin and Lake Chilwa, activities such as deforestation have degraded the environment, increased soil erosion, and reduced water availability and land productivity for local farmers. By bringing together community members from these affected areas, PCI helped build an understanding of the negative impact of deforestation and rehabilitated 20 watersheds in Balaka and Machinga Districts. Through the community-based Njira Integrated Watershed Management program, PCI used a people-centered approach to help communities delineate their watershed and develop plans to manage natural resources. Using large scale watershed approaches and adapting them to a micro-level context, Njira’s strategies are tailored to address each micro watershed’s unique needs. This process includes taking into account social, economic and environmental issues, as well as local community interests to mitigate short-term disasters and the longer-term impacts of climate change. In this way, PCI can address the unique underlying causes of vulnerability by accounting for each individual community’s development goals, livestock management, pasture/fodder production, agricultural efficiency, rural energy management, and potential for natural resource-based enterprises like beekeeping. Njira’s integrated watershed management approach fits within the five priority Forest Landscape Restoration interventions identified by the Government of Malawi, which are: - Agricultural technologies - Soil and water conservation - Forest management - River and streambank restoration - Community forests and woodlots

GST Exemption for Farmers GST Exemption for Farmers To regulate the production and support farmers by doubling the income, the Government of India (GoI) provided GST exemption for farmers. India rates as one of the top farming countries in the world, producing a wide array of consumable produce. The GoI provides many schemes and subsidies to the farmers to meet the requirements in India. The GoI also exports the products to countries abroad with the support of SMEs and MSMEs aimed at producing products with quality. India is the second-largest producer of rice and wheat in the world after China. In this article, we look at the benefits to farmers from GST implementation in India. Farmers Do Not Need GST Registration According to the GST Act, agriculturists have been exempted from GST registration or compliance requirements. The GST Act defines the term agriculturists as: “Agriculturist” means an individual or a Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) who undertakes cultivation of land - By own labour, - Through the labour of family, or - By servants on wages payable in cash or kind or by hired labour under personal supervision or the personal supervision of any member of the family. Hence, based on the above definition, it must be inferred that only farmers involved in the cultivation of land who are individuals or a HUF are eligible for GST exemption. Further, the farmer must also cultivate the land by his labour, by the labour of his/her family or through hired labour under personal supervision. Thus, the compliance to file GST shall apply to any company, LLP or Corporation involved in the farming or agricultural activities. Farmers Need Not Collect GST Since GST can be collected by only taxable persons having GST registration and most farmers would not have GST registration, they would not be liable for collecting and remitting GST to the Government. Farmers Do Not Need GST Filing Compliance under GST and GST filing is necessary only for taxable persons under GST, having GST registration. Since most farmers in India would be classifiable as an agriculturist under the GST Act, GST filing would not be necessary. No GST for Seeds Farming would require the purchase of seeds for planting and cultivation. Under GST, seeds required for cultivation by agriculturists in India have been placed in the NIL category. Hence, GST would not apply to seed purchase by farmers. GST Rate for Fertilisers The GST rate stands NIL for organic manure until packed in unit containers and bearing a brand name. Al the other fertilisers under the GST, taxed at 12%. GST Rate for Agricultural Tools The NIL GST rate category applies to the following types of agricultural tools: - Agricultural implements manually operated or animal driven - Hand tools, such as spades, shovels, mattocks, picks, hoes, forks and rakes; axes, bill hooks and similar hewing tools; secateurs and pruners of any kind; scythes, sickles, hay knives, hedge shears, timber wedges and other tools of a kind used in agriculture, horticulture or forestry. 5% of the GST rate category applies to the following types of agricultural tools: - Hand pumps and parts - Solar water heater and system - Waste to energy plants/devices - Solar lantern/solar lamp The following types of agricultural tools have been kept in the 12% GST rate category: - Power-driven pumps primarily designed for handling water, namely, centrifugal pumps (horizontal and vertical), deep tube-well turbine pumps, submersible pumps, axial flow and mixed flow vertical pumps. - Agricultural, horticultural or forestry machinery for soil preparation or cultivation; lawn or sports-ground rollers. - Milking machines and dairy machinery. - Composting Machines. - Self-loading or self-unloading trailers for agricultural purposes. - Other agricultural, horticultural, forestry, poultry-keeping or beekeeping machinery, including germination plant fitted with mechanical or thermal equipment; poultry incubators and brooders. - Harvesting or threshing machinery, including straw or fodder balers; grass or hay mowers; machines for cleaning, sorting or grading eggs, fruit or other agricultural produce. The following types of agricultural tools have been placed in the 28% GST rate category: Ceramic wares for laboratory, chemical or other technical uses Tubs, ceramic troughs, and similar receptacles of a kind used in agriculture Ceramic pots, jars and similar articles of a kind used for the conveyance or packing of goods.

"Boa me na me mmoa wo" is the symbol of cooperation and interdependence. North American Women's Association (NAWA) Humanitarian Projects NAWA’s Humanitarian Projects have been at the heart of NAWA since it began and is the focus and mission of all who join. Each year, twice per year, we accept applications for funding and the Projects committee reviews those applications. After the applicant assessment, NAWA board members conduct pre- and post site visits, and work with the grantee to accomplish their goal. All the initiatives are focused on improving the lives of women and children in Ghana. Recent projects have included a women’s maternity clinic, bee keeping in a village, school support, collaborating with a water bore project, and a school environmental stewardship initiative. NAWA Grant Application Process 1. There are two annual windows to apply for funding from NAWA: before January 31st or before September 30th. 2. Prospective Grantees/applicants send in proposals for funding via email or regular mail. 3. As a rule, all applicants must be registered and certified in Ghana by the Registrar General's Department (RGD) as well as the Department of Social Development (DSD). NAWA Grant Selection Process 1. NAWA members volunteer to participate on the humanitarian projects committee (HPC). 2. At the HPC's first meeting, members review all compliant proposals and decide which ones to follow up on for physical site review. 3. Sub-committees/groups are formed and each group visits an applicant’s physical location. 4. Each group reports back to the committee. 5. Based on the reports, at a second meeting, members vote to sponsor or eliminate a grant request based on finding from the physical visit. 6. Successful applications are presented to the NAWA Board of Directors for final approval. 7. All successful applicants/grantees are not eligible for funding again from NAWA for 2 years after the initial date of funding is approved. Current NAWA Grantees 1. MIMI Clinic 2. Solidarity for African Development (bee keeping training) 3. Environment 360 *In the 2016/2017 season, NAWA humanitarian projects approved grants for the following causes: -AACT - Aided in funding supplies needed for their art therapy program. -Autism Awareness Care and Training Program - Provided supplies for the program. -Development Action Association - Helped fund the drilling of a borehole at the training center for hygienic fish processing. -Solidarity for African Development - Beekeeping in the Volta Region. -Cross Cause Charity - We provided wooden benches and privacy curtains for Mimi Clinic in the Volta Region. -Environment 360 - We aided in the publication of activity books “Jaku and the Earth Defenders” to enhance environment awareness among school kids in Ghana. * Project Committee Selects Six Projects to Assess in Phase 2 -Eighteen NAWA members attended the initial Projects Committee meeting for the year. Elizabeth Victoria, Head of Projects, presented 8 compliant grant applications. Grant proposals were submitted from a wide geographical area and covered diverse needs ranging from literacy to bio fill digester toilets to sewing machines to senior citizen health screening. After discussion, six proposals were selected for "Phase Two - Site Review". This is when Project Committee members visit the sites and learn more about each application and project. -Small groups will be heading out to sites between now and mid-November. Check the NAWA Facebook Page and the newsletter for more details about these information gathering trips. Once groups have set up visits, they will be posting on Facebook for those who are interested, but weren't able to attend the initial meeting. NAWA Grant Application: *If you would like to head or be part of a committee to help the board members with this please contact them (contact is below). We are always looking for more members to get involved and being on a committee is a great way to help! For any questions relating to projects please direct them to the Head of Humanitarian Projects at firstname.lastname@example.org or the Director of Empowerment at email@example.com.

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Last week, in a box outside a bookshop I found this book for a pound. It is the The Countrywoman’s Year, 1960. Paid for by the Women’s Institute, it is a curious book of crafts, recipes, instruction and advice on making wine, beekeeping, growing indoor plants and all the mumsey crafts of made-do-and-mend. Why it is singled out to appear on my blog? Because it is peppered with Eric Ravilious illustrations. I am unsure how, or why, but I would guess that the illustrations were in the sample books of the Curwen Press and in those days you had books of designs and devices used by the press, as well as typographic books too, a high class version of clipart. The title page image is a thresholded image of Raviliouses design for Wedgwood’s Garden design. Appearing on a soup bowl, the print likely taken from the transfer plate would have been reversed as in the book. The image below appears on the back of the contents is The Village, for the cover of a journal by the National Council of Social Science, 1933. Below is a design for Wedgwood again, but this time for a Lemonade set in 1939. You can see how the image appeared on the jug when it was first released and how it looks without the enamel colouring over the top. The baking kitchen scene is a December Headpiece to a calendar in The Twelve Months, by Nicholas Breton, ed. Brian Rhys and published by the Golden Cockerel Press, 1927. The image below of the dustpan is from the same book and is the headpiece for February. The block below of pancakes in a pan is from the Kynoch Diary 1933 that Ravilious illustrated in 1932, it’s title is Block 122. The book is below. Below is another block from the Kynoch Notebook, this time, Block 110 Kynoch Press, 1933 illustrated by Eric Ravilious. The illustration for summer is a larger version of the title page image, and the illustration as previously seen for Wedgwood’s Garden plates. The illustration by Eric Ravilious below was originally used for the Country Life Cookery Book, June, 1937. The wood engraving below was a bit of a mystery, I thought it was Ravilious but it wasn’t in any of the reference books on him (Greenwood) and it was identified by David Wakefield as being a wood engraving for a Apple box label for the Ministry of Agriculture in 1934. In 2018 it was published in the ‘Eric Ravilious Scrapbooks‘. For the chapter ‘Painting for Pleasure‘ uses part of the cover to the BBC Radio Talks Pamphlet on British Art. January 14th – February 18th, 1934. Eric Ravilious – BBC Radio Talks Pamphlet on British Art, 1934 The wood-engraving used above can be seen below, called Two Cows and was used for the cover of a London Transport Walking and touring guide. 1936 cover to Country Walks, 3rd Series with a Ravilious Design of Two Cows. Below you can see the work re-cycled into a watercolour also named Two Cows. Here keeping the study of a cow in the same pose and doubling it, both cows are the same tracing but coloured differently. Eric Ravilious – Two Cows, 1936, The Fry Gallery Above and below are both from the Country Life Cookery Book, July (above) and October (below), 1937. The last little wood engraving was a projected design for a book plate but looks to illustrate a chocolate log and christmas pudding, Eric Ravilious – Projected Bookplate, 1937 The editor of the book was Elizabeth Shirley Vaughan Paget, Marchioness of Anglesey, DBE, LVO, Shirley Morgan began her career in the Foreign Office as personal secretary to Gladwyn Jebb until her marriage to Lord Anglesey in 1949. As Marchioness of Anglesey, she served as President of the National Federation of Women’s Institutes 1966–1969, a board member of the British Council 1985–1995, chairman of the Broadcasting Complaints Commission 1987–1991, and vice-chairman of the Museums and Galleries Commission 1989–1996.

My Warré hive has been a source of joy and education throughout this past year. I’ve looked in on the bees through it’s super cool windows more than a few times a week. I thought that was all that was necessary to make sure all was well. I could see the honeycomb full of honey and the bees in constant motion in and around it. I was even able to see a change in behavior at the beginning of February through that window. The bees were started collecting or bearding on the outside of the hive, and when I looked in the window of the top box I could see them gorging on honey, emptying the cells and moving more rapidly than usual. I had an inkling that they were about to swarm. The hive was so full it looked about to burst, so I hurriedly ordered another box and planned to harvest the honey from the top while adding an empty box to the top to give them the much needed room the upcoming nectar flow of citrus blossoms would require. I was too late, however. I was too late, however. The day before my new box arrived I checked in on the bees to see if they were still engaged in their strange behavior. What I found, however, was a nearly empty top box, no bearding, and much less action at the entrance. I kept checking throughout that day and the next, but it was the same. I was sure that half of the colony was gone. That meant a new queen, bred with feral bees, and most likely Africanized. Of course, I could have learned this information before critical mass if I was able to inspect my hives regularly. But Warré hives are more of a hands-off approach. You can’t just open a box, pull out frame, by frame to see what is going on—what parasites are in there, if there are eggs, larva, or even queen cells. The comb is glued not only to the top bars but also to the sides and possibly the top of the next box down. I’m not sure if this is much of an issue in other parts of the country, but in Arizona where Africanized bees are now the norm, it is VERY important that you know where your queen is, and that means checking regularly. Of course there are lots of other reasons to inspect your hive, but that one is super important when you have backyard bees in the city. Requeening the Hive Once I knew my bees had swarmed I wanted to get a new queen in there ASAP! So my friend and mentor, Roy, helped me take my bees 40 miles away to his desert apiary so we could do it. Once we started to open the hive we knew right away that I couldn’t continue with this method of beekeeping. It was impossible to remove the comb to find the queen without taking the hive apart, so that’s what we did. The top box was full of honey, so we moved that aside for later. The remaining boxes were mostly brood mixed with honey at various stages. There was no way to put the comb back in so we put it on wired Langstroth frames and popped them into the extra box Roy had. I was so thankful that I wasn’t in my backyard at this point. One, I didn’t have an extra Langstroth hive, and two, the bees were super aggressive. We did have some modified frames in the Warré that we used to install the bees in the first place. Those frames easily came out. If I continue with the Warré hive (it’s super cute) then I will simply convert Langstroth frames to fit it. It was a disheartening, but educational experience. Thankfully we did find the queen and installed a new one that will hopefully produce lots and lots of docile brood. As for the Honey Harvest The frameless honey comb from the top box was really fun to harvest. We simply sliced it off the top bars and placed them in sheet cake pans with lids to keep the bees out. Once home, I removed any debris and then cut as many whole comb pieces as I could out of the 8 whole combs. The remaining comb was tossed in a bucket lined with a mesh straining bag that I use for winemaking. I got 14 beautiful cut comb squares in all. These I packaged up, labeled, and sold. The comb in the bucket was crushed and strained. I set the bucket in a black plastic bag and placed it in the sun to liquify the honey so that it poured easily. After a day of straining I removed the bag of wax and pollen and rinsed it to get all the leftover honey out. I scoured the internet to find the easiest way to render the dark brood comb wax and I found this video. I couldn’t find any metal window screen in my house, so I used two mesh strainers lined with paper towels. I placed these over stainless steel bowls with a few inches of water in them. One bowl was too large for the strainer so I cut an aluminum pie tin to hold it up—it worked great. Then in the oven at 200° F for 5 or 6 hours. Only the pure, clean beeswax was left in the bowl. The leftover remnants of pollen and comb will make great fire starters for camping. Now for the actual honey! This was the EASY part. Rowan helped me fill mason jars with the honey that was left in the bottom of the bucket. It was about 20 pounds. Some went to neighbors and the rest will go in the pantry. We will use the next harvest for Rowan to sell and for me to make some more mead. Final advice on the Warré hive I love the look and size of the Warré hive. The main issue I have with it is inaccessibility. In Arizona we have the usual varroa mite, wax moth, and other various issues to watch for, but since we don’t get a hard winter, our hives are active all year round and so are the parasites. On top of that, we have to be ever-vigilant to watch for queen cells in the hive. If your hive makes a new queen who has mated with feral bees, then your brood will very likely be much more aggressive, which is not good in a backyard environment. These are things to consider when you realize that Warré hives make this monitoring job impossible. Here is what I would suggest: - If you still want a Warré hive, just modify some Langstroth frames to fit so that you can inspect your hive. Buy unassembled Langstroth frames and cut them to fit before assembling. You can add foundation or not. - If you live in Arizona, just get a Langstroth hive and don’t bother with a Warré. That way you have interchangeable parts with lots of other beekeepers. If you want honey, this just makes sense. I wrestled with the idea of scrapping the Warré altogether and just moving the bees to a Langstroth, but I do love the look and size of the Warré that I have. AND after filling my Mannlake shopping cart with an entirely new Langstroth hive with two deep boxes and two honey supers, I decided that it would be cheaper to just buy frames and foundation that I could cut to fit my Warré boxes. If I knew what I know now, I would have just gotten a Langstroth in the first place, but when you dive in like I do, life is one big learning experience.

Powdered honey, a totally innovative product that was designed to solve a problem detected by its consumers. Make products based on natural ingredients. Carolina Pérez Velázquez Karla Fernanda Tejeda Lugo Lizbeth Rivas Mirafuentes Powdered honey is their greatest innovation, thus creating a totally new and practical product. They realized the opportunity that existed by covering a new need when they detected that honey did not dissolve as quickly in drinks such as tea. We know that pure honey is usually a little thicker. With this, they managed to grow their market segment. This product is currently one of the best positioned within its portfolio due to its characteristics because it is convenient and functional since it does not spill. In the process, it preserves the same properties and nutrients as honey in its natural presentation. It is made from selected and dehydrated bee honey in a high technology food process that preserves the nutritional properties of natural bee honey. It is a source of minerals such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium, which, together with ascorbic acid, help you feel the energy all day. The company began as a family business founded in 1987 by Doña Elba, where she built her first Apiary. By the 90's they were already suppliers to large industries such as Heinz and Broncolín.By 2006, this sector suffered a price-related crisis, and beekeepers began to lose their income source. With this background, in 2014, Luis Valentino Ramírez (son of Doña Elba) and his brothers decided to found Abeja Reyna in a garage to commercialize high-quality products through sustainable innovation, enhancing values such as respect for the environment and that the conception of their products is 100% natural, in addition to that in their processes they seek the conservation of beekeeping and the conservation of bees in our country. Abeja Reyna seeks to positively impact and work together with beekeepers, which allows them to transform 300 tons of honey per year. Within their business model, circular ecology has been encouraged. They have a refilling system and encourage their consumers to reuse packaging since they have a philosophy of conscience with the environment and the planet.It is noteworthy that Abeja Reyna has toy libraries so that interested people can learn more about bees and their world. Abeja Reyna has constantly worked so that its customers have the best quality products without sacrificing their values and their essence. He has created fantastic and profitable products, allowing you to generate significant income and have a profitable and scalable business model.Abeja Reyna focuses its efforts on local support, promoting vulnerable sectors, and generating strategic win-win relationships that strengthen its ecosystem and positively impact its environment; they have contributed to promoting young people. For example, they detected that some young people began to work as bicycle delivery people, so Abeja Reyna decided to ally with them. Their local deliveries are made through this method, which supports this sector, and the delivery process does not harm the environment. Abeja Reyna aims to create a positive impact. It has done so based on its products, its service, and the quality it offers, in addition to being very clear about what it wants for its clients, its workers, and for the world.It has carried out social and environmental contributions, highlighting that it keeps almost 90 million bees alive in our country alone. Their collection, protection, and distribution chain processes manage a commitment to environmental care, which is why they have implemented strategies such as refilling products to prevent people from generating more garbage. In this way, their customers have the option of going to refill their containers with the same product. In addition to that, they obtain a discount for contributing, which also generates loyalty programs. When making shipments, they take care of their products from blows with a totally natural material that dissolves when in contact with water instead of using the typical fingers or plastic balls. They have reduced the use of plastics in the packaging of products, replacing them with glass. Luis Enrique Rodríguez Pérez, Lic. Marketing. Keep this story going! Share below! Calle Labrador 1581, Providencia 4ta sección, Jalisco, MX Business Website: https://www.abejareyna.mx/ Year Founded: 2014 Number of Employees: 51 to 200

A sampling of recent New York Times headlines turns up articles on nail salons and toxic chemicals, melting glaciers, South Korea's "green growth" plans, the cost of renewable energy, and even questions about whether reusable grocery bags are environmentally sound. It's no wonder green topics are ubiquitous in publishing, says Rodale editorial director Karen Rinaldi. "The big issues of our time are environmental degradation and how we can reverse it. People are looking for guidance." And publishers are proving more than willing to provide it, with offerings that range from green cookbooks and interior design manuals to scientific treatises and children's titles. We spoke with four industry players and compiled an annotated listing of new books, from now through May 2011, for grownups and youngsters. Rodale: Taking a Holistic Approach Visitors to Rodale's Web site will notice a sprouting plant logo paired with the words "Where Health Meets Green"—a sentiment that's a natural fit with the company behind a host of wellness titles and such magazines as Prevention and Men's (and Women's) Health. Publishing director Karen Rinaldi says that the sentiment is more than just a slogan: "The health of the planet and the health of the self are connected. Our books—the lens to look at the Rodale list—are all about this." Rinaldi explains that environmental issues are so overarching they touch every part of what the publisher does. "We kept putting the green category up on our board, and kept taking it down," says Rinaldi. "Because there are elements of it in everything—diet, farming, health, politics. Everything. It's not a category." She points to books like Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet, which performed very well for the publisher, as an example of a title that could have been marketed as "green." Instead, the publisher chose to let the author's "passionate, relevant point of view" be the focus. New Society: Providing Tools for Troubled Times For more than 20 years New Society Publishers has focused on giving activists the books they need to pursue social and environmental change. Copublisher Judith Plant says that the past decade has only seen that activist community grow. "We provide tools to activists and to engage activists in solutions," says Plant. "There is a growing audience for radical books." New Society relies on its connections to decide what to publish, attending many activist events and soliciting proposals to identify emerging topics. "We tend to be on the cutting edge. Our backlist sells well because a book is often ahead of its time," says Plant. The publisher takes its values seriously. It has used 100% postconsumer recycled paper and printed with vegetable-based, low VOC inks since 2001, and in 2005 made a commitment to become carbon neutral through annual offset investments. Candlewick: Recognizing Kids Care At children's publisher Candlewick the number of green submissions has noticeably increased. Editor Andrea Tompa says, "Definitely, we've seen more books in this category coming across our desks. We're all really aware of environmental issues and are eager to publish books that tackle them." She sees books on subjects like climate change and endangered species as a perfect fit for the children's market: "Kids really care about animals, the earth, and nature." And the response to Candlewick's previously published green titles demonstrates a strong demand, says Tompa. Melanie Walsh's 2008 picture book, 10 Things I Can Do to Help My World, has 45,000 copies in print in the U.S. and Canada, and 2002's Judy Moody Saves the World from Megan McDonald's popular series now has two million copies in print. While the category will always have plenty of nonfiction, Tompa believes fiction—like Judy Moody, or Abby McDonald's 2010 YA novel Boys, Bears and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots—that deals with related topics will become more common. Says Tompa, "The earlier you can start thinking about the environment and not taking it for granted, the better. Kids can get into the habit of doing simple things that help." HarperCollins Children's Books: Helping Kids Learn Titles that tackle environmental and sustainability issues have become increasingly common at HarperCollins Children's Books, and editorial director Phoebe Yeh says that trend will only continue. "This is here to stay, because the problem is not going away," says Yeh. "You're going to see more of these books and in different ways." Yeh notes that several different editors acquired the green offerings on Harper's list, showing a high level of interest within the house. And whole families share that interest, she says. "Parents and kids are really supporting books on these topics. Kids are learning from a young age to think about their world and how they have to take care of our planet. They want to know what they can do." Yeh believes there will be more novels aimed at older readers in the future, but emphasizes that books must be targeted to the appropriate audience. "If you're four, what you can understand about science is different than what a nine-year-old can understand," says Yeh. "The kids deserve the books they need." Green Interior Design (Nov., $24.95 trade paper) by Lori Dennis. A manual for homeowners, interior designers, architects and contractors to achieve "glamorously green interiors" in a cost-effective way. Green Deen: What Islam Teaches About Protecting the Planet (Nov., $16.95) by Ibrahim Abdul-Matin. A spiritual case for environmentalism drawing from the teachings of the Qur'an, written by an environmental policy adviser in the New York City mayor's office. The Green Scorecard: Measuring the Return on Investment in Sustainability Initiatives (Oct., $29.95) by Patricia Pulliam Phillips and Jack J. Phillips. Return-on-investment experts provide companies with a method for deciding when and how to undertake green initiatives (or not). The Earth's Last Wilderness: A Quest to Save Antarctica (Dec., $14.95) by Robert Swan with Gil Reavill offers many steps to avoid environmental calamity. (The book was originally published as Antarctica 2041—the year when the international treaty protecting Antarctica is up for review.) Your New Green Home and How to Take Care of It (Jan., $39.95) and Green Models for Site Development (Jan., $19.95). More resources from the publishing arm of the National Association of Home Builders, which has previously published the National Green Building Standard and Build Green and Save. Farm Together Now: A Portrait of People, Places, and Ideas for a New Food Movement (Dec., $27.50) by Amy Franceschini and Daniel Tucker examines the state of grassroots farming. The publisher says the mix of oral history, political treatise, and travelogue is designed to "inspire and cultivate a new wave of modern agriculture." A Force for Nature (Aug., $24.95) by John H. Adams and Patricia Adams, with George Black. An "inspiring memoir" about the founding and development of the Natural Resources Defense Council. Green Is the New Red: The Journey from Activist to "Eco-Terrorist" (Apr., $16.95) by Will Potter. The author takes a look at whether a "Green Scare" has emerged, and details political and legal strategies used to target environmental and animal rights activists. Like a Tree: How Trees, Women, and Tree People Can Save the Planet (Apr., $23.95) by Jean Shinoda Bolen. A call to action for "tree people" everywhere, on saving forests and valuing trees. The publisher will donate a tree for every copy sold. The Next Eco Warriors: 22 Young Women and Men Who Are Saving the Planet (Apr., $19.95), edited by Emily Hunter. The daughter of Greenpeace cofounders Robert and Bobbi Hunter profiles workers in today's green revolution. Early Warming: Crisis and Response in the Climate-Changed North (Jan., $26) by Nancy Lord profiles the amplified effects of global warming on communities in the North, and how their inhabitants are responding to immediate threats due to changes in climate. Powering the Dream: The History and Promise of Green Technology (Apr., $27.50) by Alexis Madrigal explores the quest for clean energy in America, providing a historical perspective and hope for the future. Raising Elijah: Protecting Our Children in an Age of Environmental Crisis (Apr., $26) by Sandra Steingraber blends science and memoir in considering the task of raising children in a "toxic, climate-threatened world." Thomas Dunne Books The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century (Oct., $25.99) by Dickson Despommier explains the revolutionary concept of vertical farming, which could help address such issues as water scarcity, pollution, and carbon emission. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux Aerotropolis: The Way We'll Live Next (Mar., $28) by John D. Kasarda and Greg Lindsay examines the development of a new urban form, the "aerotropolis," made up of businesses and transportation corridors around airports. The Story of Stuff: How Our Obsession with Stuff Is Trashing the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health—and a Vision for Change (Feb., $26) by Annie Leonard. The creator of the eponymous film that became an Internet sensation, Leonard argues that the "accumulation of stuff" has negative impacts on our lives. Force of Nature: How Wal-Mart Started a Green Business Revolution and Why It Might Save the World (May, $27.99) by Edward Humes. From the Pulitzer Prize winner and bestselling author comes an analysis of how Wal-Mart may hold the solutions to the environmental crisis. Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World (Nov., $29.99) by Charles, HRH the Prince of Wales. Prince Charles describes his views on climate change for the first time, proposing that the solution lies in our ability to regain balance with nature. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Hot: Living Through the Next Fifty Years on Earth (Jan., $25) by Mark Hertsgaard. After covering global warming for publications including the New Yorker, Time, and Vanity Fair for 20 years, the author scrutinizes the coming decades. Promotion will include a 10-city author tour. The Great White Bear: A Natural and Unnatural History of the Polar Bear (Jan., $26) by Kieran Mulvaney. This history of the polar bear includes the impact of climate change. The Nature of College: How a New Understanding of Campus Life Can Change the World (Dec., $16 ) by James J. Farrell considers the ecological fallout of action and inaction on American college campuses. New World Library Twelve by Twelve: A One-Room Cabin Off the Grid & Beyond the American Dream (May, $14.95) by William Powers. Called by the publisher "Walden for the global warming era," Powers's book details how he took up residence in a 144-square-foot cabin. New Society Publishers Choosing a Sustainable Future (Nov., $19.95) by Liz Walker provides ideas and inspiration from Ithaca, N.Y., on creating more sustainable communities. Eco-yards: Simple Steps to Earth-Friendly Landscapes (Mar., $19.95) by Laureen Rama offers practical advice for developing urban yards that help restore the natural ecosystem. Planet Home: Conscious Choices for Cleaning and Greening the World You Care About Most (Dec., $19.99) by Jeffrey Hollender with Alexandra Zissu provides "an indispensable reference" for maintaining a home that's healthier for the planet. Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do to Save Them (Apr., $29.99) by Ted Danson. The actor and longtime environmentalist details the need for action. Tomorrow's Garden: Design and Inspiration for a New Age of Sustainable Gardening (Feb., $24.99) by Stephen Orr looks at responsible gardens in 14 American cities. Peak of the Devil: 100 Questions (and Answers) About Peak Oil (Oct., $14.95) by Chip Haynes breaks down a complex topic and provides readers with guidance on what they can do. Growing a Garden City (Oct., $24.95) by Jeremy N. Smith. Using his Missoula, Mont., hometown as a case study, Smith explains how such problems as poverty and obesity can be solved with a community-based agriculture program. Homemade Living: Home Dairy and Homemade Living: Keeping Bees (Mar., $19.95 each) by Ashley English teaches how to make cheese, yogurt, butter, etc., and how to undertake beekeeping. Business Lessons from a Radical Industrialist (Mar., $15.99) by Ray C. Anderson. The personal story of how CEO Anderson made his business more profitable through environmental sustainability. The New Normal: An Agenda for Responsible Living (Jan., $14.99) by David Wann. The author of Simple Prosperity challenges readers to change their lifestyles. Trash-to-Treasure Papermaking: Make Your Own Recycled Paper from Newspapers & Magazines, Can & Bottle Labels, Discarded Gift Wrap, Old Phone Books, Junk Mail, Comic Books, and More (Mar., $16.95) by Arnold E. Grummer. Thames & Hudson New Natural Home (Apr., $35) by Dominic Bradbury and Richard Powers provides design inspiration for building homes and inhabiting them in a sustainable way. Trash Origami (Nov., $19.95) by Michael LaFosse and Richard Alexander illustrates how to turn trash into usable, unique gifts. Can We Save the Tiger? (Feb., $16.99) by Martin Jenkins, illus. by Vicky White. The team behind the award-winning Ape highlights the ways human behavior can threaten—or help save—"the amazing animals that share our planet." How the Weather Works (Feb., $17.99) by Christiane Dorion, illus. by Beverley Young. This interactive book helps children understand how humans can influence the Earth's climate. The Secret World of Whales (May, $16.99) by Charles Siebert. Siebert takes readers "deep into the history of human encounters with whales." FSG Books for Young Readers Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed Their World (Mar., $16.99) by Allan Drummond. This nonfiction picture book brings kids on a journey to the Danish island of Samso, where the environmentally savvy inhabitants have become nearly energy independent. HarperCollins Children's Books Ants in Your Pants, Worms in Your Plants! (Feb., $16.99) by Diane deGroat. Gilbert the opossum goes green in a picture book that celebrates Earth Day. Harmony Children's Edition (Nov., $16.99) by Charles, HRH the Prince of Wales, adapts Prince Charles's book about the environment into a picture book. Sid the Science Kid: Earth Day Fun (Feb., $3.99) by Jennifer Frantz. The popular children's TV character learns about soil in observance of Earth Day. Roscoe and the Pelican Rescue (Mar., $14.95) by Lynn Rowe Reed. Tony must save an oil-covered pelican while vacationing on the Louisiana coast. Little Brown Books for Young Readers Arthur Turns Green (Apr., $16.99) by Marc Brown. The first new Arthur Adventure in nearly a decade finds Arthur so devoted to the environment he might be turning green. Printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks, the story offers tips for kids on how they can follow suit. Not Your Typical Book About the Environment (Mar., $10.95) by Elin Kelsey, illus. by Clayton Hanmer, aims to allay the fears and "eco-anxiety" of middle-grade readers by focusing on positive developments in technology. Eco People on the Go! and The Little Composter (Mar., $6.99 each) by Jan Gerardi. These new board books help toddlers learn about green issues and nature. Good Growing: A Kid's Guide to Gardening Green (Mar., $16.95 paper) by the editors of Klutz. With two "Super Sprouter" kid-friendly hydroponic growing systems included, children will be gardening—and gardening green—in no time. Oil Spill Disaster (Sept., $5.99). Published several months after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, this book helps readers understand not just the event but where oil comes from, energy use, and relief efforts. The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge (Mar., $16.99) by Joanna Cole, illus. by Bruce Degen. The latest installment tackles today's hottest topic in its trademark style, helping kids understand that they "can help solve the crisis of global warming." The Water Wars (Jan., $16.99) by Cameron Stracher. This debut YA novel is set in a dystopian world plagued by water shortages. Catch the Wind, Harness the Sun (Apr., $16.95 paper; $26.95 hardcover) by Michael Caduto. Offers 22 easy science projects that teach children about renewable resources. World Without Fish (Apr., $16.95) by Mark Kurlansky, illus. by Frank Stockton. The author of Salt turns his attention to a younger audience, detailing the threat posed by overfishing.

I have been pretty sketchy on posting about the bees lately but there has been all sorts of stuff going on. Every year around tax time, I add supers to the colonies in preparation for the honey flow. It’s that time of year when the blooms start and the nectar flows. In the hive, it is a boom time and the period that makes or breaks the bees as well as my honey harvest later in the summer. This year has been a strange year (as they all have been lately). We had a good warm-up early but then we have had cool temps and rain for what seems like an eternity. The WV Department of Agriculture sent our advisement that they were seeing bees starving this year due to the weather. You see, the queen lays a lot of eggs as it warms in the spring. That makes for a lot of bees and when all goes well, the spring honeyflow coincides and provides more food than the bees can eat…thus stored honey. In a bad year though, the bees still increase in number but the food is sparse….that signals bad times unfortunately. My bees still look pretty good but it will depend on the remainder of the season to know what the end result will be. Anyhow, my Mom helped me prep things earlier this spring. It was her first time working with me in the bee and I know she enjoyed it even though it was hot, heavy, time-consuming work. Like most people who first see a lot of bees, she got a case of the creepy-crawlies. When I first started keeping bees, I remember feeling like bugs were on me hours after I was out of the hives. She managed her heebie-jeebies pretty well though and we got honey supers in place on the hives. This was a pretty good swarm year too. I am not aware of any swarms out of my colonies (which is a good thing), but I got a number of calls and was able to capture several swarms around Charleston. I also made a new friend in a local beekeeper. We met at a swarm where we had both gotten a call to capture it. We now pass calls back and forth which is pretty cool. He’s a local firefighter so can’t always get to the swarm calls he receives. I have pics of two swarms that I caught. As always, I like to pet my swarms (because I am a show-off) before I catch them. Don’t try touching a swarm on your own if you ever come across one. It’s just not a good idea unless you know bees a little. I love catching swarms and it is likely my favorite part of beekeeping. Here’s to hoping this season turns itself around and makes for some great honey! It’s late in the season for swarms to strike out from a honeybee colony. Typically, April through June are prime swarm months when the bees are building up to work the bountiful nectar sources during that time of year. As they get crowded from both the increase in bees as well as the stored honey and pollen, some of the bees along with the old queen strike out on their own and forma new colony. It’s natural and kind of cool, unless you are a beekeeper wanting to keep strong hives and make honey. It’s even less cool when you don’t see the swarm leave so you can’t capture them and at least keep the new colony. Anyhow, swarming is a natural thing but it usually happens in the Spring and early Summer…and very rarely at the end of August or beginning of September. Still, somehow I got calls for two swarms recently and was happy to gather the new colonies for my apiary! The first swarm was at the local hospice house. A business across the road saw the swarm fly into a tree so called me. I hurried down and went into the hospice house. They didn’t know they had a massive swarm on their property but were happy to have me remove it. The receptionist announced over the intercom that everyone should stay inside while I did my work. Of course, that meant a huge number of employees ran outside to see what was going on. Among them was the media relations guy who saw an opportunity and called the local media. Two news crews came and before I knew it, I was being interviewed for the evening news! That was cool of course and I was happy to help hospice get some publicity as well. A good number of the people who had gathered had never seen a swarm of bees so it took a good bit if time for everyone to see what there was to see and to get pictures with the bee guy sticking his hand into the swarm (don’t try that at home). I love catching swarms and love an audience so it was a lot of fun and the swarm was huge and should definitely survive the winter, unlike many late season swarms that don’t have time to build up in number, collect nectar and pollen, etc. Just a week or so later, Larry Groce of Mountain Stage fame called me with a swarm of bees in his front yard. Larry is a super nice guy and it was a swarm of bees so of course I gathered them as well. The funny thing is that I went to his place after a Rotary meeting where he was the featured speaker! We got to chat a bit about bees which is always fun! I collected his swarm easily and merged them with another colony so they should survive as well, though not independently. And now this isn’t exactly a swarm, and I didn’t exactly catch them, but these buggers are still hanging out by my back door. They are sort of swarm-like, right? I mean, it’s a mass of stinging insects…I think they are beautiful so they shall remain until they move on… About a month ago, I got a call from a local woman who had a bee problem. As a flower gardener, she knew she had bumblebees rather than honeybees, my usual bugs of choice, but she hoped I could help her. In her gardening efforts, she was getting stung as she worked near their colony. You see, in her beautiful flower garden, a nest of bumblebees had taken up residence in one of her birdhouses. I’ve never kept bumblebees, but I like all of the flying creatures with the word “bee” in their name so I said I would come and take a look. From talking with my grandpa a dozen or so years ago, I remembered that bumblebees do indeed make honey. As a kid, he said he and his siblings used to follow bumblebees back to their nest to collect the small caches of honey they made. Grandpa described their unusual-looking nest (better pictured here than my trying to describe it) and talked about the fun he had chasing after them. Isaac and I entered the woman’s garden and found, on an eye-level shepherd’s crook, a little birdhouse filled with a bumblebee nest, just as she reported. I told her I didn’t think I could get the bees out and she said, “Oh no, of course not, just take the house and all if you want to.” Of course, I wanted to so Isaac and I wrapped it in a sheet, returned home and placed it on a shepherd’s crook in my yard where it remains, still full of bumblebees. I am not sure how/if they will winter there, but I am inclined to leave it alone and see what happens. They have been a delightful addition to the yard and garden and we have enjoyed seeing them on blooms all over the yard! Quite a title, I know, but that’s what it’s called in the beekeeping world. This weekend, I looked into my colonies and added honey supers as necessary in preparation for the honey flow which starts soon in WV. I mostly found good colonies with healthy queens, good worker build-up, plenty of eggs and larvae, etc. In one hive, I found a problem though. Sometimes, when a hive loses its queen, the infertile female worker bees sort of change into queen-wannabees. Every hive needs a queen to survive as she is the one which controls the mood of the hive, ensures future bees and generally runs the show. When a colony goes queen-less, all of that falls apart. Something in a number of worker bees triggers and they begin to sort of convert into queen bees. These infertile bees are called laying workers. Their bodies begin producing eggs. Since the aren’t really queens though, they cannot fertilize the eggs and something is just not right about how they roll…they don’t know how to properly lay eggs like a real queen would. Instead of laying a single fertile egg in the center of each honeycomb, laying workers lay multiple eggs in the honeycomb, on the honeycomb walls, heck, sort of everywhere. If the eggs develop into anything, they would turn into male drone bees but in most cases, they are just junk and signal the end of a hive. Some beekeepers used to say that they could save the non-laying workers by shaking all of the bees out of the hive at some distance, say 500 yards, from the original location. The idea was that, like a typical real laying queen, laying workers would not really fly and so would die where they were shaken out (queens can fly…when they breed in their first week or so after emerging from a queen cell and when they swarm…in both ). Non-laying bees would return to the hive where the beekeeper could install a new fertile queen. Research has shown that it doesn’t really work that way though…or not consistently. I prefer to shake the bees out and remove the actual hive from the location where it once stood. Any bees that return have to either transition into a nearby hive that will not tolerate laying workers or die where their old hive stood. It’s a harsh reality I suppose but the only viable solution in my yard. Sometimes it happens which is a drag, but I am pleased that I have a good number of healthy hives that will hopefully produce a lot of good honey…if the predicted frost tomorrow doesn’t kill all of the nectar-producing blooms! We seem to be running around a lot lately but I can’t tell you much of anything that we have done that was either interesting or productive. I guess that’s just how things are nowadays. As a reprieve from the apparent chaos in our lives, I thought I would take a few pics of the critters around our place…some of which I care for, some of which I do not. Of course, the chickens are as crazy as always. They are laying eggs but it is pretty haphazard. I get at least one egg per day and sometimes 4. I never get 2 green eggs a day as I should be though so either one of my Easter-eggers is not laying at all or they alternate pretty wildly. I figure I’ll let Spring kick in a little farther before I worry too much about it. Neither Easter-egger seems to be having any problems so I don’t think they are egg-bound or anything like that. I figure it might be light or cold related. My favorite bird is Fezzik. She’s a nut but super loyal to me. She runs to me every day and demands to be petted, even if for half a minute. The other birds, except Houdini, will tolerate petting, but Fezzik demands it. The kids feel trepidation as they get cornered by her looking for a quick pet. Maybe it’s good to keep them on their toes! I looked in on the bees a few weeks ago when we had a really nice day. Everyone had come out for a quick poop and stretch of the wings. I’ll look in again in the next week or so and get a better sense of how this Spring and Summer will progress. It was a super cold and slightly longer than usual Winter this year so this might be interesting. I suppose the bears are out of hibernation now and still no evidence of one coming by to look at the hives makes me happy. I know there are bears near my ridge so let’s hope they don’t like the electric fence! I didn’t order any bees this year. I had to many last year and it was more work than I wanted. I plan to just focus on keeping these colonies healthy and hopefully productive. I will definitely re-queen in the early Fall to ensure healthy stock going into next Fall. We have a new guest around the house too. We used to have a neighbor who collected cats. By “collected” I mean bring home and turn loose in the neighborhood. She didn’t care for them and get them fixed. She has since moved away and the population thinned significantly. Only two of the original 20 or so remain. With only 2 outside cats wandering around, our squirrel and bird populations have finally started to recover. I guess I like most creatures and have a live-and-let-live attitude about even the ones I don’t like. But especially, I like to watch squirrels wander around doing squirrelly things. I caught this guy munching a hickory nut watching me get ready to take a drive. Two separate times he watched me. The second time I got within 3 feet of him. Maybe the nuts he was chewing was especially tasty. For his sake, I hope he recognizes that although I am friendly, the remaining two cats might not be as pleasant! For many creatures out in the great wild, winter is a potentially life-threatening period. Heck, for me it sometimes feels that way. Anyhow, many mammals hibernate and some creatures otherwise adapt their behavior to just make it through. Honeybees are like that. Winter is a time to just survive. Honeybees are cold blooded so cannot self-regulate their temperature. Individually, they would freeze to death quickly if exposed to the cold of winter. Luckily bees live in community and work together to keep the inside of their hive warm through the winter. Honeybees progress through various job functions between hatching and becoming field workers that collect pollen and nectar. Some bees clean honeycomb cells, others guard the hive from intruders and others take care of the queen. Researchers have discovered a previously unknown job in the hive. There are “heater bees” whose job it is to keep the hive warm in fall, winter and spring when temperatures are low. Basically, they can vibrate their abdomen or…get this…decouple their wings from their wing muscles so they can vibrate those muscles without having fluttering wings flying around all over the place in a cramped hive. Muscular vibrations cause friction which causes heat. Beekeepers have always known that bees somehow vibrate in a hive to keep warm, but the discovery that there is a class of workers who can detach their wing muscles to manage heat is new. So, last week we had a few nice days. As I have mentioned before, bees don’t poop inside the hive (as long as it is a healthy hive and they don’t have nosema…bee dysentery). They still eat honey through the winter as they need the energy to keep warm…food in means they still make waste…but they hold it…until nice days like last week. I wandered down to the apiary to see how the bees were faring….to see if they were surviving the winter. If things aren’t just right, bees can starve to death, freeze to death, or otherwise disease to death. On nice days, I like to take a look to see how many colonies are flying…warm sunny days guarantee the bees will head out to poop! I love to see them out on these kinds of days as they are generally pretty docile and seem to enjoy landing on me to gain a little warmth. Sure, they can sting, but they rarely do. So, friends, the bees look pretty good so far this winter. We are nowhere done with winter and many hard days are yet ahead, but this is a good sign for the midpoint of winter in the apiary! I am always amazed at what creatures do to prepare for the winter…and for that matter, just survive each day. A few weeks ago, someone had thrown some watermelons outside. I think their intent was to feed deer as there were apples and other deer-friendly things about as well. I don’t think deer would have enjoyed the melons as I found them: Anyhow, during the Fall, things can get pretty tight for any nectar-eating insects. There are limited things blooming. Goldenrod and asters and mums and a few other Fall flowers do produce a lot of nectar, but many people view those plants as weeds and cut them down or otherwise try to minimize their presence. I often see yellow jackets attack my beehives trying to get any bits of honey or nectar that they can get…the yellow jackets always lose but it is a lot of effort for the bees to fend off attacks all day long. If I am around, I sort of help the bees. I have literally mashed a dozen yellow jackets at a time as they land on the hives. Yellow jackets on a bee hive seem to be wary of the honeybees but apparently never see me coming. Anyhow, you may have noticed that anything left outside…pop cans, watermelon, and hummingbird feeders all attract yellow jackets and honeybees as they make a final push to survive the Fall and stockpile for the Winter. When I saw these pieces of watermelon, it was most interesting the number and variety of insects that were all sharing time filling up on as much sugar as they could. I saw hornets and yellow jackets and wasps and honeybees…all working side-by-side. They were desperate I suppose though they didn’t act desperately. It’s juts a matter of life for them I guess, and outside of their home nests, there was no fighting for food. I think there is a lesson there but I will leave that for you to determine (and fill me in if you want!) There is an old saying in beekeeping…”A swarm in May is worth a load of hay. A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon. A swarm in July isn’t worth a fly.” I am not sure what a swarm in September is worth but I am pretty sure I owe somebody something. You see, I got a call over the holiday weekend about a swarm that had just landed at someone’s house. I sort of had to do a double-take. Honeybees don’t usually swarm this late. I figured the homeowner had seen a hornets’ nest or maybe a bunch of wasps or yellow jackets. Those critters are all pretty common this time of year and I often get calls from people asking me to deal with their “bees”. I looked at the picture they sent and sure enough, they had a swarm of honeybees swarming on their gutter. Now swarm catching is one of my all-time fav-o-rite things to do in beekeeping so I grabbed my stuff and headed over. Sure enough, a small swarm had chosen the lucky homeowners and it wasn’t too high off the ground for me to get. I coaxed the bees into the swarm box that is part of the swarm catching gear that makes my excited trip each time I get a call. Into the back of the car they went and we all happily headed home! The bees are currently on my garden wall where they will probably remain through the next few weeks until I can determine if they are worth trying to keep all winter as-is or if I should combine them with another colony. So, what caused them to swarm this late in the season? Who knows? Maybe their tree-home was cut or fell down. Maybe a bear or other creature messed up their place. I do not know for sure but I think this is my first ever swarm that is worth less than even single fly! It’s that time of year again. Each year around tax day, I add honey supers to my hives. It’s no exact science, but I like to keep honey supers on my hives from, roughly, Tax day to Independence day. The bulk of the Spring and Summer blooms occur during that time period so my bees get an opportunity to work the best blooms and store away honey. Usually this process works well and I harvest several hundred pounds of honey. I see some variance as you might expect…some years I get 200 pounds, some years I get 500+ pounds…either way, a good bit of honey I harvested the honey last weekend with high expectations as the grass around me was green and trees and things seemed healthy. Unlike my friends elsewhere in the country, we have had a good deal of rain so things are growing well here in WV. Imagine my surprise then when I cracked the first hive and found only a frame or two of capped honey. I repeated this same scenario in hive after hive. The bees seemed mostly in pretty good shape but I found very little honey. A sudden mini-panic set over me as I closed up the last hive….something is wrong! As I pondered it, my only conclusion is that our late frosts, cool spring and abundant rainfall came at the exact wrong time on my ridge top apiary and it left me with a poor honey crop. As confirmation (I need this now…it hurts my heart you know…), none of my fruit trees bore a single piece of fruit. My sorghum crop flopped. In general, it was just bad I think. As I mentioned, the bees look good so I have to blame it on the weather. That line of thought settled me down. I was so frustrated though, that I barely took any pics of the harvest this year. Instead, please enjoy this picture of my cat…the internet loves cats, right? We processed the honey and all-told, we got around 60 pounds of honey. That’s 10-20% of normal so you can see the problem here. Unfortunately, that means I am already sold out of this year’s honey crop. Not a great way to pay for hive repairs or new queens. Alas, that is the life of a beekeeper I suppose… The only other thing that is noteworthy is this cool Marbled Orb Weaver spider I found outside one of the hives. He was a pretty thing. I tend not to mess with stuff around the hive. I figure everything has a purpose…well, except mosquitoes and ticks…those things just suck. Anyhow, a pretty spider always goes a long way to brighten my day too! Next year, we’ll hope my new spider friend brings me good luck and a better harvest!

“The history of bees” by Maja Lunde is probably the best and most beautiful book I got to read this year. For a long time I haven’t come across such a beautiful writing style and although the story takes place in three different times and tells three different lives, each one of them is absolutely stirring and takes you into three completely different centuries and places. Tao lives in Sichuan in the year 2098 and earns his living by manually pollinating the trees. 90 years ago, bees had disappeared worldwide and feeding the world became the job of pollinators. On one of her rare free afternoons, her son gets injured and is afterwards hidden by the government for no apparent reason. Tao embarks on a hopeless search for her son through a starving China and could rewrite the history of bees. At the same time, the story is told of William. He is a biologist and lives in England in 1852 and tries to revolutionize beekeeping. With his groundbreaking idea of a new type of beehive it should be possible to study and control bees even better. However, thanks to the lack of communication tools, someone might have already be ahead of him. Meanwhile, in 2007, George lives in Ohio and continues his family’s generations of beekeeping. Recently the news has been talking about the “sudden death of bees”… Style of Writing Maja Lunde uses a beautiful writing style, which leaves no questions unanswered and gives the imagination room to move, but still gives a hold. Through her pictorial and detailed language she gives the scenery so much colour as if you were right in the middle of it. Maja Lunde paints us a picture of the future, which we probably never want to experience in this way and yet it seems to be within reach. Despite the parallel development of three lives, the plot is very understandable and quickly recognizable through changing writing styles. Only towards the end it becomes apparent to the reader how the three lives of the main characters are connected, but the way to get there remains captivating through regular jumps in time. I was tempted to buy the book by its good reputation and I can tell you: I was not disappointed! On the contrary, I was surprised how excitingly Maja Lunde tells the story of the bees and I can hardly wait to get my hands on her new book “The End of the Ocean”. An absolute recommendation from me, a wonderful novel for both young and old, which makes you dream and digress just by the writing style (maybe not by the plot). If you are looking for the excitement of a thriller and the beauty of a novel, you will find it here. At the same time Maja Lunde also conveys an important message that invites everyone regardless of their generation to dialogue and points to current climatic developments. Can we perhaps still stop the events or will we soon have to pollinate our trees by hand? 5 out 5 stars from me, let me know what you think! You can get a copy on amazon for 8,99 € or on medimops starting from 4,90 €.

BRIOGEO continues to change the landscape in Hair Care, with quality packaging and products that deliver results. The Merry Multi-Masking Kit features our best-selling mask for dry damaged hair, now infused with organic, unpasteurized honey for intense moisture. We’ve also included minis of our cult-fave deep conditioning mask and new avocado + kiwi mega moisture superfood mask. Briogeo partners with Bees for Development, a non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate poverty through sustainable beekeeping. Briogeo is funding a special project in Ghana to support small-scale female cashew farmers, helping them to integrate beekeeping into their farming practices. The impact this program will have to the community is great; Integrating beekeeping will yield a larger crop, allow the community to harvest valuable products like honey & beeswax and enable the community to support themselves and their families. Both personalized stock and complete custom packaging provided by BIG SKY PACKAGING.

A two-day intensive course for beekeepers covering the field and laboratory diagnosis of diseases of adult honeybees. - Overview of honeybee anatomy, including respiratory and digestive systems - The causative organisms of Nosema, Acarine, Amoeba, and virus diseases, - including their life cycle and spread - Differentiating between Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae - The site of infection and nature of the damage caused by each of the adult bee diseases - Appropriate treatments - Discussion of dysentery and its relationship with adult bee diseases - Field diagnosis techniques for Nosema, Acarine, and virus diseases - Taking, storing, and posting adult bee samples for disease diagnosis - The set-up and use of dissecting microscopes - Elemental dissection of honey bee digestive and respiratory organs - Laboratory diagnosis of Acarine using dissecting microscope - The set-up and use of compound microscopes - The preparation and staining of samples on microscope slides - Laboratory diagnosis of Nosema using compound microscope The Short Courses are aimed at those beekeepers with some experience of the craft; they are not aimed at novices. We can provide guidance to applicants as to the appropriateness of our Short Courses to their stage of beekeeping. We do ask that students respect this policy. Students are welcome to apply on a first come, first served basis. The NDB Short Courses can provide valuable discussion, learning, and hands-on experience for those planning to take the BBKA Modules and Assessments above Basic level.

Kranjska Gora is Slovenia’s largest and best-equipped ski resort, known worldwide mainly due to the famous Vitranc Alpine Ski Cup. Settled in the Julian Alps close to the Italian and Austrian borders, Kranjska Gora is an exciting destination also during the summer season, offering limitless options for hiking, cycling and mountaineering. Observe a master beekeeper at work and walk in the honey garden to learn about the importance of each plant and tree. Join a guided tour of beekeeping for children, indulge into some honey and pollen tasting. At Toni beekeeping you will safely observe the inside of the Carniolan bees’ home, learn how the beekeepers work, how honey is produced and what are the secrets of keeping the bees happy and healthy. Take a stroll around the charming old town. The picturesque mountain-top town of Kranjska Gora invites you to discover its picture perfect pedestrianized centre with small local shops and cafes. Although it’s compact, it offers great entertainment to the entire family, from wellness centres, casinos to lots of fun for kids in the land of the fictional hero Kekec. Enter the shop full of folk and traditional Slovenian souvenirs and a vast selection of bee products. The concept of the Židana Marela shop is to offer as a boutique, products made in Slovenia by manufacturers, designers, craftsmen and various artists who love their craft and are passionate about preserving the Slovenian tradition.

Do you want to make your own reusable food wraps? Or are your current wraps worn and need refreshing? This DIY kit is for you! Choose your own fabric and use our kit instructions to coat it with our pre-mixed wax block made from Jojoba Oil, Tree Resin and Beeswax – all the hassle taken out of it. These ingredients, mixed into our perfected ratios make wraps that are durable, yet sticky. Each kit coats approximately 1/2 square metre of previously un-waxed fabric. It will go further if you are refreshing used wraps. Each kit includes instructions and 1 x approx. 70g pre-mixed wax block. Fabric not included. If you prefer to buy ready-made wraps, please view our other products in our online store. Golden Apiaries is a family-run, local beekeeping business based in Motueka. We love to provide affordable honey of high quality to the family table. We do our best to be sustainable with our business and this extends to our range of Natural Sunscreens, Balms and Reusable Food Wraps. Our passion for bees and their welfare drives us to take special care in looking after the bee population by minimising chemical contact with our bees and taking steps to ensure the health of each individual hive.

The most exciting new project I started in 2018 is certainly beekeeping! I have been fascinated by the life inside a hive, the life-cycle of these creatures and their habitat. Since October 2017 I have been taking classes with a local beekeepers’ association, and I have been getting my kit together. I made a hive stand for my first three hives, put them together and painted them. I am ready to receive my bees! As a newbie I’ve been trying to determine the breed I’ll work with. I’m still not sure which I prefer, but I will start off following my mentor’s advice and opt for Carniolan bees. Here in Belgium there are really only three different breeds to choose from. The two most common breeds are the Carniolan bee and the Buckfast. We can obtain purebred Carniolan queens through a couple of organizations who have mating stands on either a Frisian Isle or on a small peninsula. The most common Carnica line found in the Netherlands and in Belgium is the Troiseck line. Buckfast queens can be obtained through similar organizations, although it is more common to simply buy queens from well-known beekeepers who simply select their own mated queens based on qualities they appreciate. Whether they put their emphasis on productivity or temperament is entirely up to them. A third, far less common option to go for, is the European Dark Bee, or Black Bee. This is the original variety of honey bee in our area and used to be the only honey bee in the area north of the Pyrenees, throughout the British Isles and Ireland, up to Scandinavia. Its southern border was established by the Alps and the Carniolan habitat, and it spread eastward far into Russia. Today the Black Bee is an endangered species, although in many European countries organizations are trying to save their local Dark Bee. The European Dark Bee can also be found in the USA, where it appears under many names all with a different reputation attached. The German Black Bee for example is known not to be a sweetheart, difficult to handle and very productive. I won’t be harvesting any honey during my first year, as the Belgian bee-season spans from May to July and I’ll only be receiving my bees halfway June. 2018 will be spent on learning as much as I can from seeing my baby colonies grow into productive, strong honey factories.

Shopper News blog: Brent Waugh takes the reins for Big Brothers Big Sisters What's new in your community? Find out here at the Shopper News blog. We'll have updates on people, businesses and sports in your community. Check back throughout the week. Brent Waugh takes the reins for Big Brothers Big Sisters Carol Z. Shane, Shopper News correspondent It’s easy to feel at home in Brent and Megan Waugh’s 125-year-old home in the Fourth & Gill neighborhood. Bright, warm touches are everywhere – an inspirational saying here, an unusual potted plant there, soft lighting, comfy furniture. This July they’ll celebrate five years of married life. Native Knoxvillians, they’ve spent time in Colorado and Chicago, but returned to East Tennessee a year and a half ago. “We’ve done the Rockies, and we’ve done the big city. We kept coming back home. Knoxville was becoming more of a place where we fit – where we wanted to be,” says Megan. “And if we ever have children, we’ll have free babysitting!” Both sets of parents also live in town. “I think since we came back to Knoxville, we value it more,” says Brent. It looks like Knoxville also values Brent Waugh; he was named executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee in January of this year, after coming on board in August of 2017 as chief development officer. Has it been much of a shock, being the big boss? “We have a phenomenal program. I’m transitioning into a new role – the duties are more holistic. There’s fundraising, and making sure our programs are delivered.” On this last point, he points to three of his valued colleagues – Kara Finger, Jennifer Davis and Vivian Gwinn. “Each brings her own passion and energy. They make it easy to manage!” Other than that, he says with a laugh, “I sign a lot more papers!” Megan works from home for the Alzheimer’s Association’s national office, based in Chicago. She’s part of the social media team, advising chapters across the country and working to create national campaigns. And she recently had a big birthday. For which her husband – who, by the way, is a Vols football fanatic – composed some free verse. “You’re Rocky Top coming on when I’m already dancing. You’re waking up to the smell of coffee. You’re an IPA after a trail run. You’re the red last Skittle I thought was orange. You’re the way our record player makes my favorite Avett song sound. You’re extra leg room on an international flight. You’re a double feature movie. You make everything in the world that much better – that much more empathetic, more beautiful, and more kind.” “I love that poem,” says Megan. Isn’t it nice to know that hardworking young professionals, busy as they are, keep the romance alive? Neumann girls donate tresses for cancer wigs On Thursday, Feb. 1, St. John Neumann Catholic School held its seventh annual Ponytail Donation drive. Eleven girls donated their hair during the school assembly. All the hair donated will be sent to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths campaign, which supplies wigs free to cancer patients through the American Cancer Society's wig bank. In the past seven years, over 153 SJNCS students, teachers, parents, and friends have participated in the event, donating around 1,520 inches or 127 feet of hair. It takes eight to 15 ponytails to make one wig. Stylists from Belleza Salon and Spa volunteered their time and talent to prepare the donors' hair as well as cut and style the hair after the donation. Belleza Salon and Spa celebrated its 25th anniversary on the day of the event. Barber-designed church adds grace to Northshore John Shearer, Shopper News correspondent Passersby along Northshore Drive in Bearden might be so busy noticing the large Sacred Heart Cathedral nearing completion that they miss the smaller, more-subtle Episcopal Church of the Ascension almost directly across the street. But in terms of architectural quality, many consider it an equal bookend in also anchoring well the man-made landscape in that part of town. “It’s a beautiful building,” said Beverly Hutto, the church’s senior bookkeeper, who briefly also served as a tour guide of the building last week. “Everybody loves it.” Parishioner Barbara Chubb, who was helping out the church that day answering the phone, is one of those admirers. “I think it’s pretty. It looks like an Episcopal church,” she said. From the outside along Northshore Drive, the church almost has the look of some sort of small European monastery or church retreat center on a hill. Only when one drives around back does the large nave come into better view. While featuring an understated stucco look on the outside – at least on the front, where only an arched breezeway, a circular stained-glass window and a bell tower stand out – detail is more noticeable on the inside. That includes Louisiana-made beige brick, arched colonnades with capital shields running on both sides of the nave between the pews and the walls, marble flooring on the chancel, stained-glass windows, a large baptismal font and two pipe organs. “It’s a fantastic organ. It can pump out some tunes,” said Hutto with a laugh of the newer Wilhelm organ. According to a couple of church history books Hutto provided, noted Knoxville architect Charles Barber in 1954 began to design what was originally called the Chapel of the Ascension. (His firm, now BarberMcMurry, is one of the architects of the new Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus). The Ascension chapel was erected by the vestry of St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Knoxville as a mission church to meet the residential growth expected to come to the West Knoxville area. Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in 1956, and what is now the chapel was completed early the next year, with the first worship services taking place on Feb. 17, 1957. The Rev. David Potts was the first rector. In 1959, the tower was capped, and the cloister and education wing were completed. The Willet Stained Glass Studios of Philadelphia (now Willet Hauser Architectural Glass) began installing the first stained-glass windows in the church in 1961. In 1969, a Walcker organ with 14 stops and 20 ranks was installed in the chapel. The second major construction phase at the church occurred in the mid-1980s. A bell was installed in the tower to celebrate its 25th anniversary, and a larger nave was constructed due to the fact that the chapel was too small for the growing church, even with three Sunday services. The chapel, however, was kept intact. The first service in the expanded nave, which now seated 650 people, took place on Sept. 21, 1986. The new organ installed in 1987 was a Wilhelm Op. 110. It features 43 stops and 63 ranks. Parishioner Chubb said she joined the church three years ago after moving from Atlanta, and liked the church’s appearance – and people. “I visited three other churches and didn’t feel they were the ones for me,” she said. “But when I walked in this church, I felt I had come home.” According to the church’s newsletter, Church of the Ascension is involved in a variety of ministries, from meal preparation for the Volunteer Ministry Center to contemplative prayer groups. It has five clergy members on staff: the Rev. Canon Patricia Grace, canon to the ordinary; the Rev. Brett Backus, senior associate rector; the Rev. Larry Beach, deacon associate; the Rev. Christopher Hogin, assistant rector; and the Rev. SuZanne Seavey, priest associate. Tate's students create their own snow day Seventh- and eighth-grade students at Tate's Middle School decided that Knoxville didn't have enough snow this season, so they designed, tested and built their very own snow machine. The students set up and started testing their snow machine in the wee hours of the night on Feb. 7 and spent the night on campus. They were ready when the temperature finally fell to 28 degrees, which allowed them to begin making snow. The snow machine was made from supplies found largely on campus, such as an air compressor, pressure washer, clamps, a ladder, metal poles, and a few specialty items. The machine is able to blow snow up to 20 feet. Students worked to transform the 200-foot hillside slide, used primarily at Tate’s Camp during the summer, into a winter slide for a few fun-filled hours. “I am so proud of our students and their determination on this project. It took many hours of planning and implementation and develops their problem-solving and analytical skills,“ said principal Kaye Simmons. Tate’s Middle School science instructor Alex Edwards said, "I wanted to assign them a big, mind-blowing task that solves a problem most adults don’t know how to solve. Designing and building a snow machine tests their understanding of the properties of water by creating a false atmospheric environment. As a snow sports enthusiast, I loved that they wanted to see more snow!” Sterchi's Teacher of the Year uses innovation to tell stories Mike Blackerby, Shopper News correspondent Sarah Shoesmith looks back fondly on her days as a seventh-grade student at Sequatchie County Middle School in Dunlap, Tenn. “It was Miss Clemons’ social studies class,” recalled Shoesmith, who was recently honored as Teacher of the Year at Sterchi Elementary School in Knox County. “She was always about us doing projects and telling stories so the kids could learn about history.” Shoesmith took lessons learned long ago and incorporated them into in her class at Sterchi, where she teaches fifth-graders social studies and reading. What began as a living-history project for Shoesmith’s class has evolved into the school-wide Sterchi’s Night at the Living Museum event. Each May, students from all grades dress up as their historical characters of choice, research their person and then re-enact that person during an open house. “It’s a school-wide event where parents can come in and take a look at what students have learned,” said Shoesmith. “Students get to pick a historical person to represent, they get to pick a costume and they come up with a speech.” Shoesmith said the students wear fake buttons on their customs. When their buttons are pressed, they spring to life as their historical person. “They might say, ‘Hello, my name is Ulysses S. Grant,’” said Shoesmith. The students then recite historical factoids about the famous person they are portraying. “We’ve had students do Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon, a flapper from the 1920s, Rosie the Riveter, Alvin C. York, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. It’s fun to see. I love it and the kids love it.” Shoesmith said she hopes the experience will have the same impact on some of her students as it did on her back in her formative years at Sequatchie Middle School. “For me, it all comes back from that teacher I had in middle school,” said Shoesmith. She also credits her parents as being important role models growing up. “Both of my parents were always very encouraging about learning,” she said. “My dad started his career as an educator and football coach. My mom was not college educated, but she learned from the world around her. Both encouraged me to keep learning.” The Night at the Living Museum is just one of many occasions that bring the tight-knit school of more than 400 students together, she said. “Sterchi is like a little family. We’re always saying, we’re the ‘Sterchi Family.’ The staff takes care of each other and we strive to take care of the kids and their needs.” Principal Lynn White said of Shoesmith, "She goes above and beyond for her students and her colleagues at Sterchi. She works diligently to integrate her ELA and Social Studies instruction to make learning relevant and meaningful for her students. She is always open to new instructional strategies and works with her colleagues to support and enhance learning for all students." Farragut Middle brings home Science Bowl title Margie Hagen, Shopper News correspondent It was a nail-biter during the final half of the National Science Bowl as Farragut Middle School students trailed Maryville by eight points, but they managed a big comeback in the last eight minutes, winning the tournament by 12 points. In Kingsport on Feb. 3, a field of 22 teams from around the state battled with buzzers to answer questions and solve problems about biology, chemistry, physics, math, space and Earth science. The fast-paced format is similar to the ET PBS Scholar’s Bowl; toss-up and bonus questions can change the score quickly, requiring both knowledge and the ability to withstand the pressure of real-time competition. The National Science Bowl is an annual event sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Secretary of Energy Rick Perry released this statement on Feb. 5: “I am honored to congratulate Farragut Middle School in advancing to the National Finals where they will continue to showcase their talents as the top minds in math and science.” Since the first Science Bowl in 1991, more than 275,000 students have faced off in the NSB finals. One of 16 teams in the nation to win their regional tournament, the students have been studying and practicing for months. Coached by seventh-grade math teacher Kathy Browning, a total of 38 students met twice a week, including Saturdays. A team of five was selected from the group, with an alternate “B” team as backup. “I’m so proud of all of them and how hard they worked,” said Browning, adding, “They studied and practiced on their own. I just read the questions and they did all the work.” The competition began in the morning with round-robin matches, and elimination rounds were held in the afternoon. FMS actually had both teams participating; the second team was added last minute after another school’s cancellation opened up a spot. The “B” team also did well, making it to the Elite Eight matchup before being eliminated. Team captain Rena Liu credited teamwork for their success, while another member, Ridhima Singh, expressed gratitude to all the students who helped them practice. Winning the regional title advances teams to the national competition held in Washington, D.C., in April. Along with trophies and prize money for the schools, being No. 1 in the country might just be the ultimate reward. Ellie Weekley signs to play soccer at Lee University Halls High senior Ellie Weekley signed a letter of intent on National Signing Day, Feb. 7, to play soccer at Lee University. She is the daughter of Jay and Jill Weekley and sister to Molly Weekley and Kayla Bruner and sister-in-law to Matt Bruner. While at Lee, Ellie plans to study biology and pursue a career as an orthopedic surgeon. She has a 4.18 GPA at Halls High, is a member and secretary of the National Honor Society and a member of the Math Honor Society. Ellie has played soccer at Halls for three years and on the club soccer team, FC Alliance, for 10 years. While at Halls, Ellie was named to the 2nd team All-District her junior year and 1st team All-District her senior year. A-E Roadrunners sign to play at next level Seven Austin-East football players signed to play in college on Wednesday. Kevin Andrews signed his letter of intent to play receiver at University of the Cumberlands. In attendance were his parents, Tyanka Wright and Kevin Andrews. Kylan Campbell signed his letter of intent to play receiver at University of Pikeville. In attendance were his mother, Pamela Campbell, and his grandmother Sandra Campbell. Matthew Escobar signed his letter of intent to play defensive lineman at University of the Cumberlands. In attendance were his parents, Carlos and Muna, brother Jacob and sister Emily. Chris Hunter signed his commission to play linebacker for Army. In attendance were his mom, Sabrina Robertson, dad Jay Robertson, grandmother Louise Fletcher and uncles Marlon and Robert Fletcher. Jahson Jackson signed his letter of intent to play safety at the University of Pikeville. In attendance were his parents, April and John Jackson, sister Jalan Harper, grandparents Octavia and Baffin Harper, and aunts Tanika and Deidra Harper. Anthonee Webb signed a letter of intent to play cornerback at Arkansas Baptist College. In attendance was his father, John Webb. Calvin Wilson signed a letter of intent to play defensive lineman at Union College. In attendance were his mom, Tiffany Flood, grandparents Deborah and Nathaniel Flood, sister Miracle Flood and grandmother Naomi Wilson. WORDS OF FAITH It may be the hardest part of the greatest commandment Matthew Best, Shopper News columnist What is the calling card of a Christian? Is it generosity? Is it knowledge of the Bible? Or is it a faithful church attendance record and a good name? I think that all of those things are important, and of course there’s not just one characteristic that people who claim to follow Jesus should have. But one trait that I believe should mark every believer is empathy. And unfortunately that’s a hard one for many of us in the Church. You may balk at me saying that, but I think part of our issue is that I think we have a misconception of what empathy actually means. It does not mean agreeing with everyone we meet, but it means acknowledging how someone feels and trying to see where they’re coming from. Doing that is incredibly selfless, and that’s what makes it so hard. Our relationships with other people, and even the larger world around us, cannot be based solely on how we feel. When we do that, we tend to create an isolated bubble that lies firmly within our comfort zone. But is that the life a Christian is called to? So much of what Jesus did was uncomfortable. He made it a point to relate to people, even when there was a cost to it. There is a cost we pay to be empathetic. We pay for it with our own discomfort, but the people we connect with gain so much more. That’s a huge part of loving our neighbors as ourselves. Politicians have made entire careers on trying to show potential voters how much they will advocate for one particular group of people or another. Well, I would venture to say that people of faith should lead the charge for advocacy because we follow the ultimate advocate. Whether it’s attacking poverty, racism, hunger, homelessness or anything else, empathy is the starting point that will launch us in the right direction. Hear someone’s story. Acknowledge their pain. Don’t judge it. And then you will be able to love that person in a real way. It doesn’t mean you have to ascribe to their beliefs or somehow feel less connected to your own, but oftentimes hearing someone else’s perspective will broaden your own. I don’t intend for this to be a hokey, overly sentimental kind of column. I actually want us to consider it a challenge. I want to challenge us to do the hard work of showing empathy, even though we live in a society that is increasingly selfish and individualistic. Choose to listen. Choose to connect. Choose to love others well. Choose empathy. Matthew Best is an ordained elder at Children of God Ministries in Knoxville, and he works for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at the University of Tennessee. You can find more of Matthew’s work and support his ministry at ministerandmuse.com. Trey Mullins signs with Eastern Kentucky Ruth White, Shopper News Gibbs High School linebacker/running back Trey Mullins signed on National Signing Day, Feb. 7, and will play at Eastern Kentucky University. The three-year member of the Eagle team selected EKU because of its criminal justice program, the school is built on strong traditions and of course, a great football program. "I really liked the campus at Eastern Kentucky and the coaching staff," said Trey. "The coaches make up a good staff and are good Christian men." Trey is thankful for his time playing at Gibbs under coach Brad Conley and said that two important things he learned through playing ball at high school was that there was life after football and to glorify God in all that he does. While at Gibbs, Trey was captain of the football team, 1st team All-Region, Region 2-5A Player of the Year, two-time All-Prep Xtra team member, three-time Top Performer of the Week, three-time Player of the game, Quarterback Club Player of the Week and WBIR Helmet Sticker recipient. Joining in the celebration were his parents, Josh and Allison Mullins, siblings Tyler and Jade, grandparents Nitaya and Richard King and Chris and Cheryl Satterfield, friends and teammates. Hannah Sloas brings 'Beauty' to life Nancy Anderson, Shopper News correspondent Grace Christian Academy finished its theater season with a spectacular production of "Beauty and the Beast." The production featured a full orchestra and large company depicting dancing villagers and dancing table settings including napkins, silver and plates during the iconic tune “Be Our Guest.” There was no shortage of talent, with solid performances by Justin West as Gaston, Keegan Spurr as Cogsworth, Wyatt Edwards as Lumiere, and Dylan Davidson as The Beast. One talent stood out among the crowd, senior Hannah Sloas as Belle. The standing-room-only crowd of nearly 2,000 erupted in applause time and again as Sloas sang tunes every “Beauty and the Beast” fan knows well. “I love the music especially,” said Sloas. “Be Our Guest,” and “Belle” are the most iconic parts of the show. People have heard every melody at least once in their life. It’s wonderful.” Sloas said playing Belle changed her for the better. “Belle sees the beauty in everything and is such an optimistic person. When I got cast in the role I was really challenged. I try to really dive into my character in an honest way so I tried to develop that spunky spirit she has. She can see the beauty in every person especially The Beast. Obviously, he’s the hardest to see the best in, but she does and she falls in love with him.” She said her biggest challenge in the role was the dancing. It took more than a month to nail down the ballroom dance scene to perfection. The realization that this was her last performance for GCA hit her while on stage. “When I was singing ‘A Change in Me,’ it made me think about college and leaving the school. I was just sitting there basking in the light, thinking, ‘This is my last show for Grace. I might as well bring it. Go big or go home.”’ Sloas recently won the ACE (Alliance for Creative Excellence) award hosted by Bijou Theatre for single vocalist performance singing “It’s a Man’s World.” She was subsequently featured on "Live at Five at Four." She has her eye on attending Lipscomb University to major in musical theater. An unprecedented tribute — Debbie Smith Loftice, #52 Ruth White, Shopper News Powell High 1967 graduate Debbie Smith Loftice was honored on Friday, Feb. 9, as her jersey was retired at halftime of the boys game. Loftice played for the All-American Redheads basketball team when she graduated from high school. The team was later inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Her jersey – #52 – is the first one retired for a member of a Powell girls basketball team and left Loftice moved. "This lets women, especially in this community, know that it can happen," she said. Loftice remembers practicing at 6 a.m. in rollers before classes began because the boys practiced on the courts after school. Playing with the teammates at Powell reminded her that nobody gets to where they are by themselves. "I wouldn't be here today without my teammates and friends from high school." A large group of high school classmates returned to the Panther gym on Friday night to honor her and remember the good times. "I'm so giddy about this," she said, holding back tears of joy. "Who would have thought?" Lions Club offers free eye exams and glasses for those in need Ali James, Shopper News correspondent Rachael Ashbaugh is legally blind in one eye and had broken her glasses. She and her 18-month-old daughter arrived at the monthly Smoky Mountains Lions Charities Inc. Mobile Vision Clinic. “My insurance doesn’t cover vision or dental insurance, and out of pocket these glasses would have cost me $400,” she said. Fortunately, with her prescription on file, she was able to pick out a new pair at the free clinic at Fountain City Lions Club. Each month, 25 volunteers start setting up around 7 a.m. and help 60-80 people receive free eye exams and glasses between 8-11 a.m. Each client must be vetted and referred from one of 12 surrounding area Lions Clubs. Clubs are charged $20 per person for glasses and $15 per person for exams – a savings of hundreds of dollars. “Our hope is that with more grants we can get that down to zero dollars,” said Jim McFarland, the project manager for Smoky Mountains Lions Charities Inc. Mobile Vision Lab. “We have two different clients,” explained McFarland, at their 65th mission. “Those that need an exam and those that have had one and can fast forward to station seven to pick out frames.” In triage they check blood pressure and blood sugar levels. In the past, some clients have been referred directly to the emergency room at this point. McFarland said they also check for cases of tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis before continuing through to the eye exam. Exams test visual acuity, and an autorefractor provides an objective measurement of a person's refractive error and prescription for glasses or contact lenses, before an optician refines the prescription. Clients also undergo high-pressure tests for diseases such as glaucoma. “It’s like the wild west of vision screening,” said David Crawford, fund coordinator. “The process is the same for each clinic, but there’s a different group of people every month with different problems.” Over the years, Crawford said they recall fitting a 2-year-old foster child with corrective glasses, who would have been blind within a year without them. “We detected major cataracts in both eyes of a young Hispanic man,” said Crawford. “A translator worked with him through the complicated medical system to a life of vision.” At another clinic, said Crawford, 47 out of 158 students at a local school failed to pass a visual acuity test and 35 ended up with glasses. McFarland said he would have laughed six years ago if someone had told him he would be running free vision clinics. “I was a retired accountant,” said McFarland. “Dave Crawford and I were volunteering with Remote Area Medical (RAM) when we learned that their vision lab trailer was slated for the scrapyard.” It had been damaged in 2009 by a series of monsoon rains in New Orleans, and despite drilling holes into the floor to drain the water, the sensitive equipment inside was irreparable. RAM agreed to donate the trailer to Smoky Mountains Lions Charities Inc. McFarland oversaw the refurbishment thanks to financial and equipment donations. The van was up and running to make glasses in October 2013. But the ultimate plan was also to provide exams, and finally in August 2014, they started offering those too. For more information on Smoky Mountains Lions Charities see www.facebook.com/SmokyMountainsLionsCharities. Esther Roberts heads Horse Haven of Tennessee Esther L. Roberts, a contributing writer for the Shopper News, has taken the executive director position at Horse Haven of Tennessee, the oldest and largest equine welfare organization in the state. Roberts will be tasked with ensuring the effective operation of programs such as emergency rescue, the H.O.P.E. initiative, and S.T.E.R.N., as well as ensuring ongoing program excellence, program evaluation, and sound financial practices. Roberts and Horse Haven of Tennessee Inc. look to host the annual Dancing for the Horses event in May and continue to foster relationships with other equine organizations in Tennessee. Roberts will serve as the main public contact and spokesperson for the organization. An east Tennessee native, Roberts served as chair of the board and operations manager of Starlight Farm Animal Sanctuary 2012-17; she has also served on the board of the Great Smoky Mountain Institute at Tremont. Roberts was previously with Global Intellectual Property Asset Management, PLLC based in Knoxville. Roberts holds a J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law, a master’s of music in piano, and concurrent bachelor degrees in piano, botany, and biology, all from UT. Esther has multiple publications in the areas of animals and animal law. She writes a weekly column for Horse Nation, for which she recently won the 2017 Horse Nation Readers’ Choice Award. Roberts also serves as the staff musician for St. Mark United Methodist Church in Clinton. Her hobbies include training and riding her BLM mustang, Kaliwohi, as well as hiking, yoga, drumming, and beekeeping. For more information about Horse Haven of Tennessee, go to http://www.horsehavenoftn.com. Gibbs wrestlers return home as state champions Ruth White, Shopper News The Gibbs High wrestling team returned home after the state tournament with an escort down Tazewell Pike by the Knox County Sheriff's Department. It was a return worthy of champions and despite the rain, a crowd of Gibbs faithful fans showed up to hold signs and show their pride for the A-AA state championship team. The wrestling Eagles are the first school in Knox County to win a wrestling championship and something that senior captain Landon Adzima calls an "unforgettable moment." "This team has worked hard all season and Coach Pittman told us at the beginning of the year that if we worked hard and stayed accountable, we had a good shot of winning. During the state tournament, as the match was nearing the end, we knew that a championship was ours," said Adzima. Several factors worked for the team this year, including a reclassification in their division, team members working hard and maturing, filling weight classes to avoid forfeits and, according to Adzima, having a great lineup of wrestlers. This year's team and state championship win were extremely special to him because he was the captain this year. He led his team through the season and kept them focused, saying it was an honor for his coach to have that type of trust in him. The team wrestled in the regional tournament over the weekend and the top four wrestlers from each weight advanced to the individual state championships to be held in Franklin on Feb. 16 and 17. "This has been a great year," said Adzima. "We have such an amazing coaching staff here at Gibbs and parents that have believed in our team. We are very thankful for the support we've been given." If you've got a vision, set it in stone Mike Blackerby, Shopper News correspondent Tennessee Stone may be the perfect place to look for those already thinking about that fast-approaching spring landscaping or outdoor-living project. Tennessee Stone, at 6557 Clinton Highway, is one of the area’s top suppliers of natural stone, natural thin veneer, building stone, boulders, landscape stone, river rock, fireplaces, fire pits and more. Add in the expertise of general manager John Montgomery and his knowledgeable staff, and Tennessee Stone aims to be a one-stop destination to fulfill all of your outdoor project needs on the masonry side of things. “We try to offer pretty much everything stone,” said Montgomery. They like to say “no job is too big or small” at Tennessee Stone, which is owned by Mike and John Rector of Crossville. “While our bread and butter is made providing (materials) for custom-home building, we provide stone for things like the front of homes, pools and decks,” Montgomery explained. “We have edging, step and landscape stones. We have a large variety of stones. We work with quarries all over the country and with quarries in foreign countries such as India and China.” More and more, Montgomery said people are tackling do-it-yourself projects. “We sell a lot of stone to people who are kind of creating their own thing.” Natural thin stone veneer – in varieties like Tennessee sandstone, field stone or quarried stone – is the perfect touch to put the wow factor on your home project. “We sell fireplace kits that give someone without real masonry expertise the ability to build a fully functional fireplace,” said Montgomery. Of course, fire pits are always a hot seller. Tennessee Stone has an extensive inventory of the Fireboulder line of fire features. Fireboulders come in a variety of shapes, sizes, stone and prices. They can be used as an accent piece or focal point to create a relaxing outdoor environment. A Fireboulder is a natural stone boulder that is hand carved, chiseled and core drilled. The kit includes a natural gas burner, flex line, key valve and lava rock. “We move a lot of materials for fire pits and fire boulders,” said Montgomery. Tennessee Stone also offers consultation services, delivery, fabrication, boulder set-up, pickup/loading and installation referrals. If part of your home project falls outside their area of expertise, Montgomery said his staff can put you in touch with the right people. Montgomery said Tennessee Stone will soon be moving about a mile up the road, probably in June, to 6257 Clinton Highway, in the five-acre lot across from Master Dry. For more information about Tennessee Stone, call 865-859-0813 or go to Grace Christian Academy wins basketball junior varsity championship Nancy Anderson, Shopper News correspondent Grace Christian Academy Lower School junior varsity basketball team came away the winners against Sacred Heart Cathedral School and St. Joseph School in the Knoxville Independent School League tournament games held at Apostolic Christian School Tuesday, Jan. 30 and Thursday, Feb. 1. They beat Sacred Heart 19-12 and St. Joseph 31-14 to end the season 8-3. The three losses came against large public schools. The eight-member team was undefeated within the KISL. Coach Callie Cox named seventh-grader Taylor Rose as Most Valuable Player. “Taylor is a real leader. Even though she’s a seventh-grader and therefore the oldest on the team, she lacked a lot of confidence in the beginning, but over the year she’s really blossomed into an incredible player with a bright future. She led the team in rebounds and steals during both tournament games.” Cox said her team has many valuable attributes that help them win, but the most important is being willing to accept instruction. “This team has proven themselves to be really coachable. They listen to what I say and try to implement my instructions from practice to game. Being coachable is the No. 1 important aspect of being a good player. The improvements they’ve made since their first practice to now are astounding.” She said her biggest challenge was instilling the foundation in this young team. All but two members are sixth-graders, the other two seventh-graders. “This team is really young and they would get frustrated when they missed a shot because they didn’t understand why they missed the shot. I’d have to tell them over and over again that It’s OK, they’re young and learning. We’ll continue working to instill the foundation of a well-rounded basketball team.” The team plans an end of season party at Main Event and tryouts for next season in the spring. Akima Club benefit has music, merriment and a bit of outrageousness Carol Shane, Shopper News correspondent Wendy Hopper – now in her sixth year as a cast member of the Akima Club Cabaret – says, “I absolutely love doing it! We become very close friends during this time.” First-time cast member Kelli Sexton agrees. “There is a unique sisterhood among the women. It is a very diverse group of ladies. In my small world I would never have had the opportunity to meet most of them!” Hopper, who has spent her career in corporate healthcare, is the chair for this year’s event. It’s the club’s major fundraiser, done every other year. “Knowing the reason we do this makes it all worthwhile. We distribute the funds raised to area nonprofits over the next two years, averaging about $50,000 each year and fulfilling about 25-30 grants.” This year’s show – the club’s 39th – is titled “Happily Ever After?” and features the adventures of the Disney princesses, princes and villains in a story about love, betrayal and happiness. It’s produced and written by Chester McCurry, with musical director David Brooks, director Jonathan East and choreographer Brooke Cenicola East. It’s a lively evening of singing, dancing and theatrical surprises, with many of the members’ husbands joining them onstage. “We have a cast of 70 from our 125-member club. We’re by no means professional, but in the end, when it’s performance time, it is surprisingly good.” The show features lots of songs, from Beatles tunes to Bruno Mars to Justin Timberlake. The performers don’t mind a bit of outrageousness in the service of a good cause. “Last Cabaret the men dressed up as Shirley Temple and sang ‘Good Ship Lollipop,’ complete with dress and blond curly wig,” says Hopper. This year’s production will have plenty of glitz and is even – shhhh – “a bit more risque. It is after, all, a cabaret.” Details? Hopper won’t spill the beans. “I don’t want to give it away,” she says. “It’s a must-see!” Akima Club, which originated as a Junior Women's Club in February 1947, adopted the name “Akima,” which Hopper says is a Native American word meaning “women” – in May of 1951. The club seeks to identify needs in the community and determine appropriate assistance for them, furnishing volunteer support and financial assistance. During its life, it has distributed more than $1 million to area nonprofits. Performances of the Akima Club Cabaret “Happily Ever After?” will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 23, and Saturday, Feb. 24, followed by dinner and dancing at the Knoxville Marriott. A matinee performance will be held on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. All performances take place at the Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay St. Info/tickets: akimaclub.org or call the Bijou box office at 865-656-4444. BOMA keeps it short; Meyer running for alderman Margie Hagen, Shopper News correspondent In perhaps the fastest meeting ever held, Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen dispatched with the one business item on the agenda and adjourned within 20 minutes. Approving the design services contract submitted by the firm Brewer, Ingram and Fuller allows for phase III of the Campbell Station Inn to move forward. The approval was a formality, as the scope of work and the firm’s qualifications had been thoroughly vetted in previous meetings. The concept diagram projected work planned for perimeter roads, the small park on the east end of the property and the restrooms. The design services come at a cost of $161,000. A couple of dozen Boy Scouts, leaders and parents came out; Scouts attend civic meetings to fulfill a requirement for earning their Citizenship in the Community badges. Although the meeting was brief, they got to observe local government in action. On the subject of local government, Scott Meyer has announced his bid for North Ward alderman. Many know him from his service on the Farragut Board of Zoning Appeals. He’s also on the board of Fox Run subdivision and has represented his neighborhood on issues of development and road safety. He was instrumental in getting the developer of the Swan property to include a nine-acre park, buffering Saddle Ridge and Fox Run from the commercial space. In a recent interview, Meyer spoke about why he is running, saying, “I got involved as a citizen, and through grassroots efforts I was able to make a difference. I want to continue to serve and build on the success we’ve had in Farragut.” His vision includes road improvement that will “make roads safer, not faster.” Preserving the rural character of Union Road and other neighborhoods is a priority, as is continuing to connect the greenway system. Meyer says he wants to work with the other aldermen “to promote relevant commercial development that will fill vacant buildings.” That’s a tall order and will continue to be; in the recent town survey, vacancies were ranked as one of the top issues residents want resolved. Kicking his campaign into high gear, Meyer plans on going door-to-door to meet constituents. “I’ll be out there shaking hands and kissing babies,” he said. Meyer has an extensive background in management; currently employed as an executive director with Summit Medical Group, he holds a Master of Accountancy from UT and is a CPA. He and his wife, Melissa, live in Fox Run with their two daughters. Right now it’s unclear whether Alderman Bob Markli will pursue a second term, and no other candidates have surfaced to vie for the seat. The deadline to qualify is April 5, so there may be others joining the race. Mark your calendar for Aug. 2, Election Day. South-Doyle's Chester heads to Emory & Henry Four West High athletes sign college letters Wednesday, Feb. 7, marked the beginning of the NCAA signing period for football, soccer and water polo. These four West High School athletes signed letters of intent to play their respective sports at the next level. Among them, Zion McCray and Jason Eskridge will be teammates at Union College in Barbourville, Ky. Family business puts stamp on Knoxville Ali James, Shopper News correspondent Set in Stone Sisters was a concrete garden décor business started by two sisters, Lucinda Price and Marianne Wilson. “My daughters, started it as a hobby in 2011,” said Laverne Wilson. “I had retired for the second or third time and decided to help them at their market booth.” Laverne Wilson had a passion for rubber stamping and making cards and began stamping images of flowers and birds onto travertine tiles to sell at the market. “People were walking out with the coasters and not the garden décor,” said Chelsea Price, Wilson’s granddaughter. “They were a better price point and cheaper, and you always need a coaster and you don’t always need a piece of concrete.” Laverne Wilson’s daughters had full-time jobs, so she decided to keep up with the demand for the coasters and take over Set in Stone Sisters. She produces the collectible coasters from her Corryton home, with Chelsea working right alongside her. Marianne and Lucinda help when they can. The coaster designs expanded to feature landmarks, iconic buildings, schools, theaters and churches as well as vintage advertisements in and around Knoxville, Maryville, the Great Smoky Mountains, Oak Ridge, Clinton and Norris. Over the years, Laverne Wilson has designed around 150 stamps, which are produced locally. And she estimates she has a library of over 350 photo prints that can be applied to the coasters. “Most of them are from postcards, and our customers sometimes send us their old pictures,” said Wilson. Chelsea Price helps with production as well as handling marketing, event merchandising and social media for Set in Stone Sisters. “If you can get us a picture we can put it on a coaster,” she said. “Custom orders are not really our bread and butter anymore. But we still love to do custom images for wedding favors, Valentine’s and birthday gifts – we even made 150 for a family reunion.” The duo even created coasters for a client using his photos from a trip to Germany. Recently, Laverne and Chelsea decided to launch their neighborhood collection. “South Knoxville is the first neighborhood we did,” said Price. “People from South Knoxville have a lot of pride, and we also had a lot of requests from Halls.” There are 24 neighborhood designs in the collection. They have also produced large corporate orders for the Pat Summitt Foundation and keep busy post-Christmas fulfilling wholesale orders. Coasters retail for $6 each, or four can be purchased for $22, and magnets retail for $3.50 each. Set in Stone Sisters coasters and magnets are currently available at Knoxville Visitors Center, Ijams Nature Center, Nostalgia, The Shoppes and Fountain City Station, Bradley’s, Knoxville Chocolate Co., Tea and Treasures. As Set in Stone Sisters has grown, it’s taken over two rooms in Wilson’s house and part of her garage – where they sand and clean the tiles. Once the market season starts again this spring, the duo will be hard at work six days a week as the company continues to grow. More: Set in Stone Sisters 865-660-3057 Some days, nachos are the healthy choice Leslie Snow, Shopper News columnist In 1854, there was a cholera outbreak in the Soho district in London. Nearly everyone got sick except a small group of brewery workers who drank beer exclusively, never touching the contaminated water. Not a good time for teetotalers. That bit of trivia has been bouncing through my head ever since last week’s unfortunate Super Bowl party. I know it’s not normal, but I don’t like Super Bowl parties. They’re awkward gatherings that start at an odd time of day, on a strange day of the week. On any other Sunday, when 6:30 rolls around, I’m in my comfy clothes, relaxing. But on Super Bowl Sunday, I’m expected to socialize around a television set and eat adorable appetizers shaped like footballs until 11 o’clock. On a school night. A few years ago, I started a new tradition, the Leslie-Snow-Exclusive-Super-Bowl-Party. I send an invitation to my husband, and any offspring that happen to be home, and we make mostly healthy snacks to eat in front of the TV. What separates my party from the traditional Super Bowl parties is that 1) you get to wear your favorite sweat pants, 2) you can watch the game without making small talk, 3) you can go to bed when you’re tired. This year’s private party looked to be a good one. My husband accepted my invitation and agreed to root for any team that wasn’t the New England Patriots. We decided on the menu, and I wore a new pair of lounging pajamas that were both attractive and comfortable. It was a promising beginning. While we were getting ready, I teased my husband about his protein-centric appetizers. He decided to bake chicken tenders with buffalo sauce and make Italian beef sandwiches. He also wanted clam dip and potato chips. I wanted to eat healthier, so I made low-fat stuffed jalapeno poppers and served fresh fruit and celery with yogurt dressing for dipping. Clearly one of us was taking the healthy eating more seriously than the other. Lucky for my husband, I was there to point out my healthier food choices. And he loved that. Everything went as planned. The food was delicious, the game ended just the way I hoped, and I was in bed by the time the winning coach was doused with Gatorade. It seemed another private Super Bowl party was successfully in the books. Until it wasn’t. In the middle of the night my stomach woke me up and I was faced with a horrible realization; I was going to be sick. And I was. All through the night. The next morning my husband tried to comfort me. “Poor you! You had such a rough night.” I agreed. “I can’t figure out why I’m the only one who got sick,” I cried, pitifully. "We went to the same Super Bowl party. We ate the same food. Why did I get sick?” That’s when I saw the imaginary lightbulb go off above his head. “I didn’t have any fruit. Or vegetables. I focused on the chicken tenders and the Italian beef like a normal person.” He looked quite pleased with himself. “You might want to lay off the vegetables in the future. They can really knock you for a loop if you’re not careful.” Then he brought me a glass of water and I rolled over and went to sleep. But I learned my lesson. Next year, when the next Super Bowl rolls around, I’m eating nothing but nachos and wings. And I’m going to drink a lot of beer. I hear it cures cholera. Leslie Snow may be reached at email@example.com. Pysanky egg decorating finds new popularity in West Knox Margie Hagen, Shopper News correspondent Think decorating eggs is only for Easter? Artist and teacher Jordan Byrd will change your mind with her exquisitely designed display eggs and jewelry. Using a 5,000-year-old process called Pysanky or Batik, Byrd uses the traditional method to craft her art. Pysanky is a Ukrainian word and literally means “to write.” Prayers for good health and success were written on eggs and given as gifts. Each design and color signified a different meaning. Today, Byrd translates that into a variety of designs. What started as a two-hour 4-H class when Byrd was 12 has turned into a thriving business for the West Knox artist. She fell in love with egg decorating as a hobby, so when her parents encouraged her to start selling her creations, Byrd found her calling; now she works from her home studio and sells in galleries, art shows and online at her website, insidethebyrdsnest.com. It might seem like eggs are too delicate for everyday jewelry, but Byrd uses a certified green plant-based sealer called ecopoxy. “Each piece is coated until it is practically indestructible,” says Byrd, adding, “The chains will break before the eggs do.” She used her then 2-year-old daughter to test for durability, noting, “If she couldn’t break it, I knew I had the right formula.” Where does one get a rhea or emu egg? “I try to get goose and other eggs locally at farmers markets,” Byrd says. “But I get the exotic eggs from a bird breeding farm in California.” She checked them out beforehand to make sure the birds were raised humanely and uses only infertile eggs. Byrd uses the wax resist process to produce the desired effect. A fine-point tool called a kista is filled with heated wax and used to draw the design. The egg is then dyed, with the wax “resisting” the color. More designs and colors are applied in stages; an egg can take anywhere from six to 40 hours to complete. Custom pieces can be made for special occasions or businesses. Teaching others about the art is a big part of keeping the tradition alive; Byrd holds classes at Pellissippi State Community College and the Appalachian Arts Crafts Center. Go to their websites for details. Byrd will be participating in the Dogwood Arts Show this year for the first time. “I’m very excited to be included in that show,” she said. She’ll also be branching out on a national level as a guest teacher at a weeklong artists' retreat in the Adirondacks in April. Being talented at what she does and truly loving it makes all the hard work worthwhile for Byrd. “I feel very lucky to be living my dream,” she says. “I count my blessings every day.” You can see informational videos and more of her work on Facebook: insidethebyrdsnest and on YouTube, or call 615-293-7695. Five Fulton seniors sign with Ky. college Ruth White, Shopper News Five of Fulton High School's finest football players signed letters of intent to play at The University of the Cumberlands next year. The players – Jaquez Booker, Coryean Davis, James Davis, Joey Smith and Robquez Thomas – have earned two region championships, four playoff appearances, one state championship – and a four-year record of 42-10. Head coach Rob Black spoke briefly before the signing celebration, stating that he and his staff were "super proud of the five quality individuals" heading to The University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky. Black called them "some of the best kids in the school, academically and athletically." Jaquez Booker was a three-year contributor and two-year starter. He had 81 career tackles, six tackles for loss, 14 receptions, 178 yards and two touchdowns. Jaquez was named to the Region 3-5A team. Coryean Davis was a two-year starter on defense and leading receiver his senior year with 60 receptions (a school record) with 865 yards and seven touchdowns. Coryean played in the Toyota East/West All-Star Classic and was named to the All-Region 3-5A team and was on the 3rd Team All-PrepXtra. James Davis overcame injuries to become a major contributor his junior and senior years. He had 114 career tackles and represented Fulton at the Border Bowl, on the All-Region 3-5A team and 2nd Team All-PrepXtra. Joey Smith had 44 catches, 669 yards and five touchdowns for his career. He had 51 career tackles and three career fumble recoveries. He was named to the All-Region 3-5A team. Robquez Thomas was a big part of the receiving corps his senior year with 12 catches, 158 yards and one touchdown. The Fulton auditorium was filled with family, friends, staff members and teammates all joining in the celebration.

© Normally, for a swarm to depart there has to be flying bees, a flying queen and a developing queen to be. The various techniques of swarm control work (though none of them are 100% successful) by removing one or more of these factors from the equation. There are many, many different ways of achieving this, some simple, some not. It can also be dependent on what stage the colony is at in the swarming process, when it is inspected and whether the queen can be found or not. The following method is the most commonly described but experiment with others to find one that works for you. When the first primed cell is found carefully examine all the other brood combs for more queen cells to establish what stage in the swarming process has been reached. Queen marking pens are useful to mark the bars of those combs that have cells which saves time looking for them twice. Examine each comb, looking first for the queen herself, then for the presence of eggs. The position of the egg in the cell will indicate when the queen was last laying. Eggs still vertical in the cell have just been laid whilst those lying flat on the bottom are 2-3 days old. The queen is also often found on the comb containing newly laid eggs so when they are found have another look around for her. If no sealed queen cells are found, it is likely that the old queen is still in the hive even if she cannot be seen and no eggs are present. Unless it is obvious that about a third of your colony (the flying bees) have gone in a swarm since the hive was last inspected, the presumption must be made that the queen is still present. So if the queen is found, put her in a queen cage and keep her somewhere safe. This is how the hive might look before we start with the entrance at the front although there may probably be more than one brood box being used and more than one shallow. To keep the example simple the presumption is made that the deep box only contains brood and the shallow only contains either honey or a feeder. This is referred to as the old hive. The first step is to move the whole hive about three feet to the side of the original site and turn the entrance by at least 45º. The reason will become clear. Obviously it can be too heavy to do in its entirety so unstack it and move the components individually. This should be obvious but adequate thought and care should be given before lifting anything, back injuries are common in beekeeping. The next step is to put a second empty hive exactly where the old hive was located with the entrance at the front. This is referred to as the new hive. There is always the need for spare equipment in beekeeping and beginners are often caught out. Flying bees returning from the field will immediately start entering the new hive. Transfer one comb containing mainly or at least some newly hatched young larvae and one comb containing mainly stores from the old hive to the new empty one. It is essential that these combs do not contain any developing queen cells; it would defeat the whole purpose of the operation so double check. The purpose of the comb containing young unsealed brood is to anchor the swarm because there is nothing to stop them from absconding but they will rarely abandon their brood. Place the comb of stores next to the wall of the hive and the brood comb next inside. If there are any empty combs in the old hive, transfer these across too where they can be used by the queen for egg laying. Put in more new frames fitted with foundation to fill the new hive. Release the queen on or near the frame of brood. With luck the queen will be found on a suitable comb which can be transferred without the need to catch her. As long as it is flying weather the flying bees will fly from the old hive but they will return, homing to this new hive over the course of the day. The new hive will then have all the flying bees and the queen but no queens to be, just like a natural swarm. Ensure the old hive has enough stores because it is losing all the flying foraging bees and has all the brood and new developing queens to feed. It is also less able to defend itself against robbers so reduce the entrance to an inch so they are able to easily guard it. The new hive, on the contrary, has very few larvae to feed but has all the flyers so if there is a nectar flow they will be able to make the most of it. If there is no incoming nectar, providing 50% sugar syrup will increase the chances of success. At its most simple, this is all that needs to be done and the colonies are left alone. With 100% success the new hive will not make more queens and the old queen will recommence laying eggs and the new queen in the old hive will emerge, mate and begin laying with new brood being visible in about 3 - 4 weeks. The hives can be united then or at the end of the season. If the queen cannot be found the procedure can be carried out anyway. The frame of young larvae that was transferred might by chance have the queen on it. If not, she will be in the old hive. Check this after a day when it will be less crowded and she may be more easily found and transferred into the new hive then. However there is much that could go wrong. More queen cells could be made in the new hive and a swarm lost after all. The new queen could fail to emerge, she could be eaten by a swallow on her mating flight, she may not mate successfully or she might depart in an after swarm. As with all things apicultural, success is often just as much down to luck as it is to the interventions of the beekeeper but some measures can be taken to push the odds further in our favour. For example, when the colony is first split, the old hive can be further split into two separate nucleus colonies; this is an occasion when small nucleus size hives are useful. Equally divide the stores and brood combs between them making sure there is a developing queen cell in both, being sure to maintain the natural nest pattern by placing brood combs together in the middle and store combs on either side. The entrances of nucleus colonies should be reduced in size to no more than a square inch (e.g. use foam sponge) so they are able to defend against robbers. The second nucleus colony could be moved elsewhere but one should remain at the side of the new hive for uniting later. As in nature, it is possible that the first queen to emerge in the old hive might leave with an after-swarm, so when splitting the colony, destroy all the developing queen cells except one which should be well developed but unsealed. This is so it can be guaranteed that it will not emerge for at least another 8 days so it is known that a queen and swarm cannot depart for another 8 days. If the cell was sealed it would difficult to know how many days it would be before it emerged. It is also so it can be guaranteed that there is a developing queen. It is difficult to know with any certainty if the occupant of a sealed cell is healthy or even there at all. Mark the top bar where the cell is located. Queen cells may continue to be built in the old hive so it should be checked again in 7 days before the 8 day deadline. Destroy all queen cells found except the one cell that was originally left in the old hive which by now will be sealed. Normal inspections of the new hive should also continue every 7 days as queen cells may continue to be made, destroy any that are found. Although the conditions that initiate swarming have changed, the colony sometimes takes a week or so to stop, being in a swarm fever as it is known. The old hive is best left undisturbed for another 3 weeks at least unless emergency feeding is necessary in which case just check the outside store combs but do not disturb the brood nest area. It is not uncommon for disturbed hives to kill a new virgin queen. Until she has mated she will not produce the cocktail of pheromones that the workers find so attractive and they will treat her almost like an intruder during this period, biting and molesting the virgin, sometimes balling around her. At some time during the three weeks the virgin queen will hopefully emerge, take her mating flights and commence to lay eggs. If there is no sign of brood or eggs 4 weeks after splitting, put in a comb of eggs and young brood taken from the new hive or from another colony and feed some 50% syrup. This is known as a test comb as it provides a perfect test for queenlessness. The presence of young brood will often stimulate a new queen to commence laying eggs if one is present but if the colony is queenless, emergency queen cells will be found on this comb when it is next inspected in 7 days. One of these cells can be left as before or a replacement queen can be introduced or the colony can be united with another. So, with 100% success we now have an old laying queen in one colony and a new laying queen in the other. It must be remembered that the point of this exercise is to prevent the loss of a swarm and replace an old laying queen with a new one, it is not to double the number of colonies and it can be a mistake to do so. At some point the colony should be brought back to one unit. One whole colony will collect more nectar than two half colonies and a new queen will lay more eggs in a whole colony than in a small one. When sealed worker brood, indicating the presence of a viable new queen, is found in the old hive, the old queen in the new hive is found and removed. It can be a good idea to keep her because a spare laying queen, even an old one, is a useful thing to have available. She can be housed in a retirement nucleus made from just one comb of brood and two combs of stores. It is unlikely that such a small colony will continue to make queen cells or swarm but it will still need to be checked occasionally. The old hive is then united on top of the new hive, bringing the colony back to one unit, but now with a young queen fit to head the colony for another year or two. If the old queen cannot be found, unite the colonies anyway, the workers will normally always favour a new young queen producing the maximum quantities of queen substance and the old queen will eventually be deposed. In essence, the control of swarming is what keeping bees is all about, keeping them together. This maintains the unity of strong colonies where large populations are more able to fight disease and gather food whilst keeping them headed by young queens that are more able to maintain the strong population with the least likelihood of swarming. With 100% success, if the old hive was split into two, there will also now be a spare nucleus with a young laying queen that can be built up into a second colony.

If you purchase an independently reviewed item through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. Read our affiliate disclosure. It’s not something that any beekeeper would ever wish for, but honeybee colonies can sometimes die off. There are various reasons for this happening ranging from the weather and diseases to pesticide chemicals. When an entire colony dies off, you have to clean the beehive and prepare it for its next use. In this article we will discuss how to clean a dead beehive and get it ready for a new colony of honeybees. Cleaning a dead beehive should have focus on all areas and parts of the hive. It also has a role in preventing re-occurrence of the mass death of honeybees. Cleaning a dead beehive is largely about making the beehive useful again. For beehives that have been damaged too much, you should aim to salvage as many parts as you can. You can then use the salvaged parts to build another beehive or use them in other beehives. All parts of the beehive must be properly cleaned and sterilized so they do not lead to losing another beehive. Why Colonies Die Diseases and Pesticides Diseases and pesticides are the most common causes of beehives dying off. A disease sweeping through a honeybee colony spreads fast and can kill the entire colony in a few days to a week. Pesticides sprayed near or in the beehive where many bees come into contact with are also disastrous. A pesticide can spread through the entire beehive on bees and affect even the brood. Common diseases that lead to dead honeybee colonies include chalkbrood, foulbrood and nosema. They are infectious and can easily spread from one beehive to an entire apiary. If you note one beehive is infected, it is good to take control measures in all beehives in your apiary. Contaminated frames in chalkbrood and foulbrood cases should be discarded in a manner that they do not infect other honeybee colonies. Burning them is often the best solution. This is accompanied by rigorous cleaning and use of fire on the beehive. With Nosema disease, you can remove the wax from beehive frames and clean them with chemical solutions. Cleaning bleach or clorax are the best for this. If all this is too much for you, you can burn the frames to be on the safe side of events. Winter is a tough time for honeybees. Properly wintered honeybees get through winter but weak hives can die off. Honeybees die off more in winter and use up stored honey. Beekeepers wintering honeybees should make sure their beehives do not let in cold. Wintering bees can be closed in the hive with entrances only opened periodically. Food resources in form of honey should be availed to wintering bees. Hive beetles are destructive insects that can infest a beehive and lead bees to abscond. The beetles lay eggs in the beehive and their larvae destroys comb when hatched from the eggs. In a day, a female adult hive beetle can lay thousands of eggs. Controlling hive beetles is important so they do not cause bees to leave the beehive. Beekeepers may use traps and drenching pesticides to control hive beetles. The ground around a beehive with hive beetles is drenched with appropriate chemicals that kill pupating hive beetles. This is because hive beetle larvae pupates in the ground. In severe infestations, it is right to drench the entire apiary grounds. This is because hive beetles can move from one beehive to the next and ruin your entire beekeeping operation. Mites are increasingly becoming a problem in beekeeping. They have spread round the globe in beekeeping regions and are now a significant parasite that beekeepers have to deal with. Mites attach to bees and draw nutrition by biting into the bee and sucking on the body juices of bees. There are two types of mites: thoracic mites and tracheal mites. Thoracic mites are found attached to the upper thorax of bees where it meets the abdomen. They are on the outside of the bee. Tracheal mites are found inside the bee, in its trachea or upper gut. Controlling honeybee mites is done in the same general methods. Feeding honeybees with essential oils helps control both tracheal and thoracic mites. Other methods involve putting the honeybees into contact with the essential oil or mineral oil. Fogging, dripping and vaporizing oil into the beehive helps a lot with controlling thoracic mites. Only use approved oils that are natural and food safe to control these parasitic mites in beehives. The use of physical mite control methods also helps a lot. Devices used in physical mite control rub mites off honeybees. Larger bee production also helps with better mite control. Additionally, spraying honeybees with sugar syrup or dusting them with powder triggers grooming behavior in bees which can result in the bees removing mites off their bodies. Cleaning a Dead Beehive after Pesticides, Herbicides and Insecticides Pesticides, herbicides and insecticides can cause a beehive to die. Honeybees are very sensitive to chemicals found in many chemical preparations used in agriculture. Herbicides applied harmlessly in agriculture can kill off an entire beehive. Foraging honeybees carry small amounts of herbicides to the beehive, and even these small amounts can cause a lot of destruction. Beekeepers may also apply herbicides or pesticides aiming to help honeybees and maybe clear vegetation in their apiaries. If bees come into contact with these chemical applications, they may die. When a beehive is lost due to chemical preparations, it is important to remove the chemicals from further contact with honeybees. The surfaces that may have the chemical should be cleaned thoroughly and possibly removed from the beehive. All honey found in the beehive should be considered contaminated and destroyed too. In some instances, it is necessary to apply chemical preparations in apiaries. This should be done with a lot of caution taken. Spraying the chemical applications at night is better than doing it during the day when bees are flying around. You should also consider closing the honeybees in the beehive for a day or two so that the concentration of the chemicals goes down. If you close honeybee in the beehive, be sure they have enough honey stored or feed them. Cleaning Beehive Frames after Wax Moth Infestation Wax moths are very damaging in the months of summer. They can devastate a weak colony in about a week. Strong colonies can allow you more time to notice the infestation and deal with it. A beehive that has been rendered useless by wax moths has a lot of destroyed honeycomb and webs. It also smells bad and may have stored honey spilling out. Beehive frames, the entire beehive box and all parts and components of the beehive need cleaning. The beekeeper cleaning the beehive frames after wax moths must remove all damaged honeycomb too. Cleaning beehive frames after wax moths requires removal of webs and honeycomb. Foundation used on the frames should also be removed. The frame is then cleaned with bleach before being reused in the beehive. You may take apart the beehive frame for cleaning. Frames that are unaffected can be frozen for 2 days. The cold temperature kills any wax moth larvae, eggs and adults that may be on the frame. All beehive components including bottom boards and covers are to be cleaned. Equipment such as feeders and pollen traps that were in the beehive when wax moths attacked should also be cleaned. This ensures that there will be no re-infestation of the beehive from eggs laid in the beehive by adult wax moths. You may take the beehive apart for best results in killing wax moth eggs. Plastic beehive frames are easier to clean and reuse in a beehive than wooden frames. After a moth infestation, remove the webs and slime from plastic frames and they are ready to go. This includes plastic foundation used on plastic beehive frames. Sterilizing the frames and then freezing them is recommended. Do not subject plastic frames to very high temperatures so they do not warp and become unusable in a beehive. Cleaning Mold from Dead Beehives Sometimes, mold grows in beehives. This is usually due to excess humidity. Spilt honey can also form a substrate on which mold will grow in the beehive. Bees can clean minor mold growth in the beehives. However, heavy growth of mold is disastrous for bees when they cannot clean it out. Mold on frames and in a beehive can be black or other colors. If it is black mold, remove the frames and cut off the foundation. You can melt foundation and honeycomb for other uses. Clean the frames that have mold thoroughly before airing them and freezing them. You can then reuse the frames. If the mold is not black, simple cleaning by scrubbing the frames is enough. You may use some salt and lemon in the scrubbing water. Save as much comb as you can on such beehive frames. The frames also need airing and freezing before they can be reused in the beehive. Removing Dead Bees from Comb When you find a beehive has died out in your apiary, take steps to remove it immediately. The honey that may be in the beehive can attract robbing. Bees visiting the beehive can transmit diseases and parasites back to their beehives. If that were to happen, you will quickly find your entire beekeeping operation with no honeybee colonies. Removing dead bees from comb is necessary so you can reuse that comb. This is done if you are not burning or destroying the comb. The decision on whether to salvage comb and reuse it is determined by what made the beehive die out. Using physical force To remove bees from comb, strike the frame lightly on an empty beehive box. The frame should be lying flat so that bees lodged in the comb can fall off. Not all bees may be removed in this manner, but most of them will come off. Take care not to apply too much force that will cause the comb to be destroyed. The honeycomb can break off if you hit the frame too hard. Removing dead bees from comb using tweezers or other gripping objects may not achieve much. The bees are torn into half and a portion remains stuck in the comb. This is not very effective and it is better to use other methods that have the bees come off in whole. Using air compressors You can also try blowing out dead bees from comb. With an air compressor set to low pressure, direct the jet of air onto the comb. Start with the jet from far and bring it closer to the comb. If you set the air compressor to high pressure, you risk damaging the honeycomb when removing bees. Giving the comb to other bees Give bees the honeycomb to clean for you. Placing comb in a beehive will have the resident bees clean it out. Honeybees are meticulous cleaners and ensure dead bees are removed from the hive. They drag them out and may move the dead bees some distance from the beehive. This should only be done if there is no risk of spreading disease or parasites to another honeybee colony. Cutting out the honeycomb In extreme cases, honeycomb is cut from the beehive frames and melted. It frees up the frame and you can reuse it. Melted wax with dead bees in it is usually discarded. You may sieve out the dead bees from hot wax and use the wax to make some products. These products are usually those that are not eating by people, such as candles. How to Reuse a Dead Beehive Beekeepers reuse beehives very often. It saves them the cost of buying new beehives and beehive components. Reusing a beehive is easy and safe when done properly. You can reuse beehives whose honeybee colonies have died off. To make sure the beehive is safe for use in your apiary, you have to clean it. Eggs, larvae and spores of organisms that can harm bees must be removed. Char the entire hive Both beginner and experienced beekeepers with the right equipment can reuse a beehive. Charring away spores is recommended when you have had bee diseases devastate a honeybee colony. The beehive is taken apart and the various boards and pieces scorched. Chemical agents are also used to kill eggs of honeybee pests. Charring beehives and beehive parts with a blowtorch is a great way to clean the beehive. Fire kills organisms in the beehive very effectively. You may also try applying gasoline or other flammable liquid to inner beehive surfaces and lighting up the beehive. The flammable liquid flares up and then evaporates. Sand away the ash left behind to make the beehive ready for a next honeybee colony. Honeycomb that has been in use in a beehive for long should be removed. It absorbs chemicals from pesticides and can cause harm to honeybees. The honeycomb is also prone to harbor spores of disease causing organisms in the beehive. Old wax has the disadvantage of attracting wax moths and sometimes hive beetles. You should remove the old dark comb from frames and melt it or use it to make wax products. The frames can be reused in the beehive after cleaning. Put wax in the sun You can expose old dark wax to the sun and have it bleach the wax. To do this, put it out in the sun on a sheet of tin or in a solar wax melter. Over time, the sun bleaches the wax to a white color. Slumgum will stay on your wax container. You should angle the container down so that melted wax flow down to a collecting container. After cleaning, the whole beehive or its parts can be reused. Damaged sections of the beehive need replacement. It is sometimes best to take apart the beehive and only use the parts that are not damaged to fix other beehives. If you really need the beehive, replacing the damaged parts is your only option. Beehive frames from dead beehives can be used in other beehives or destroyed by burning. The wax from the beehive can work as foundation or be given to bees to reuse in drawing out comb on other beehive frames. How to Avoid Beehives Dying Beekeepers take various measures to prevent losing honeybee colonies. These measures are best integrated in your beehive management and pest control programs. The various measures include use of essential oils, pesticides and beehive component management. Using honeybee approved pesticides Periodic use of pesticides is advised when controlling honeybee pests in beehives. Note that the pesticides used should be approved for use with honeybees. It is also recommend to remove honey supers when treating beehive boxes with pesticides. This is because the pesticides can harm bees and persist in honey. Some pesticides can also enter honeycomb and remain in the beehive for long. Apply the pesticide in the correct rate and for only the allowed period of time. Overuse of pesticides is dangerous. Using essential oils Oils are used in beekeeping to keep pests such as mites and hive beetles in check. They kill adult pests before they can lay eggs in the beehive. Oils approved for use are applied using various methods including dripping, vaporizing and fogging. Beekeepers also use feeding to apply oils for pest and parasite control. These oils are mostly natural and do not persist in the beehive once application is over. Pests controlled using oils include hive beetles and mites. Using pest traps Traps are very effective at controlling pests when used correctly. Make use of hive beetle and wax moth traps as a means of controlling the pests. A Final Word Various pests, parasites and diseases of honeybees can lead to total loss of a honeybee colony. The death of the colony does not mean the end of beekeeping for the beekeeper. In an apiary, a dead beehive can be put back to use successfully. Cleaning the dead beehive is the first step towards reusing the beehive. Use this article on how to clean a dead beehive in reclaiming the beehives you might have lost in your apiary.

DioLog is the biweekly newsletter sent by e-mail (usually) every other week to more than 700 clergy and lay leaders across the diocese and elsewhere. The next edition of DioLog will be sent to subscribers on Thursday, April 29. If you have items to submit, contact Melodie Woerman, director of communications, at (785) 235-9255, (800) 473-3563 or by email. Parishes are free to excerpt anything printed in DioLog; attribution that material is reprinted from DioLog is appreciated. Feel free to copy this and make it available to parishioners in whatever way is most useful. Subscribe to DioLog and/or The Harvest, our bi-monthly diocesan magazine Past issues are available for download or by contacting the diocesan office. Current Issue: April 15, 2021 Monday chapel service now is open to worshippers Beginning on Monday, April 19, the weekly service of Holy Eucharist offered by clergy members of Bishop Bascom’s staff will be open for in-person worship. The service takes place in St. Mary’s Chapel of Grace Cathedral, Topeka, and begins at 12:10 p.m. every Monday except holidays. Under current diocesan distancing guidelines, there is space for 10 people to attend. All should enter through the red doors on the east side of the building and sign in. Masks are required for all, and communion in one kind will be offered. Called “Old Saints for New Days,” the service looks at the life of one of the people or groups commemorated in the coming week in the Episcopal Church’s Lesser Feasts and Fasts and connects their life and work to the current day. The service will continued to be livestreamed on the diocese’s YouTube channel. Multiple calendars now are available on the diocesan website The calendar page on the diocesan website now makes available four diocesan calendars that can be viewed together or separately: FEMA offers help with funeral costs for Covid victims As a result of recent federal legislation, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) now can help with the cost of funerals for people who died of Covid-19 after Jan. 20, 2020. Grants are up to $9,000 per funeral and a maximum of $35,500 per application. The only qualifications are that the death had to occur in the U.S., including U.S. territories and the District of Columbia; the death certificate must indicate the death was attributed to Covid-19; and the person applying for assistance must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or a qualified alien. All applications must be made over the phone, with the necessary documentation in hand before calling. Full information is on the FEMA website. St. Thomas’, Overland Park, to host survivor of gun violence On Thursday, May 6 at 7 p.m. St. Thomas’, Overland Park, will welcome Mindy Corporon as she discusses her new book, Healing a Shattered Soul. Corporon’s son and father were murdered by a gunman who attacked the Jewish Community Center in 2014. When St. Thomas’ and Temple Israel hosted a vigil the evening of the shooting, she asked to speak, calling on those present to love and to life, in the midst of her unspeakable tragedy. In her book, she explores how hate and evil lead to violence and destruction. It also describes the power of community and relationships to heal the wounds of life. One of the chapters, co-written with St. Thomas’ rector, the Rev. Gar Demo, describes the night of the vigil. The May 6 event will be both in person at the church, 12251 Antioch Rd., or live on the church YouTube channel. Good News Gardens Movement offers information about rogation Join the Good News Gardens Gathering on April 20 at 6 p.m. Central time and learn everything you’ve always wanted to know and more about rogation. Register in advance online. The meeting will be recorded and available later for those who are interested but can’t attend. Good News Gardens is a churchwide movement of individuals, congregations, schools, colleges, seminaries, monasteries, camps and conference centers involved in a variety of food and creation care ministries – gardening, farming, beekeeping, composting, gleaning, feeding and food justice advocacy. Summer camp is back for 2021 Episcopal Summer Camp will take place this year and will follow the recommendations from Camp Wood YMCA and the American Camp Association (their accrediting body) to provide as safe an environment as possible, but we cannot eliminate 100 percent of the risk. Read more about camp-specific health protocols. This web page will be updated as our leadership team continues to meet and plan for this summer. - When: June 6–12, 2021 - Where: Camp Wood YMCA, Elmdale, Kans. - Who: Students in grades 3–12 for the 2020-21 school year (you must have finished third grade to attend). – Camp is not restricted to Episcopalians or regular churchgoers. All are welcome, so feel free to invite friends and family. – 2021 Camp will be limited to about 104 campers. – All participants need to provide Covid-19 vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test. - Cost: $500. Payment plans are available. If you choose this, UltraCamp will automatically divide the cost of camp over the remaining months between when you register and the start of camp - Registration online via UltraCamp. - Scholarships: You can apply for scholarships on the registration form. Information about your household income will be required. Scholarships are awarded by a committee. Your parish should also be able to provide some scholarship money. - Cancellation deadline: Two weeks prior to the start of the camp session for a 100 percent refund; at any time with a doctor’s note for 100 percent refund. Bishop Bascom to lead online justice-based Scripture study Bishop Cathleen Bascom will be the leader for a May 11 online Scripture study entitled “Rethinking Justice.” It will begin at 6 p.m. It is sponsored by an interfaith group including Topeka JUMP, Douglas County Justice Matters and a new interfaith justice ministry for Johnson and Wyandotte counties. The Zoom-based event will explore three questions: - What is the scriptural imperative for people of faith when it comes to issues of justice? - What is the difference between doing justice and providing mercy? - How can people of faith effectively do justice in their local community? Registration is online. There will be a second study on May 13, with a leader still to be named. Creation Care liturgies now are available As spring approaches, the Creation Care subgroup of the Liturgy, Music and the Arts Task Force, and the Spirituality subgroup of the Care of Creation Task Force, have compiled resources for these upcoming dates: - Earth Day (April 22, but traditionally celebrated on the Sunday before, April 18) - Rogation Sunday and Rogation Days (the sixth Sunday of Easter and the two days following) - The Season of Creation (Sept. 1–Oct. 4) These new liturgical resources are available in a Dropbox folder and can be accessed through a link on the diocesan website. Additional resources are being added, so check the link frequently for the latest updates. A caution as indoor worship with livestreaming begins Many churches are beginning to have services in person and indoors, while also livestreaming those services for people to watch online. For a variety of reasons, people attending worship may not want their image to appear in online videos. It is wise to alert people that videotaping is taking place and to have space set apart for those not wishing to appear on camera, where they can be seated and remain unseen. Bethany House and Garden seeks oral care items Bethany House and Garden would like to encourage dental health in the at-risk population in the neighborhood surrounding Bethany House. If anyone has sample-sized toothpaste, dental floss or toothbrushes that can be included in the “Grace Bags” distributed on Saturday mornings, please contact the Rev. Jennifer Allen at email@example.com or (913) 620-7773 to arrange a pick-up. Sign up now for a regional Youth Campfire After Easter, diocesan youth ministries will host two regional youth campfires with fellowship, prayer and s’mores. - Kansas City-area Campfire, Sunday, April 18, 6:30–8 p.m. (for all those in the Northeast and Northwest convocations) - Wichita-area Campfire, Sunday, April 25, 6:30–8 p.m. (for all those in the Southeast and Southwest convocations) Open to those in grades 6–12 and the adults who minister with them. Masks are required at both events. Attendance is free, but please sign up so we can bring enough s’mores supplies, have enough adults present and do contact tracing just-in-case. Campus ministry news Campus peer ministry applications for 2021-2022 now are open If you are a full-time college student (or know one), have demonstrated ministry leadership experience and seek more of it, and you’re passionate about deepening your own spiritual journey and serving others by sharing the love of Christ with those you meet, peer ministry might be right for you. As a peer minister, you work collaboratively with parish leaders as well as the Formation Team to design and lead program opportunities that highlight faith formation, Christian community, discernment and leadership development in your campus community. At K-State and KU, there is the opportunity to live in-residence at one of our Canterbury Houses (for free). Episcopal Church Archives closes for relocation The Archives of the Episcopal Church is closed to the public and to extensive research requests until Aug. 1 as it relocates to a new facility in Austin, Texas. For the past 60 years, Seminary of the Southwest in Austin has hosted the archives. A campus renovation scheduled to begin in June necessitated the need for the archives to relocate. The move to a new facility in Austin’s Highland neighborhood is expected to be completed by Sept. 1. As the physical archives are packed for transit starting April 15, the staff will only be able to access common reference items and documents of known business operation. The staff hopes to begin processing inquiries again by Aug. 1. Archives users are asked to plan accordingly and to consult the digital archives. Delaware diocese, Boston hospital seek participants for pain/prayer study A new research study has launched to study the successful treatment of long-term pain through the power of prayer. The study aims to develop a scientifically validated method, rooted in prayer, to serve anyone with pain-related chronic conditions. It could help provide a valid drug-free intervention for chronic pain. The Prayer and Pain Scale Project is a joint effort between the church and the medical community, co-led by the Episcopal Church in Delaware and researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard School of Medicine in Boston. Participation is easy through a confidential online questionnaire taking no more than 30 minutes to complete. Anniversaries of ordinations Congratulations go to these people as they celebrate the anniversaries of their ordination in the next two weeks: April 25: The Rev. Avelina Baguyos, retired (55 years) April 29: The Rev. Susan Sawyer, retired (35 years) Stay in touch with the diocese on social media You can find news, features and updates from the diocese on social media. We’re on Facebook – EpiscopalDioceseofKansas; Twitter – @EpiscoKs and Instagram – @EpiscoKs. You can find diocesan youth and campus ministries on Instagram, too: - Youth: @edokyouth - Canterbury House of Lawrence: @canterburylfk - Canterbury at K-State: @canterburyatkstate Bethany House and Garden, one of the newest ministries of the diocese, offers these ways to stay connected: - Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bethanyhouseandgarden/) - Instagram: @bethanyhouseandgarden - Twitter: @garden_bethany

Archive for August, 2011 Shingo PrizeDid you ever have one of those chance encounters with an individual that makes you sit down and really think about what just happened? It happened to me recently. Our Neurological Institute has a “go to gemba” process where each of our administrators spend at least a week each quarter, making daily rounds in our in-patient unit to talk with patients and determine if we are meeting their expectations for care. I have found the interaction with our patients some of the most gratifying work that I’ve done while working at the Clinic. Last week, while connecting with our patients, I had a chance encounter with a very interesting man. He took the time to let me know where we had fallen short in our care of a loved one. He was not upset or angry, he felt the need to share his experience and I seemed open to listening, so we talked. As we continued our conversation, a familiar language started to emerge and I found myself actively engaged in a discussion of root cause, errors, defects, visual management, standard work, etc. We were talking lean. “I work with dairy farmers,” he said. “I focus on preventing the diseases that you detect and fix.” We continued for a little while until he had to leave. I told him I would be back in the morning. He handed me his business card and I saw his Guiding Principle – “In Pursuit of Parlor Perfection for healthy, comfortable, well fed, pregnant cows.” Being a student of lean, I recognized the principle of “Pursuit of Perfection” and wanted to learn more about how this principle has been applied in the dairy business. Over the next two days, we spent a total of nearly three hours discussing the opportunities he saw for us to improve our patient care processes and he shared with me the details of his consulting business where he helps dairy farmers focus on quality at the source and increase milk production through the reduction of disease. Without a college degree or a lean certification or any formal lean training, he has mastered the application of lean principles, systems and tools as described in the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. His simple philosophy – listen to the cows. He told me about how milking parlors are built for the efficiency of the farmer; however, their design results in decreased milk production from the cows (workers). Automation and technology take the farmer away from the cows and is creating a whole host of quality problems – from diseases, passed on through their milk and beef to humans, to increased costs due to inefficient milk collection techniques that cause cows to produce less milk. We talked about the backwards way our current health care system places its emphasis on treating diseases, rather than preventing them. He told me about his application of lean principles such as lead with humility, respect for every “cow”, flow, scientific thinking, constancy of purpose, systems thinking, and value for the customer. My head was spinning. I was drawing parallels with the tools of lean such as visual management, standard work, quick changeover, error-proofing, preventive maintenance, etc. Could the humble cow be the start of the Healthcare value stream? I’ve made the transition from manufacturing to healthcare and have seen how the principles of lean apply across multiple, diverse industries, including lean dentists and lean government. This was the first time I was really exposed to the potential of lean – at the source – in the supply chain of the food and farming industries – before the production or processing stages – and recognized the connection to the healthcare industry – a strange customer of the current food processing business. We traded contact information and vowed to continue our discussion. We’ve asked him to serve on our Patient Advisory Council and he’s asked me to help spread his message on disease prevention. It sounds like a good deal so far. As my father once told me, “The more you know, the more you find out you don’t know”. I learned a lot last week and recognize that I have a lot more to learn. Stephen R. Covey‘s “7 Habits of Highly Effective People“, first published over 20 years ago continues to influence many people and help us all become more effective. In 2010, Covey formed a partnership with the Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence strengthening the awareness of successful principles-based organizations “I have great respect and interest in what The Shingo Prize has been doing and in the transformational work underway at the Huntsman School of Business,” Covey said. “Companies that have implemented principles taught by The Shingo Prize have made dramatic and measurable progress in achieving operational excellence.” Of the 7 habits mentioned in the book, perhaps the one that resonates most with me is number 5 – “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” To a lean thinker, this habit forms the basis for following the principles of “Lead with Humility” and “Respect for every Individual”. This is not a sign of weakness or lack of knowledge. To “Lead with Humility” means we must admit that we don’t know it all. My father told me long ago, “the more you learn, the more you’ll find out you don’t know.” Did you ever go from feeling like a genius one moment, to feeling like you just don’t get it in the next moment? When talking with a group of like-minded thinkers, the discussion just seems to flow and everyone is nodding their heads in agreement – sometimes jumping in to finish each other’s thoughts. Leaving this familiar place and go into areas where our subject matter knowledge isn’t as developed can sometimes feel over-whelming. Change always comes with an anxious dilemma. How do I share what I know without coming across as a know-it-all, yet still influence the direction of a group when they are struggling to find their way? Welcome to the world of continuous improvement. As lean practitioners know, the hardest part of our job is to balance our desire to just do it, versus our desire to teach others how to do it. We are sought out for our expertise, yet it is the lean leaders job to leverage the expertise of the people currently doing the job. To be able to lead people to where they need to be by asking questions, rather than providing answers is one of the most satisfying aspects of the change management process. Transitioning from manufacturing to healthcare has been a great learning experience for me. There has been a lot of observing, listening, asking questions and where appropriate some talking. I’ve had the opportunity to lead some great teams that have yielded very good results. I’ve also been disappointed when I’ve transitioned off of projects and the team’s old behaviors resurface and the initial gains slowly start to evaporate. This is usually because not enough work took place upfront to understand the culture of the team. The work required to change the culture of a group by leading them out of their comfort zone to one of continuous improvement is always harder than changing a work process itself. As I continue to seek to understand the field of healthcare and lend my expertise to making things better, there is a constant balancing act. A thought shared by fellow bloggers, Matt Wyre and Tim McMahon . At times it is exhilarating, others times, totally frustrating. In times of frustration, I often turn to this poem that I first came across in one of my MBA text books on organizational development. He is quick, thinking in clear images; I am slow, thinking in broken images. He becomes dull, trusting to his clear images; I become sharp, mistrusting my broken images. Trusting his images, he assumes their relevance; Mistrusting my images, I question their relevance. Assuming their relevance, he assumes the fact; Questioning their relevance, I question the fact. When the fact fails him, he questions his senses; When the fact fails me, I approve my senses. He continues quick and dull in his clear images; I continue slow and clear in my broken images. He, in a new confusion of his understanding; I, in a new understanding of my confusion. Follow me on Twitter: @valuesstreamldr I think she understood what I meant, but her raised eyebrow leads me to believe I have some ‘splainin ” to do. The short-lived tagline of this blog used to say, “Where values are not aligned, it is there you will find waste.” My intent was to use a clever take-off from the Value Stream mapping process that allows you to see waste in processes by observing where the flow of products or services and information stop flowing. Many lean practitioners will tell you that Value Stream mapping is a valuable tool in their continuous improvement toolbox. It looks at work from the point of view of the customer and asks if the customer is willing to pay for the activity. If not, then the work is viewed as “Non-value added” and you should strive to reduce or eliminate the activity. A focus on process improvement, through the elimination of waste will result in a higher Value-add / Non-value add ratio of work, shorten the overall lead time from order to delivery, and improve the quality and productivity of a process. This ultimately leads to lower costs and higher value to the customer. Experienced lean practitioners will also tell you that having the right culture in place makes a huge difference in how quickly and easily process changes can occur. Creating the proper culture is a key responsibility of leaders. As I discussed in a previous post, The Excellence Experience, leaders should first exude, then expect, then recognize and reward desired behaviors in order to build the foundation for an organization seeking to attain Operational Excellence. So this morning, my wife told me that she didn’t like my tagline. “It focuses on the negative. You should never, ever, ever, link your work to a negative.” she said. After a brief pause, I acknowledged that she was right. She then didn’t tell me what it should be, rather, she gave me the first part of the tagline, “When values align…” and challenged me to fill in the blank with a positive statement. After some thought, and picturing the blog’s logo, I realized that culture has a multiplying effect on an organization’s improvement efforts, thus my new and improved tagline, “When values align…value multiplies!” I like this much better. What do you think? If process improvement leads to added value, I submit that organizational alignment leads to multiplied value. Critics can provide the best opportunities for improvement. Moving forward requires friction. Embrace critics and thank them for challenging your viewpoint and creating a learning opportunity for both of you. Just be sure to take some time to ‘splain yourself. Thanks, Lisa! There’s a reality show on NBC that showcases a variety of performers who compete for viewers’ votes to keep moving forward. Weekly winners advance towards the grand prize of landing a headline show in Las Vegas. I have to admit that mixed in with some really goofy acts, there are some real diamonds in the rough who are really talented and discovered through their appearance on the show. This post isn’t about them. This past weekend, my wife, Lisa and I did something we haven’t done since we’ve been married; we spent six hours together – just us, no kids, at the fair, enjoying the sights, sounds and food. It was a fun day, and we re-discovered the real talent developing in our future leaders. We started our day with a trip to the 4-H booth building that I wrote about last week. The theme for this year’s fair was “Pride”. Some clubs exhibited pride in the projects they worked on and included quotes from club members on what they were most proud of. Other clubs interpreted the Pride theme by referring to their clubs as a Pride of lions. There were so many references to key #lean leadership principles evident throughout the booths. Here are a few of my favorites. Next, we went over to the livestock show barn where the annual auction of animals takes place. Kids who have spent the last year caring for cattle, pigs, sheep, turkeys, and other varieties of livestock, learn one of the toughest lessons in life and leadership – letting go. The reward for their hard work is a nice payoff for their investment of time and effort. My son’s girlfriend and her family have been raising cattle and turkeys for years and this year, her younger sister’s cows won Champion County Born and Raised and Reserve Grand Champion carcass. Listening to the auctioneer is pure entertainment as he works the crowd to gain that extra nickel per pound for the 4-H’er. This represents college tuition to many of the kids. They work hard for it and earn a nice reward. Next up, the open class still exhibits where my daughter, Sara, (who only started knitting a little over a year ago), proudly displayed articles of clothing she has knit for her children. Sara’s projects earned her a First place and several other second and third place ribbons. She can now proudly call herself an award-winning knitter. Actually, one of her projects won a ribbon at last year’s fair, so she was already an award winner. You can see some of her work here and make a purchase if you’re interested. While we were looking at the still exhibits, the Dock Dog competition started. You may have seen these competitions on television, where dogs leap 20 feet through the air off of a dock and into a pool of water chasing after their favorite toy. These dogs are fun to watch. By this time we had worked up an appetite and there is no better food than fair food. My doctors at the Cleveland Clinic might think otherwise and I know that I will have some explaining to do at my Weight Watchers meeting this week, but the “Porktato” that we shared was a real treat. It starts with a large baked potato, topped with butter, sour cream and finally smothered with smoked pulled pork and barbecue sauce. A lemonade to wash it down was welcomed on a hot, muggy day in Northeast Ohio. After getting re-fueled, we visited the memorial site for the victims of the steam engine explosion I wrote about last week. It was touching to see how nicely the community has pitched in to keep the memory of these neighbors and friends alive. Next up, the animals. Every year, there are two mother pigs with their litters of about 10 baby piglets nursing and playing in their pens. Stayed tuned for a future post on how my favorite bedtime story to read to my kids as they were growing up – Charlotte’s Web, played a big part in my understanding of lean. Sheep, goats, pigs, horses, dairy cattle, rabbits and poultry were all on display for everyone to see up close and personal. The agriculture building is where we saw one of our favorite displays, the Medina County Beekeepers booth. A plexiglass display case houses a demonstration beehive, enabling fair-goers the opportunity to watch the bees work and challenges them to “find the queen”. Many years ago, I got started in beekeeping while helping my son’s with their 4-H beekeeping project. A.I. Root developed many of the hive technologies that are currently used by beekeepers. While learning about bees, I discovered the secret to their success in keeping their hives vibrant and productive. They have clearly defined roles and responsibilities for each bee in the hive (standard work) and their communication systems are outstanding. While working at Ford, a swarm of bees found their way to the back of our building. I assisted a co-worker who was also a beekeeper in capturing the swarm and then wrote an article for our monthly newsletter about the teamwork displayed by bees. I’ll post that here soon. Finally, after getting some kettle corn and a milkshake (strawberry) from the 4-H milkshake stand, we settled in to watch and listen to a fiddling competition. Contestants competed in four categories – Youth, Junior, Senior and Open classes. Kids and seniors all played well, but it was the open class where some very good fiddle players showed off their talent. It was a real treat to sit and listen to them under the shelter of a pavilion when the skies opened up with a deluge of rain. The highlight came at the end of the competition when all of the players got together onstage for a jam session. Yes, there are troubles in the world where competing values struggle to find alignment. This past weekend, however, we experienced a place where values aligned, talent was showcased and we confirmed that America does have talent!

Autumn arrives this weekend, and with it crisper days and fewer blooms. For beekeepers, it’s a changing of the guard. We begin to wrap up the routine of the busy summer months and look toward securing the hives for the coming cold. In fall we pass the baton of security fully to the bees, having supported them through their growing season and now into the harder months. If you haven’t yet wrapped up your summer chores, here’s what’s on your to-do list: 1. Harvest ONLY Surplus Honey By now, most beekeepers have harvested all the surplus honey that is available, leaving the rest for the hives. In some regions, such as the southeastern U.S., a second bloom and mini flow can give the bees a final, precious resource of nectar, but only sometimes. The goal now is to make sure they have enough. A single honeybee hive requires 40 to 60 pounds of honey for the colony to make it through winter, with the whole hive weighing between 120 and 130 pounds. 2. Maintain a Regular Inspection Schedule Do this at least for now. Until temperatures really start to dip, keep a close eye on your hives and inspect them as needed. Look for a healthy queen and brood as well as ample stores going into the fall. 3. Monitor Varroa Mite Populations Count for Varroa mites using your preferred method, usually over the course of three days. One favorite is the sticky board method, in which a beekeeper places an screened adhesive sheet at the bottom of the hive to count the number of mites that fall onto it. It is valuable because it doesn’t kill any bees in the process—the screen keeps them from the adhesive. Use your judgment to treat, if you see fit. 4. Requeen Your Colony or Not? Replacing the existing queen with a young, mated queen in the fall is a common practice in commercial beekeeping and conventional apiaries, though many natural beekeepers opt not to take this approach. The choice is yours. If you do requeen, this is an excellent time to do it. 5. Watch for Robbing The robbing of precious stores by outsider insects is a serious threat. Yellow Jackets and other wasps become very aggressive this time of year, as their nests are large and the forage is scarce. Large hives with pounds upon pounds of honey stored is very tempting. Keep the hive’s entrance manageable for your bees, and watch behavior closely. Small entrances are easier to defend by the colony’s guard bees. 6. Feed Your Bees or Not? Whether to feed is another challenging question between conventional and natural beekeepers. If you’ve not been overzealous with harvesting, your bees (if they make up a strong colony) might have ample stores on their own. If too much has been harvested, the flow was spotty or robbing has occurred, feeding might be necessary. Do so in a way that doesn’t encourage more robbing. Hopefully, as you move your bees into fall weather, you’re concluding another successful summer as a beekeeper.

Honeybees and the Art of Rabbinic Formation By Amalia Haas [The following article is offered as a partnership between eJP and the Clergy Leadership Incubator program (CLI). CLI is a two-year program to support and encourage congregational rabbis and rabbinic entrepreneurs in the areas of innovative thinking, change management and institutional transformation. CLI is directed by Rabbi Sid Schwarz and is fiscally sponsored by Hazon. Each month CLI offers a Synagogue Innovation Blog. Past columns can be found at: www.cliforum.org/blog/]. In her five-year lifetime of service, a queen bee leaves her hive once. She flies away from her home to a drone congregation area, usually on the edge of a forest. Near the tips of the trees, she circles, mates with drones from hives in her region and thereby takes into herself the rich biological diversity of her species. Those encounters fundamentally shape her ability to contribute to and grow her home colony for the rest of her life. She will mother some full sisters; many more will be half-siblings, having the same mother but a different father. Some of these half-siblings have genes that make them excellent protectors of the hive; others better tolerate the drought and weather harbored in climate change; others excel at nursing the young; and others gather nectar and pollen. Through establishing and manifesting in her home congregation the wisdom of the wider community of her peers, the queen bee makes the likelihood of her hive’s success immeasurably greater. For the rest of her life she will labor in her hive, building her home community. Similarly, rabbinical school is a five-year process during which students mostly labor within one community and philosophy of Judaism. Great resources and learning are available within all of our seminaries. Part of what I have learned from organic beekeeping, however, is that it is essential to be strengthened by the broader diversity of the community. Recently, I attended an interdenominational rabbinical student retreat led by Rabbi Sid Schwarz and offered through Hazon. Eleven separate seminaries from across the denominational spectrum send students to these retreats which are held once a year. Rabbi Sid has been running these retreats since 2005 and there are over 500 alumni of the program. Twenty-five students were in attendance at the retreat that I attended. During the retreat, we engaged in a role play in which a significant portion of a congregation’s membership turns against its rabbi who had publicly spoken out against injustice. The rabbi sat through a tense meeting with the chair of the board and some lay leaders. The board chair told the rabbi that the congregation was not comfortable with the rabbi’s outspoken social action stances from the pulpit and one of the Board members, who was supportive of the rabbi’s stance, became intimidated as the meeting progressed and chose to stay quiet. When the role play ended, all of the rabbinical students who watched the role play had a chance to weigh in, offering their perspectives on what just transpired and offering thoughts on how they might have navigated the challenging situation had they faced it themselves. Rabbi Sid, having experienced similar scenarios several times during his career, facilitated the talkback and then offered some reflections on what we had all just watched. He did so in an open, calm, blame-free manner that depersonalized what many of us would have experienced as an attack against our authority and our judgment. Rabbi Sid helped us see how often congregational politics can lead good people to act in angry and dysfunctional ways. He also counseled us about how a rabbi must never demonize their opposition but how one can use the power of their rabbinic office to raise the level of respect and civility in a communal decision-making process. After this session, one of the participants, a practicing marriage and sex therapist who had surely been exposed to substantive conflict during his career, said: ‘Perhaps, after all, I do not want to go into the rabbinate. I don’t want to face confrontations like that.’ Rabbi Sid’s response was telling. He validated this man’s feelings, and then said: “I am not trying to scare you off from entering the rabbinate. It is often those with the emotional maturity to be aware of their desire to not be at the center of congregational conflict that make the best leaders.” I would characterize this interaction – one where a rabbinical student felt safe in expressing his fears and misgivings about being a rabbi and was met with support and encouragement – as one of unconditional love. It said, I accept you where you are, as you feel, and I believe that your very hesitation is a sign of your worthiness. That kind of nurturance is, I contend, transformative and inspires leadership. It is one of the reasons that I believe that all rabbinical students should be required to attend these retreats. The honey bees provide an analogy. The very same honey bee egg can develop into a much smaller worker bee who will live for two months, or into a large queen who will live for five years and mother legions of offspring. What makes the critical difference, a difference that continues to astonish scientists? The nurturance and diet she receives during her development is key to her future capacity. Similarly, people who are consistently given unconditional love as they grow, gain the capacity to bring that love into the world. These retreats, reaching rabbinical students when they are in a state of critical formation, provide a critical complement to the education that each of us get in our respective seminaries. On some level, we know that cognitive knowledge alone will not make us effective rabbis. The retreats are structured in such a way that future rabbis begin to understand what it takes to be a true spiritual leader. Rabbi Sid always invites at least one other rabbinic colleague to join him at these retreats as co-faculty. We had the pleasure of learning from Rabbi Laura Geller, one of the first woman to serve a major congregation in America – Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills, CA – a position from which she just retired. Rabbis Laura and Sid were examples of what deeply respectful, joyful, rabbinical friendship looks like. They were so present not only for us, but for each other. For those of us who were meeting each other for the first time, and who are early in our journey into the rabbinate, we were uplifted by witnessing the way two senior and highly successful colleagues were able to listen to each other’s wisdom without any sense of competition or jealousy. The content of their co-led sessions was evocative and challenging, but how they positioned us to speak and listen to each other, and eventually evolved into coaching roles with those who sought that from them, provided us with experiential tools and models for building supportive communities of our own. It is common to hear concerns about differences in praxis and philosophy across the Jewish world as something that divides us. Yet in the presence of this inter-denominational cohort, what stood out was how much we share in common. Each of us loves the learning and teaching of Torah. We love and wish to serve the Jewish people. We see our chevreh as being created b’Tzelem, in the image of G-d. Indeed, in becoming part of a cohort that reaches across denominations and seeks to support its members in greater service to the Jewish people, we experienced the awe and surprise of Jacob, our forefather, when he said: “G-d was in this place and I, I did not know (Genesis 28:16).” We discovered in passionate discussions of pivotal issues facing the Jewish people and the world that our differences, diversity, and plurality make us stronger. Yeshivat Maharat students admired how the HUC students so effectively held space for ritual. A student from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College got choked up in tears when she witnessed – for the first time – how a mechitza can potentially support unself-conscious dancing and singing by women. (After a Maharat student read from the Torah in public for the first time during the Mincha service, dancing and singing on the women’s side of the mechitza went on and on.) One student from a trans-denominational seminary led a Bibliodrama enactment of the death of Aaron the Priest’s sons. Many of us were so impressed by the educational potential of Bibliodrama that a follow-up training has been organized for rabbinical students in this skill. Our ideological diversity neither eclipsed nor detracted from what we brought to the table as individuals, for we sought unity and community, not uniformity. Just as the strengths of different beehives help create a stronger ecosystem for all, so the human resources and wisdom of our peers in other rabbinical schools have already begun to strengthen our cohort’s ability to serve the wider Jewish community. Like the queen bee whose leadership and ability to contribute to her own community is inestimably increased by her encounters with broader diversity and community, these few carefully choreographed days of intensive learning and encounter were transformative for participants. One participant in the retreat I attended pointed out that most American Jews are moving between arcs of identification that cross denominational lines. Simultaneously, as rabbis across all movements face the thorny issues of our time, be they attitudes towards Israel, #MeToo, social and economic injustice, internalized Anti-Semitism, to name just a few – we will be far more successful in sustaining each of our ‘colony’s’ health and success if we are able to call on the wisdom and experience of the wider community of rabbinical leadership. Flowering plants and the wider ecosystem depend on bees for pollination, for the miraculous process by which flowers bring forth fruit. Similarly, Rabbi Sid has created a program through these inter-denominational rabbinical student retreats to make us more effective spiritual leaders and, by extension, builders of healthier and more vibrant Jewish spiritual communities. As a scholar-in-residence, business coach, and experiential educator Amalia Haas inspires audiences to sustain people, pollinators and planet. When she is not consulting, you can find her among her hives and at www.Bee-Awesome.com. Information about the next Inter-Denominational Rabbinical Student Retreat can be found here.

From a flower to natural storage to a container, when you eat pure Cox Honeyland honey there is nothing added to our naturally pure and flavorful honey. Our raw honey is a natural sweetener with subtle health benefits for your family. Cox Honeyland offers many delicious products: pure raw honey, gourmet creamed and flavored honeys, honey butters, and honey caramel popcorns. Stop by our one-of-a-kind gift shoppe in Logan, Utah today and try our delicious honey, fun gifts, gourmet foods, beeswax, honeycomb, body care products, and much more. Can be found here: - COX HONEYLAND 1780 S Hwy 89 We LOVE this place! We always come for the orange, sage, & raspberry honey and beeswax sheets for our candles. Love taking in my quarts to have them filled with beautiful honey! My kids absolutely love the live beehive!! Best creamed honey ever! - 1780 S Hwy 89 - Logan, UT 84321 - Message: firstname.lastname@example.org Owned & Operated Cox Honeyland is in its fourth generation family business which involves everything from managing the beehives to production to operating the gift store. From its humble beginnings more than 100 years ago in St. George, Cox Honeyland has become a true family business with the sons and daughters involved in every aspect of the honey production process. We have been in business at our retail location since 1989 and have been in the beekeeping business since 1929—and still as sweet as ever.

Penn State Extension is offering free online courses through April 30th. More than 55 courses are available on topics like gardening, beekeeping and how to get involved in local government. Find out more HERE. Have you always wanted to take better pictures? Nikon is offering some of their photography courses free during the month of April. Learn the fundamentals of photography, portraits, landscapes, and how to make better videos too. Click HERE to start streaming the courses from Nikon.

The New York Senate Agriculture Committee created a lot of buzz in the beekeeping community Tuesday afternoon after voting in favor of a mandatory beekeeper registration. In a 11-0 vote, the committee approved the proposed bill sponsored by Sen. Patty Ritchie (R-Heuvelton), which calls for the development of a beekeeper registry "with the goal of protecting the health and well-being of bees." But Central New York beekeepers are less confident the bill is in their best interest. Both commercial and recreational beekeepers have expressed concerns regarding the impact the proposed legislation could have on agribusinesses and affordability, citing spiked honey and produce prices as a potential result. Dave Lenweaver, owner of Clean Slate Farm in Tully, said a mandatory beekeeper registry is an overstep of government authority. His farm practices treatment-free beekeeping, and Lenweaver said government regulation of his hives could impact the quality of the beeswax and cosmetic products his farm produces. "I'm going to take the gun rights people's approach: leave me alone," he said. "I don't want them to come down and say you're going to have to pay us a fee for each colony you have or whatever they're going to come up with." Beyond the dollar sign, beekeepers have also criticized the state legislature for the lack of communication about the bill. The legislative session ends June 20, and some felt the expedited process prioritized the politics of the legislation, as opposed to the constituents affected by it. Pat Bono, a beekeeper from Rochester and advisor for the New York State Apiary Industry Advisory Committee, criticized the lack of information she received from the committee before the bill was passed. Bono registered her hives and colonies more than ten years ago and has never been contacted by the department regarding proposed legislative changes. "There's still a lot of beekeepers out there who don't know that there is such a bill being discussed in the New York State Legislature," Bono said. Bono said the committee's failure to notify beekeepers regarding the bill extends from the politics at play within the industry, prioritizing "heavy handed regulation" instead of improved outreach initiatives. "Right now, we have a small core of beekeepers that have a lot of clout," she said. "There's this entrenched group of people that are always calling the shots and that should be fixed before they proceed with anything and notify beekeepers that are already registered. Otherwise....it's pretty much just empty promises." The bill cited increased numbers of mites and parasitic diseases affecting hives and impacting commercial and hobby beekeepers as its justification. If signed into law, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets' Commissioner and Apiary Advisory Program would develop a partnership program with Cornell University to create a tracking program of all hives and colonies, as well as to notify beekeepers regarding any viral outbreaks. "What's going to happen is, most likely a lot of beekeepers will just not register," Bono said. "They will avoid it and go underground into hiding and not disclose their locations, and that should make things worse." In March 2010, the New York State Senate passed a bill that repealed a provision requiring beekeepers to register with the department. "This legislation saves money for the state and clears up onerous regulations on our beekeepers, enabling the bee yard owners to protect their colonies, save time and money as they look to grow their businesses," said former Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine following the bill's passing. The bill was criticized by members of the Agriculture Committee -- including Sen. David Valesky of Syracuse -- for its potential impact on state agribusinesses. New York's agriculture economy currently makes upwards of $300 million worth of crops each year, and is home to more than 60,000 hives. Staple crops, including apples, grapes and pumpkins, are all pollinated by honey bees. Peter Borst, a former Senior Apiatrist at Cornell's Dyce Lab for Beekeeping Studies and current president of the Finger Lakes Bee Club, said a mandatory apiary registration does not address the main problems facing commercial and recreational beekeepers. In an email, he said the outbreak of parasitic diseases in the industry have gone unanswered for years. "Residues of miticides are present at alarmingly high levels and have been implicated as a possible cause for the honey bees' decline, as these substances are potent insecticides as well," Borst said. "[Agriculture and Markets] has done nothing to prevent these catastrophes, and is offering no solution, as there is none." After passing both the Assembly and Senate agriculture committees, the bill heads next to the Rules Committee before being added to the floor calendar for full Assembly and Senate deliberations. Sen. Ritchie's office could not be reached for comment.

There are so many places to visit and Things to Do in North Devon to name them all, but here are some of the highlights. Exmoor National Park is right on our doorstep at Nutcombe only half a mile up the road. Offering a unique landscape shaped by people and nature over thousands of years, Exmoor covers 267 square miles of North Devon and Somerset and has large areas of open moorland, spectacular coastal views, deep wooded valleys, high sea cliffs and fast flowing streams. All of which provide a sense of remoteness, wildness and tranquility which can be rare nowadays. Littered with crystal clear streams and endless footpaths to explore, Exmoor is home to the tallest tree in England, the highest sea cliffs in England, over 250 species of birds and over 1000 flowering plants and grasses, the highest number of wild Red Deer in England and not least, is home to the famous wild and free native Exmoor ponies. With cities and light pollution being part of many peoples lives, Exmoor is a great place to star gaze at night as it has been designated a Dark Sky Reserve. On a clear night the skies above are Exmoor are simply stunning even with the naked eye, but even better through a telescope or binoculars. Good spots to star gaze are Holdstone Down (just up the road from Nutcombe), Country Gate, Brendon Two Gates, Webbers Post, Anstey Gate, Haddon Hill and Wimbleball Lake. Take a blanket or a deckchair and sit and stare in wonder! Exmoor is also a great place to eat and drink! It is littered with little tea rooms, country pubs and even has it's own Exmoor Food Fest usually held in February, which is also a good time to visit Snowdrop Valley at Wheddon Cross; a beautiful secret valley full of snowdrops at the right time of year, so a good excuse for a winter break. Another famous landscape of Exmoor is Tarr Steps. An ancient clapper bridge possibly dating back to 1000BC. It is a Grade 1 listed building and Scheduled Ancient Monument. It crossed the River Barle about 6.5 miles upstream from Dulverton. A great place for a picnic or lunch at the nearby pub. The two villages of Lynton and Lynmouth are situated one above the other and were known by the Victorians as Little Switzerland. Lynton is an attractive village with a beautiful church perched above the cliffs, a good range of restaurants and cafes, a local art & craft centre and small museum. Situated six hundred feet below Lynton is the small harbour village of Lynmouth. You can walk down a zig-zag pathway between the two where you will get stunning views of the village and coastline below you. Or you can use the famous and very clever Lynton & Lynmouth Cliff Railway. The railway was opened in 1890 and is the highest and steepest totally water powered, railway in the world. This working heritage railway is grade II listed and is the UK's only fully water powered railway and one of just three examples left in the World! Well worth a visit to see the stunning views from the top and during the ride. There is a cliff top cafe where you can sit and enjoy the views and take it all in. Dogs can enjoy the ride too! Lynmouth is dominated by the East and West Lynn rivers which serve as a reminder to the locals of the Lynmouth Flood Disaster. Rain started falling on the high moors of Exmoor during the morning of the 15th August 1952. By the following morning over 9 inches (23cm) of rain had fallen, swelling the rivers to bursting point, washing away whole buildings and leading to the tragic loss of 34 lives. There is a museum in Lynmouth depicting the tragic hours and days after the devastating flood and is worth taking the time to sit and imagine how it must have been that terrible morning. A great walk from Lynmouth is to follow the East Lynn river to where it joins the Hoaroak at Watersmeet. Take a look at our Things to do page for more details. As most of North Devon is within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a large part of the coastline is owned and managed by the National Trust. There are also wild woods, coastal climbs with impressive views, pretty historic villages and historic houses to visit for National Trust members and non-members. Here are a pick of a few local to Nutcombe. Arlington Court is a neoclassical country house set in a 3500 acre estate of formal gardens, woods and parkland and is just a 10 minute drive from Nutcombe. There you will see displays of model ships, costumes, pewter and shells collected by the last owner Miss Chichester whose family had owned Arlington for eleven generations. There is also a Victorian, walled kitchen garden and an impressive collection of over 50 horse-drawn carriages. There is plenty for all the family with beautiful woodland walks that have wild play areas and secret den building sites, Victorian dressing up room, Victorian toy collection you can play with and hands on activities in the Carriage Museum. Dunster Castle was originally a motte and bailey fortress which then became a country home. Perched high on a hilltop with dramatic sea and countryside views, it has been fortified since the late Anglo-Saxon period although the medieval walls were mostly destroyed during the English Civil War and then remodeled by the Victorians. The gardens at Dunster take you through hundreds of years of planting and restoration through four different micro-climates with the sub-tropical garden housing the National collection of Strawberry Trees. The village of Dunster itself is probably the largest and most intact medieval village in England and includes the iconic Yarn Market, the remains of a Benedictine priory, a Working Watermill, Packhorse Bridge and Iron Age settlements. Knightshayes was built by Sir John Heathcoat Amory, the grandson of John Heathcoat, creator of the mechanised bobbin lace making machine and owner of a lace factory in Tiverton. The elaborate interior designs at Knightshayes were completed in 1873 although the family fired the designer after a rocky relationship only to employ another ill fated one whose work was covered up by the family and later restored by the National Trust. This unique Victorian, Gothic revival house, has quirky ceilings and intricate carvings and a magnificent kitchen garden that is also of Gothic design. The gardens are one of the finest in Devon and are divided into eight different areas of formal and woodland gardens, enhanced by one of the most unique and extensive plant collections in the care of the Trust. Clovelly is a truly unique village perched clinging to a 400 foot cliff side overlooking Bideford Bay. It's steeply cobbled streets have no vehicular traffic with donkeys and sledges used to take goods in and out of the village and provide rides for children. The Clovelly Estate has remained in private ownership for over 400 years by the Rous family which has helped to preserve its unique originality and atmosphere. There is a charge to enter the village but once inside there is something for everyone from craft workshops, art galleries, museums and shops and plenty of places to eat. Once down the cobbled streets to the cove at the bottom there is a lovely harbour and rocky beach with a waterfall which has links to Merlin the wizard as there is a hidden cave behind – supposedly called his home! If you can't manage the climb back up, there are Land Rover taxis back to the top!! Hartland Abbey welcomes visitors from the end of March until October. Built in the 12th Century it survived as a monastery longer than any other in the country and is one of the most important ancestral homes in North Devon. In 1539 it was gifted by Henry VIII to the Keeper of his Wine Cellar and still remains in the family. It is the family home of the Stucley family and has many treasures collected throughout the familys' generations including preserved architecture and decoration from the Medieval, Queen Anne, Georgian, Regency and Victorian periods, paintings, furniture, Chinese artifacts and porcelain collections. There is an 18th century walled garden as well as a woodland garden, plus extensive parkland which offer a great way to enjoy the stunning valley with leads down to the rugged cove and little cottage at Blackpool Mill which has been used as a location for many notable films and TV shows. Marwood Hill Gardens Marwood Hill Gardens are just 20 minutes drive from Nutcombe. Covering 20 acres, the gardens were created by Dr Smart in 1950 and include three large lakes and the National Collections of Astilbes, Tulbaghia and Japanese Iris. A lovely walk around the garden with plenty of places to sit and admire the views and flowers and watch the fish in the water, or even have afternoon tea in the charming tea rooms. Castle Hill Gardens Castle Hill Gardens at Filleigh are about half an hour from Nutcombe on the Southern edge of Exmoor and are set in 50 acres of historic Parkland surrounding an 18th Century Palladian Mansion House built in 1730 for the Fortescue family who still call it home after 15 generations. The gardens are open all year round and there is always something to see whatever the season. Within the gardens you will see statues, follies and temples, a striking water feature and walled garden. Views from the terraces are beautiful across to the Triumphal Arch and Holwell Temple the other side of the valley, but for even more magnificent views, climb the hill to the ruined castle at the top for panoramic views across Exmoor, Dartmoor and beyond. After a day exploring there is a tearoom for homemade cakes, cream tea or light lunch or take a picnic and sit and take it all in! RHS Rosemoor was originally the home of Lady Anne Palmer and was gifted to the RHS in 1988 with it's 8 acres of gardens around the house and 32 acres of pastureland. Since 1989 the RHS have created a magnificent national garden with impressive lakes, streams, formal gardens including a Rose Garden, Hot Garden, Long Herbaceous borders, The Potager and Cottage Garden, Foliage Garden, vast Fruit and Vegetable Garden and many more. There is a visitors centre and garden centre as well as The Garden Room which hosts a variety of events throughout the year. A gardeners delight! Docton Mill Gardens & Tea Rooms Docton Mill Gardens & Tea Rooms in Hartland was established in the 1930's but fell into disrepair until it was renovated in 1980's. The Mill as also restored and the garden extensively cleared and re-planted creating a new Bog Garden, extensive Herbaceous Borders, Woodland Garden, Wild Flower Gardens and Greenhouse. The gardens are particularly pretty in Spring with Narcissi, Bluebells and Wild Garlic and there is an award winning Tea Room serving light lunches and the obligatory tea and cakes! Docton Mill is an RHS Partnership Garden every Saturday throughout the season. Due to the topographical layout of the garden, it is unsuitable for those in wheelchairs or with limited mobility. Tapeley Park is perched high on a hill overlooking the River Torridge. It has been home to the Christie family for two hundred years and is renowned for it's beautiful gardens. Of particular interest is the Italian Terraces but there are also ponds, a lake, an old woodland and an organic vegetable garden and is one of the oldest permaculture gardens in the UK. The gardens are open six days a week (excl Saturday) where you can explore the grounds, bring a picnic or sample the delights from the tea rooms that uses ingredients fresh from the gardens. Tours of the house can be arranged by prior appointment. If you fancy a trip to the theatre then The Queens Theatre in Barnstaple offers a choice of entertainment from comedy to music, ballet and classical concerts. The Landmark Theatre in Ilfracombe also has a varied programme. Take a look at their websites to see what's showing. Exmoor Zoo is just 10 minutes from Nutcombe and has been owned and run by Danny & Lynn Reynolds since they took over the old Exmoor Bird Gardens in 1993. Since then they have totally transformed the zoo with new exhibits of mammals, bird and reptiles which are always changing and increasing. They endeavour to install the importance of looking after the environment and respect for the habitat of native and exotic animals. To this end, Exmoor Zoo has over 35 breeding programs to help maintain the captive population of endangered species from around the world, which is a very important part of their work. Throughout the day they have a programme of talks and feeding sessions as well as opportunities to handle bugs, conquer your spider phobia, Wallaby petting and of course the chance to see the Exmoor Beast! Exmoor Zoo has the only pair of Black Leopards on exhibit in the UK, the large cat that has been roaming the South West and Exmoor and created the myth of the Exmoor Beast since medieval times. Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park Combe Martin Wildlife and Dinosaur Park is our closest attraction to Nutcombe just on the other side of the valley. It is set in 28 acres of spectacular gardens where you can see Lions, Wolves, Sea Lions, Meerkats, Primates, Penguins and more and interact with feeding sessions. As well as the animals CMWDP offer their unique Animatronic Life-Size Dinosaur exhibits, a large indoor soft play area, the Dino Express Train Ride through a giant earthquake or a visit The Tomb of the Pharoahs in the basement of the manor house. Watermouth Castle is also just 10 minutes from Nutcombe and was built in 1825 and has been used for various things since. It was bought in a near derelict condition in 1977 by Richard and his family who have turned into what it has become today which is once of North Devon's well known tourist attractions. There are plenty of activities to enjoy: explore Victorian life through toys, games and displays including a model railway, explore the dungeons, watch a performance of lights, music and fountains, explore the secret world of gnomes or pan for gold. Or you can enter Adventure Land and Merry Go Land and experience an array of rides and experiences. A great day out for families. Lynton & Barnstaple Railway The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway is another attraction just 10 minutes from Nutcombe and is home to Englands highest narrow-gauge railway station, one thousand feet up on Exmoor. More than eighty years after its closure in 1935 you can now ride in the original L & B carriages along a two mile section of track from Woody Bay Station to Killington Lane Halt. Your ticket entitles you to as many rides as you want during the day so why not combine it with a trip to the conservation village of Parracombe or walk to Heddons Mouth before returning for another trip. Or sit and enjoy a picnic and watch the trains or sample the goodies in the tea rooms. The railway is run entirely by volunteers and is a non-profit making organisation. The Milky Way Adventure Park The Milky Way Adventure Park is located near Clovelly between Bideford and Bude so a bit further to travel from Nutcombe. They have attractions to suit all ages and whatever the weather including, roller coaster rides, dodgems, death slides and North Devons biggest indoor adventure play area with assault courses and slides built for adults and children. There are numerous interactive experiences too all based on a Space theme. All rides are included in the entrance fee. The Milky Way is also home to the North Devon Bird of Prey Centre and flying displays take place daily. The Big Sheep The Big Sheep in Bideford is another all weather family attraction. There is a large indoor playground and soft play area, rides, farm animals (including babies), feeding sessions, roller coaster rides, train rides, sheep dog trials, Combat games, adventure centre and sheep racing. For the adults there a micro craft ale brewery and gin distillery! There are two cafes on site plus a shop. Quince Honey Farm Quince Honey Farm moved to it's brand new location at Aller Cross South Molton this year (2019) and is just half an hour from Nutcombe. A fascinating attraction dedicated to the work of Bees. A day at the farm can include Expert Talks on the life of bees, Critter Handling, Indoor Play Hive, Honey Tasting, Beekeeping Demos, Candle Rolling and a visit to the Quince Cafe and shop. Dartington Crystal based in Torrington is the UK's only remaining glass factory. Visiting here you can discover the story and development of Dartington in their exhibition centre, watch the skilled glass makers in action on the factory floor, participate in a range of glass activities and at the end of the day take a look in the factory shop or visit the cafe and restaurant. Dartington Crystal isn't far from RHS Rosemoor so why not combine the two visits.

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Honey from Poland is one of the products in the manufacturing of which Europe is at the forefront of the world. Only China is ahead of it. There are the ideal climatic conditions for its production on the Old Continent. The breeding of bees in that area dates back to the third century BC. It is easy to imagine what mastery in its production the local nations achieved. Just look at our offer to find out how many varieties of this nectar they manufacture there. Here are acacia honey or buckwheat, heather, and lime ones. Each of them is a true essence of naturalness, produced on sunny, mountainous European meadows. Like dew forest nectar, goldenrod, multi flower, or poly floral types. It is hard to imagine anything more related to nature than just this thick, golden fluid. And besides it, beekeepers produce many other products, including bee pollen, propolis, royal jelly, and beeswax. Honey production and beekeeping are extremely popular and cultivated in practically all European countries. They are characterized by a large variety of beekeeping methods, production methods, and the products themselves. Apart from the fact that the Old Continent produces, it also imports a lot from third countries. The largest thick golden nectar’s producers are countries in southern Europe with a favorable climate for bee breeding. We have to mention Romania, Hungary, Poland, Greece, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France here. This is where such wonderful flavors straight from nature are created, such as lime, phacelia, linden, or creamed honey. The traditional welfare of animals also contributes to their excellent quality. Especially in Eastern Europe, bees are treated with due respect and love, providing them with good living conditions. They, in turn, repay the high-value product of their labor. We cordially invite you to familiarize yourself with the taste of overseas bee nectars manufactured according to ancient recipes and traditions.

Disclaimer: This website contains affiliate links, from which Heritage Acres Market LLC may receive a small commission from the vendor on the sales of certain items at no cost to you. Please read our full disclosure for more information. Thank you for supporting Heritage Acres Market LLC! Table of Contents Listen on your favorite player Join Nicole and Matt of Carolina Coops as they discuss how to build the best DIY chicken coop, prevention against predators, and the deep litter method. What You’ll Learn - How big to build a coop, run, nest boxes and roosts - Features of an ideal coop - Preventing predators - Prefab coops - What is the deep litter method Matt DuBoise is the owner of Carolina Chicken Coops. What started out as a desire to have access to fresh eggs within city limits coupled with the talent of woodworking, turned into a thriving animal enclosure business. Matt is very passionate about everything he does especially running his business. Carolina Coops makes custom designed chicken coops that ship worldwide. They are a family owned business that handcrafts quality chicken coops that are built to last. All their coops have their signature deep litter beds, so that means no cleaning your henhouse for at least a year or longer! All of their coops have walk-in covered runs, drop down egg hutches, deep litter beds, and are built to last a lifetime. They travel across the U.S. making custom chicken coops of all kinds and also make standard walk-in coops that you can easily order online through their website. Resources & Links Mentioned - Carolina Coops Instagram - Carolina Coops Facebook - Carolina Coops YouTube - Carolina Coops Twitter - Carolina Coops Email - Carolina Coops Website - Radio Chicken Podcast - Email us! Ask@HeritageAcresMarket.com *Denotes affiliate links Support the show Your support helps us continue to provide the best possible episodes! - View Our Favorites on Amazon* - Shop HeritageAcresMarket.com - Follow us on Facebook and Instagram - Join our Hens & Hives Facebook Group - Join our VIP Text Club - Leave a question or comment on our podcast message page! SIGN UP AND BE THE FIRST TO KNOW ABOUT FUTURE EPISODES AND UPDATES! Welcome to the Backyard Bounty podcast from HeritageAcresMarket.com when we talk about all things backyard poultry, beekeeping, gardening, sustainable living, and more. And now here's your host, Nicole. Hello, everybody. And thank you for joining us for another episode of Backyard Bounty. I'm your host Nicole and today we're joined by Matt with Carolina Coops and we're going to talk about everything that you need to know about chicken coops, some suggestions if you're building your own, and some other options if you're not quite as handy. So, Matt, thank you so much for joining me today. Thanks for having me. So, Carolina Coops is your company there and you build some very beautiful, high quality chicken coops. Before we get started talking about what we need to look for in our own chicken coop, can you tell us a little bit more about your company and your history and your background? Basically our background is we've been in business for 12 years. It started with me just wanting to build a chicken coop for myself. I've never had backyard chickens until then and I fell in love with it chicken math kicked in it bit me really quick. And I ended up selling my little coop on Craigslist for like 200 bucks, which I was actually embarrassed to begin with to even put it on Craigslist I was like who's gonna buy this little tiny chicken coop It was so nice like I can't just throw it out. So anyways, I started building myself a bigger one. And I had a couple more calls people wanting to buy a chicken coop. So I showed them that bigger when I was building and they purchased it. I couldn't believe it. Also remember this is in 2008 is when everyone's losing their jobs. No one has money. Everyone's blaming someone else for their financial problems. So it kind of came from that and slow and steady. You know, 12 years now in business, I can now say proudly, we definitely build the best chicken coops out there. And there's many reasons why, we ship them all around the world now, which I'm also very proud to say these are things I never thought I was ever going to say. We are a family owned business. Which you can't really explain what that means, unless you've ever worked for a family owned business or especially if you grew up with one. Yeah, that sounds really exciting. And I love hearing stories of the individual that has made a successful business. You know, instead of the big, big corporate guys, which, you know, I guess they had to work their way up to the top, but I think that's really, really great. How many coops do you make a year? Yeah, I don't know. That's a good question. We have two coop lines, if you will. We have our custom coops and we do probably four custom coops a month but our production coops we do about three to four a day. Oh my goodness. I would say we definitely do close to probably 800 production coops to almost 1000 a year. And then of course our custom coops is what we're known for, that's what put us on the map. That's what keeps me real busy. That's my true love is custom. We're averaging at least, I would say almost one custom coop a week. And we could do more but it's custom coops. A lot of people don't realize this and it's probably, well it used to be my favorite part of the job is it's one thing to build them inside the shop but we actually travel everywhere. I've to been every state and have been every corner of this country delivering and doing a turnkey assembly which is a whole nother world and that's where we've definitely learned a lot about chicken coop building. So not only do you keep pretty busy but I'd say you have a pretty good handle about the aspects that make a really good quality coop and a user friendly coop. Yeah, you know, it's funny you say user friendly, I correct me if I'm wrong, but that might also might mean more affordable. Well, I was thinking more accessibility. I know in my purchased coop history before I built my own, not all of them were really easy to get into or to clean or to get eggs or or what have you. It might have been comfortable for the birds but it was definitely not comfortable for me. Exactly. Well, you know, that's the thing I love to talk about is you know, when you go to my website at CarolinaCoops.com and whether you're looking at our least expensive chicken coop called the California coop, or you look at one of our high end custom coops, I stick to the same recipe, the same DNA. You know when people ask me you know, what's the first thing and this is you know what we're going to talk about today is like you know, what do I got to consider about building a chicken coop or if I'm gonna buy a chicken coop or things I need to think about, and I often joke but this is when size does matter. That's the mistake people always make is they build too small of coop and they don't realize the domino effect that has, not just for the chickens but just in building a chicken coop. And I see this mistake so many times and it's simply because you just don't really realize when you have a bigger, say for example, the hen house, how much easier that's going to be to make sure your roost bars are at the right level so they're not roosting in your egg clutch and defecating and making a mess on your eggs. Yeah, I've made that mistake that's that's not a fun one. So what are some of the things then that we want to look for with a chicken coop was kind of the basic first step. Well, so the the first thing I tell everyone, you know whether they're again, thinking about building a chicken coop for themselves, or if they're out shopping around the size, period. Number one is size and then I always ask people, are you going to be able to let your chickens free range or not? And that is kind of a trick question because I would feel confident saying most people end up letting their chickens free range at least most of the day, but I know a lot of us brand new chicken owners were like, Oh, no, I got predators everywhere. I just, you know, can't have the thought of losing a chicken which I get. I'm an animal lover. But I always talk to people you know, no matter what you will end up letting your chickens free range. But it is just so important to understand if you can't, or you got those times where you just can't let them out to make sure that run's big enough. And then another mistake I always see people they don't they don't consider this and actually just to make sure I don't confuse anyone to get the terminology correct, when I refer to a chicken coop I'm referring to two parts of the entire structure, you got the hen house and you got to run. A lot of people will refer to the hen house as the coop but when I say coop, I mean the entire thing. So the run you want to make sure if you cannot free range that that chickens, when they're crapping on the ground, that the microbes, the soil can metabolize the nitrogen, all those droppings. And if you can't you run into problems. And you know, if you're on blogs or social media, whatever they're talking about, I had to go in and clean out my run. And that's just a pain in the butt part about owning chickens that I disagree. It's not true. If you feel you got to go in and clean your run your runs too small, you know. And then another thing a lot of people don't realize and this is one of my favorite things to do when we do a turnkey install. And we're replacing one of those Chinese coffins that came in you know, from Tractor Supply or whatever, they'll walk inside the run, and they're like, Oh my gosh, I don't have to bend over, this is amazing. So that's another thing to always consider is build that run tall enough to be able to walk into you think, "Well, I'm not really going to go in there", you are. And then speaking of the run, here's the other thing. And I often ask my customers or potential customers think about where chickens originated from. With that run. If you have a solid roof over the run, you're mimicking the forest, you're mimicking the canopy that's going to protect the chickens, whether it's from predators, but in our case, making sure that the run either doesn't have snow in it or keeps it dry, and also provides some shade. So that's another mistake I see a lot of people make is they don't take the time to invest in some type of solid roof. I love metal. There's many reasons for that, but they put screen on top of it. I think that's a huge No, no, it really makes things worse. And why does it make it worse? Because especially in wooded areas, when leaves are falling, they just get trapped on top of that screen and it starts to sag, it starts to rust, it starts to create weak points, it doesn't look good. You know it just it just and then you got to go in there now you're spending time with a leaf blower trying to blow the leaves off, you know in the runs getting wet. So when you have a solid metal one, again, I like metal but a solid roof, you're eliminating all that you're giving them shade. You're keeping the run dry, and you're protecting them from predators and plus also, it looks good. It looks so much better when you have a nice finished roof. Yeah, it definitely gives it a little bit more curb appeal. So as far as the sizes, I would imagine that most people probably have between six and 12 chickens, I would guess but what size requirements are we looking for? Maybe per bird or for a flock of six or 12? I love that question. Because I think people get it confused. And just like everything God knows I have my opinion. So that is a great Because we got to start somewhere. So when people are asked me what size coop should I get, that's where I have to explain again, we've got to split that coop up in the two parts, we got the hen house and we got the run. Now let's say you can't free range, that run size is critical to make sure we get now I often refer to what it's called industry standard. Most people will say minimum of 10 square feet per hen for the run. And yeah, you could get away with that. But bottom line, if you can't free range, the bigger the run, the better. But bare minimum is 10 square feet per hen. And what is nice is if you stick around that number or more, one, you got to make sure the chickens can work. People forget. Yes, there are pets we love and we have pictures of them. We're putting them on social media, they need to work. You don't want them getting bored. So you got to make sure they have plenty of room to do what chickens do and that is get out scratch and eat bugs off the ground, but also that nitrogen load. If you have too many chickens in a small area, the soil just can't keep up with it. So I definitely minimum 10 square feet per hand and that Also I'm referring to standard breeds. You know, if you're getting into bantams. In theory, yes, you could cut that number in half. Now, the other part that is very important is the henhouse. And that's where people need to remember the chickens do two things inside the henhouse sleep at night on the roost bars, which are the tree branches before coops are invented. And they go into their egg box, their egg clutch to lay eggs. So I often see a lot of people say, "Well, I need three square feet per hen, I need four square feet per hen" or a lot of times local ordinances will demand that and I get it because they gotta give some kind of number for people to realize if we're going to build our coop what size it should be, but I think that gets confusing. When it comes to the henhouse, I always start off with the roost bar and I think of it like I like a king sized bed. So I go by what I call the one foot rule. I like 12 inches or one foot per hen on that roost bar. A lot of people especially, my fans, and maybe not so many fans on my YouTube channel, I call my YouTube chicken police. They'll tell you Oh man, that's crazy. You shouldn't tell people that. You can easily get away with eight inches per hen on the loose bar. And in theory you could, but again, I like a king size bed, why not give the girls more room especially if you like the braids like I do that are fat and fluffy like your Brahmas or your Cochins. So the roost bar length that is really important. And then when it comes to the egg boxes, or the egg clutch, and a lot of newbies, we all were there I was there we all think well one nest box per hen, and that's not true. So we try to go by the average four to six hens per nest box. But everyone that has chickens, if you're listening, hopefully you're chuckling just today I went out there I had I think 13 eggs in one nest and one day, they will share it. And keep that in mind because as we dissect more about why we do what we do and how we build our coops, even an egg clutch`, I could spend an hour just talking about why we do what we do with the egg clutch. So those are the two things you have to start off with. One nest box for four to six hens, one foot per hen on the roost bar, but, we're just getting started. Here's the important part: you can never, ever have enough ventilation. So here's what I always try to explain to people. Yes, you can say, "Okay, I need three square foot per hen." Now what you need is to make sure you're looking at how many square feet of ventilation do I have to cubic footage of my henhouse? Does that make sense? It does does. So that's where I always tell people that's what we need to focus on. And if you go look at any of our coops, you'll see I blow it out of the water, especially our American coop our number one seller, that's one of our mass production coops. What's nice about that design is the windows are huge. And that kind of happened on accident because of the design and how we got the price down. And it's just nice having as much ventilation as possible, and not just stopping there, but cross ventilation, making sure that henhouse can breathe. And going back to why size is so important, is if you take a look at our hen houses, we incorporate the deep litter system, which is a whole nother story. I'd love to talk about that if we get a chance, the deep litter system inside the henhouse. But once you get above that 12 inches of deep litter, you have another 12 inches until you get to the roost bar. And then above there you have on average, two to three feet of headroom. Most coops don't have that because they don't think about needing that headroom. And when you have that headroom, one, it's like way healthier for the chickens. Because they do have a sensitive respiratory system. You want to make sure as the gases need to escape out of the henhouse, they're going to go up. And what's nice about our henhouses is yes, we have cross ventilation, but they also breathe out through the ridge cap. Well, when those gases get up to the top and they need to escape out through the top of the coop. It's 18" to two foot above where they're resting and sleeping at night. Versus you look at a lot of the smaller coops those girls are lucky they got three inches between the top of their head and the top of that roof, not to mention too, the summertime, you know with the heat escaping and how warm that is. So why is ventilation so important, Sensitive respiratory system, and keeping the henhouse cool. If you don't have good ventilation, and you got this coop out in the middle of the yard, no protection, no shade. It's like a pressure cooker. It's going to keep getting warmer and warmer and warmer the air can't escape fast enough to regulate itself to have that turnover, versus if you've got a hen house that can breathe as that air warms up, it can escape. It regulates, right. One thing I do need to mention, which I don't think I have yet, which is another great topic. I have this conversation all the time, especially for my Southern customers. It's kind of funny, they focus so much on keeping their hens warm in the winter, and I always try to explain to them, we need to focus on keeping the girls cool in the summer. Chickens do very well in cold temperatures. It's the wind chill, that's a different story. And that's another conversation and that's why you look at our coops. You always want to make sure you can close off those windows. But when it gets warm out, make sure that that hen house is not warm and doesn't stress out the chickens and again, you want to make sure you got dust in there you got gases from the droppings, you just want to be able to let that escape. And touching on your winter heat, that's kind of a sensitive subject for me. Some people might not know this, but some probably do. For the last decade of my life until last semester, I was a firefighter paramedic, and we would see so many people burning their chicken coops down in the winter with heat sources or certain things. So it's kind of my little soapbox to say they do well, in the winter, they're just fine. You know, I try to remind people that you know, our grandparents raised chickens without heat in the coops and winter and they did just fine. But like you said, the summer he is I think more detrimental because they're wearing little down comforter down jackets. Yep, year round. So it's easier for them to stay warm than it is for them to cool off. Absolutely. And that is another subject if we can get into it today, that'd be great. But you know, a lot of people, they think "Oh, you must be you don't like chickens when you mean you're not gonna give them a heat source?" I'm like, "No, think about it." And you know, you just made a great point. I love referring to what did our grandparents do. You know, they were so smart, they knew how to just almost live off the land and the chickens. You know, think about like, when's the last time we heard about when you get sick, go eat some chicken noodle soup. You know, you don't hear about that anymore because we stopped realizing how important it is for things that come from the soil, you know, and when you have your backyard chickens, whether you're you're going to raise the birds for meat, or, you know, most typically in our situation for eggs. That's what makes the eggs taste so good is because of what they're benefiting from their diet from just eating things from the soil. Absolutely. Mm hmm. So now that we know why the ventilation is so important, what some other aspects of the chicken coop that we need to consider. Okay, so once we get through size, we have to always explain to customers or always want people to realize chickens are extremely addicting. So and that's where the term "chicken math" comes. And you mentioned most people get six to 12 hens. Absolutely. That is our most common number. And when we're talking about "Okay, we're going to build a coop, and okay, I want 12 chickens. So that means Okay, if I take Matt's advice, I want a four by six hen house because I know I have two six foot roost bars. Well now I better have that one foot rule. So I do up to 12 hens. I'm gonna start with 12 hens."Well, not so fast. Because two things, you're gonna end up wanting to get more chickens because you're gonna fall in love with it, especially if you got the right coop, you're gonna find out. There's green eggs, there's speckled eggs, there's dark chocolate brown eggs, I want those on my counter. Okay, well, I'm gonna go get some Copper Marans. I'm gonna go get some Olive Eggers. Well, wait a minute, I don't have enough room. And then the other thing that is so important for people to realize is when you got a well built coop, your chickens are going to live, they're going to survive. Well, after about three to four years, and you're hooked on those lovely eggs. That egg production is going to go down, but you're not going to want to turn your pet into soup. So you're going to keep them in there to retire but you got to leave room for your younger hands to come in. So that's another thing to always remember: leave room for you to grow your flock. And I love when my customers go, "Matt, nope, I'm never getting more!", you'll call me they call back laughing saying, "Matt, you're right." So very important to understand, you know, your flock will fluctuate, and you want to keep that in mind. There's four key things I always focus on. So we talked a lot about size, and going by, you know, the 10 square foot rule, but go as big as you can with the run. The other one is the quality. You got to make sure... you could be a great woodworker, you could be an excellent carpenter. But if you're not using the right materials, you're setting yourself up for failure. For example, the choice in the screen for the run. I so many times see people have predator issues, because they just didn't realize how determined predators can be. So take chicken wire, for example. Now chicken wire can work but what happens is, it's not as strong, you get that one predator that's determined to definitely start chewing on They can break in but what I've also seen is when it's only galvanized to help keep it weather resistant, it will end up rusting, but you won't realize until it's too late that it became weak. So I love what we use is the half inch by half inch hardware cloth. That is it's a galvanized core wire but it's also black PVC coated. And the reason why that's important is it protects that wire from ever rusting and then also think about like the screens on your windows. They're see through, so when you put this black PVC coated hardware cloth or fancy material, whatever you decide to use on your coop, I always like to go with that dark color because it absorbs the light it's see through just looks so much better. Now I personally like the half inch by half inch. You can you know get away with one by one, two by three but it's not pretty. Let's say for whatever reason your hen that want to go up in the henhouse at night, she's sleeping down below. She's up against the screen. Chickens can't see anything at night, but if that raccoon comes up if that wire is big enough, they will literally just rip that head right off right through that screen. So that's one of the reasons why I love the half inch by half inch hardware cloth. Also and you have to forgive me I don't know how I sound I've been sick the past four days, which is probably the worst time to be sick. I'm just starting to feel a little bit better, but I'm noticing I'm hearing it anyways. Oh, snakes! It is not fun going up to your egg clutch and there's a big black snake eating your breakfast on you. So another reason why I love half inch by half inch hardware cloth is snakes that are big enough in diameter to consume an egg, they're too big to fit through the half inch by half inch hardware cloth. Juvenile snakes will fit through but that's fine. I've seen chickens eat snakes and that's fine with me. So that's another reason why I love the half inch by half inch. And going back to my original point, the choice of materials. You can take chain link fence and fasten that to your metal frame, your wood frame, whatever you're using to construct your chicken coop, but if you don't use the right fasteners, well again, you're setting yourself up for failure and I've seen that also. A common mistake, and here's something that I always want to explain to people that they're building, it is a good idea, you can build your entire coop out of pressure treated lumber, but what we do is we only use pressure treated lumber down at the bottom. And that's because that's where you're going to have your highest chance of wood rot. So I know a lot of people don't like the toxins that are in pressure treated lumber, so that's why we use as little as possible but where it is needed is that ground contact area but because of the chemicals that's in the wood, when you go to attach your screen, and if you're just using regular metal fasteners, the copper inside that pressure treated lumber is going to corrode that fastener. I never knew that. Unknown Speaker 21:35 Yeah. Another thing to think about is we use all stainless steel, the stainless steel is a 304 stainless steel, and that will not rust. And that's something that a lot of people don't know. So I like to try to just explain even those little details to think about when you're building your coop. You can get away with using what's more common is hot dip galvanized you can find hot dip, galvanized fencing, staples, at most hardware stores. It's not fun, hammering in all those staples, but it is doable. We love our stainless steel pneumatic gun and we shoot it all in. And what's also nice too is as we're shooting it with a pneumatic gun, we keep it at a slight angle and that's what allows it to be nice and tight. And then just a little bit more talking about materials is there's also a big debate on what kind of wood to use. And at Carolina Coops, I have fallen in love with Doug fir. It is a great wood because it's actually naturally rot resistant, but also it's very, very strong, and we use what's called pocket screw joinery. And the reason why I like the pocket screw joinery is because when you're screwing two pieces of wood together, it bites and stays together a lot stronger than just a regular nail, but also that screw is going across grain it's not going into the end grain splitting it. You know, you can use pocket screw joinery but if you use a soft wood it's just not going to stay together nearly as strong. You know, the other big thing is metal roofing. I love metal roofing Because of how what's called TSR total solar reflectance, we want to keep the girls as cool as possible. If you put asphalt shingles, cedar shingles, we've done it, we've done it, you can get away with it. But metal roof, one lot of people that maybe don't realize this that comes from recycled material, and it's very cost effective, and it's very easy to install, looks great, but it has a very high TSR total solar reflectance, it's gonna do such a much better job keeping the heat from getting inside the henhouse. Yeah, that's one thing that we definitely struggle with here. We're pretty close to New Mexico and in an arid environment, and I've had a heck of a time with heat in the sun and you know, shade cloth doesn't last but one season and it's challenging to run misting systems. So I definitely wish that we had a solid roof. That's like, it's a great idea. Yeah, I definitely recommend it. I love a solid roof over the entire structure. You mentioned earlier that you use the deep litter method. And that's something that I don't personally use. So I'm not well versed in that. So could you talk more about that and what bedding options that you recommend for the nest boxes? Absolutely. So the deep litter system, if you've never heard of it, Google it, learn about it. If you have chickens, there is no better way to raise chickens inside your chicken coop. So the deep litter system, most of us are used to what I call the traditional style of cleaning out a hen house and that is you're going to go into your hen house, maybe once a week if you're really good twice a month, and you're going to sweep out typically pine shavings or some type of bedding, to remove the bedding and the chicken droppings and start off with a fresh thing of litter and that's all fine and dandy, but that's very time consuming and actually gets expensive, when you think about how much shavings you're going through. What we do is incorporate the deep litter system where if you look at our hen houses, every single one - doesn't matter if it's our production coop or custom coop. They all have the deep layer system where we line the entire bottom and we come up 12 inches off the henhouse floor where it's like a bathtub with food safe high density polyethylene. Going back to I'm a snob when it comes to materials, you got to have the best materials. There's nothing better than high density polyethylene. And if you're not familiar with it, think of giant plastic cutting boards. So what happens is, we I love industrial hemp, we'll talk a little bit more about that, hopefully. But you start off with your bedding, in this case, industrial hemp and you fill it, you know, four to six inches. And when the chickens are out scratching on the ground, they're not only eating bugs, and you know, picking up some grit so they digest our food, but they're picking up microbes. And they introduce those microbes into the deep litter system through their defecation. And basically what happens is the pine shavings or your industrial hemp becomes the diaper, and you start building layer upon layer that fills up with droppings, which is actually 50% of the defecations are at night, on the roost bars, as that piles up, you're not going to go in and clean it out. What you're actually going to do is take some more of your bedding and just put a layer on top of it. And as you start building those layers it starts composting and what happens is it actually smells less, there's almost zero smell. You can actually go into our hen houses and eat your lunch, I kid you not. But what's also important is it takes seconds just to put some litter on top of the droppings and you know it's time because not by visual - it's a chicken coop, it's a hen house you're gonna see chicken crap in there, but you know by smell. So once you start to get that ammonia nitrogen smell, you just put a layer on top and it just keeps building, and it's almost kind of like you know, it's funny, I got hen houses gone three years and still haven't been cleaned out. Because one chicken coop ratio, you don't want to overload it, but it continues to break down. So it's almost kind of like the tide it goes up and down. And it's really that simple. So I was introduced to it from our chicken girl 12 years ago, I said Kristen, you're crazy. She goes will come out and see my coop I was sold instantly. She actually explained to me the history of it. Supposedly, it actually came from when World War Two, when the men were off fighting the war, the women had to stay back, picking up a lot of the jobs and didn't have a lot of time. So they didn't go in and start cleaning out the hen houses as often as they used to. So they just were like, "Oh, just put something over top of it out of sight out of mind", you know, and that's how they discovered the deep litter system. So I'm trying to put it all in a nutshell, but that's basically it. We have all kinds of information. There's so many videos at our website at CarolinaCoops.com where you can watch the deep litter system in action. You can see us cleaning it out, which is what makes our coop really nice. Which that's the other thing. If you're thinking what build a chicken coop, that is a huge subject. Well, how easy is it going to be to clean it out. And I have so many tips and tricks about that. But the deep litter system is fabulous. And it's actually also healthier for the chickens. And why is that? The best analogy I can think of is: I'll never forget taking my son to daycare for the first time and the administrator said now just be prepared, he's gonna be coming home with sniffles and that because, you know, they're spreading germs and whatnot, but it actually helps build the immune system. Apparently it's the same thing for chickens, it's actually healthier for them to be walking on the deep litter system because it helps build their immune system. Interesting. Like I said, I don't do the deep litter method, but it's something that I definitely want to look into. One of the things that concerns me about the deep litter method because I'm worried about mice making a home in there, have you ever had that issue? Now I hope you got another 45-60 minutes. I am the nerdiest bug guy. I was an exterminator for 15 years, and I loved it. I actually got a certificate from Purdue University in Pest Control Technologies because I love my job so much. That's like the PhD. I actually I am so due to do a video talking about pests around your chicken coop because it just I think people they can solve their problems if they understood what was really going on. So we'll take that, for example. Mice possibly, you know, and be honest with you I've never been asked that no one's ever mentioned well, are they going to live in a deep litter? I have never seen it. But here's the thing when it comes to mice, and this is true for any pest, don't give them a reason to be there. Now, you can make an argument, "Well, Matt, we're putting in a bedding. It's like that thick insulation you see in the attic. That's a perfect nesting area for them." I have never ever seen mice nest in the deep litter system. And I don't think they're going to want to I think there's going to be so much activity inside that hen house that's going to startle them. Anytime you're dealing with pests, you want to know their preferences. You want to know as much about them so that you can help combat them. So mice, they actually know I'm referring to the house mouse has many other different species of mice, but the most common is a house mouse. They actually love to nest up high where it's warm. That's a lot of times why you see them up in attics. So the deep layer system it would not by any means be a preferred area for them to live. Now, if you had a deep layer system, had a deep layer full, and then the chickens all died, and you left that coop out there alone. Yeah, I could see mice eventually living in there. But no, I think chickens eat, you know, baby mice. So I don't think they would last long. So being greedy because I'm I'm battling mice right now, do you have any other suggestions because I know that there are certainly other people that have issues with mice in the chicken coop as well. Absolutely. Okay. All right. Well, here we go. So one, assuming that they're house mice, you got to figure out why are they there and the typically the number one reason why they're there or you're seeing them is the food source. Now keep in mind, this does not apply to rats. For the most part, rats are completely different. Mice prefer cereal and grains. When you think about the food, we're feeding our chickens. There's a lot of cereal and grain type food. So if you do have a lot of mice activity, the first thing we always did as exterminators is okay, let's look eliminate why they're there. And where are they living? Well, if they're feeding on your food, the chicken feed, you're not gonna get rid of chicken eggs guy like chickens eat. And I just saw this is gonna come out soon in a video. I was just out in California. The lady is out in New Zealand, Grandpa's... Yep, the treadle feeders I use a couple another brands but Grandpa's feeders. Yep. So she said this is the best one because of the quality, a little more expensive. But you know, what happens is the chickens step on it, they opens up that top cover and then they get to their feed. So when they're off of it that stops the mice from wanting to get in there. So what it all really comes down to is we have to step back and say, where are these mice coming from and how much pressure is there. Now mice do not have a very large territory. Typically, believe it or not. 10, 15-20 feet is how far they'll live from their food source. So it's a lot easier to handle mice by saying okay, well let me make sure that to make it harder for them to not be able to eat and then finding where they're living. And if it is inside your chicken coop, you gotta rodent proof it with steel wool and things like that to make sure that they're not harboring anywhere. But typically, all the coops I've seen, I've never seen mice or rats living in them. I've definitely have seen rats living underneath sheds that were converted into chicken coops. There's a big difference there. And then the other thing is, how do we bait them? How are we going to do this reduction in numbers? That's where we got to be careful because you have secondary poisoning, which you hear a lot about from a wildlife you know, like birds. Every situation is different, but you can typically try to do like a mass snap trap program, but you got to make sure you set up snap traps properly, but you got to make sure your chickens aren't going to peck at them. But the idea is to eliminate why they're there. Eliminate the numbers either through baiting or through glue boards or snap traps, and then prevention, which typically is once you figure out why they're there, and you change that habit, that's also what you'll want to continue to prevent them. And for the people that are listening, typically a lot of the conversation we have about rodents is with rats. And a lot of what I just said applies to the same thing. But some of the differences are rats actually have to drink water, they actually have to have one to one and a half fluid ounces a day. So keep that in mind. Rats, they're neo-phobic. They're scared of anything new. So typically, if you have rats around your coop, just by changing something that will start to help you combat that activity. But what happens is their territory is way bigger. And a lot of times when we're doing chicken coops in cities, you're at the mercy of your entire block your entire neighborhood, making sure they're doing everything they can to keep the rat population down. And by you know sanitation programs and making sure we eliminate areas where they live. Typically the best way to answer that question is to learn more specifics. And I'd be more than happy to talk to you about that and your particular situation, but trying to just explain it in general, some of the things to think about. No, and I like that you brought up the feeder too, because we were having issues with starlings. And then I just figured mice were part of the deal. I didn't even think about the mice. And so we switched over to those treadle feeders. And that has made a huge, huge improvement in our feed usage. And now we don't have to worry about starlings anymore. So I definitely recommend that for a feeder for for everybody. Right, so the starlings we're getting into your run? Yeah. What size screen did you have on? My run, we have about 50 chickens. So we assembled a few different chain link dog kennels into a big run, and then I lined the bottom of it with hardware cloth. Okay, so you reminded me of another thing I mentioned earlier. What I also do like about the half inch by half inch hardware cloth is when you use chicken wire or bigger, I've seen English house sparrows fly right through, start to make a nest up on the sills inside coops and also eating your chicken feed. And you don't want to feed them. So you screened the bottom of your run? Yeah, we have a coyote problem. And I originally started screening it because we were letting our hen raise some chicks and I was worried about the baby's getting out. And then we had an issue with the coyotes. I don't really know how they accomplished this, but they were able to get a duckling through. Our duck pen has welded wire, and they were able to pull a duckling through that, which I don't know how that even happened. But nonetheless, that's when I started lining all of my runs on the bottom with the hardware cloth. Absolutely. You know, that's a great tip. So for people that maybe are experiencing that problem, it's so easy just to go you know, I would say at least 24 inches from the bottom of the run and then come up. And that way you got those ducklings got those chickens with whatever didn't go up into that hen house, they're still down below. You know, think about it at night, that's when your predator pressure is at its highest. So you got, you know, raccoons especially they're great with their hands, you know, they can reach in, you want to stop that. So by adding that half inch hardware cloth around the bottom, you'll definitely prevent that. You know, that's something to that's a common question we get a lot is like, why don't you screen the bottom of your run? And that is just a huge No, no. If you want to keep predators from digging underneath your run, go check our video, I actually show step by step how to install your own predator apron. And it's so easy kind of fun and very cost effective. And I'm thinking that your apron might be what I call a skirt. Certain say but I have that set up on all of my rounds as well. Not only for the coyotes, but this last summer we had a badger that was trying to get in and thank goodness the what I call the skirt kept him out. So I think that that's definitely something to add if anybody has any sort of stray dogs or coyotes or or any risk like that. Absolutely. And you know, it's amazing because it's such a simple application, but is extremely effective. Was there any other tips or things, topics that you wanted to bring up before we talk more about your prefabbed and custom coops? Well, again, going back to the original thing as if people are listening, thinking about building their own coop or their shopping around what they need to learn, but, you know, I mentioned there's four things so you got size, the quality of the materials and the craftsmanship, just making sure you build it well. And then number four, which is my favorite part, make them beautiful. Why not? Show them off? That is something I love about our coops. On the way here to the office, my customer in Texas, he's just jumping up and down for joy. He's just in love with his coop. He said, "Matt, this is a piece of art", and I definitely don't think of myself as an artist, but that's a sweet compliment. Think about you can have functional art out in your property, providing you breakfast, providing you enjoyment, entertainment, education and especially for your children. Why not make them beautiful? Yeah, I follow you guys on Instagram, which is how I found you originally. And of course, all of the coops are just, they're beautiful. And I think not only for your own personal enjoyment, but also I think it would help if you're trying to get chickens in an area that maybe your your neighbor isn't so receptive or you have HOA constraints, I rather think making it pretty, I think will help smooth some of that stuff over too. Oh, absolutely. Yeah, cuz Think about it. Most people that are and I've seen this all the time, we would go to towns and help fight for passing the chicken laws. And you got the people on the other side of the aisle. They're just they're absurd. They're like, you're gonna have roosters and you're gonna it's gonna be ugly. I'm like, No, it doesn't have to be. It's not people are they're learning how important it is to have just a couple hens. You don't have to have a rooster. You actually don't want a rooster. I'm not a huge fan of them, because of how much they terrorize the girls and stress them out. But anyways, but yeah, by being beautiful, people are like, "Oh, really? You're gonna have something like that for chickens?" And then the other thing too, and I've seen this happen where it's brought neighbors together if you got that fussy neighbor, give them fresh eggs. Yeah, love you. They'll shut up real quick. Yeah, that they will. So let's say that I'm not a super handy person and this sounds a little too much for me. I don't really want to build a coop myself. Tell me about the options that you have available. Okay, so we have our production models. One is called the California Coop and the other one's called the American Coop. Those are our most common coops that we sell and ship all around the world. And they're a little intimidating, but we have done so much work to make it so that people that are not very handy. They're able to put the coops together and actually enjoy it. But we also do have the option for all of our coops if they're not handy, or they don't have the time. You order your coop, we build it and we set you up on what's called a delivery turnkey schedule and we load up in the trailer and drive to your home or wherever the coop may be going. And we assemble the coop right there. And then you have custom coops as well, obviously? Oh, yeah. I'm constantly doing custom coops. I have a road crew. They're hardly ever home. They're on the road constantly. They just left Austin, Texas, just got to Richmond, Virginia today. It's not always the custom coops to even our production coops people will pay to have us do turnkey. So it is an option for all of them. But it is expensive. It's very expensive to pay professionals to come in and assemble the coops on site. But the nice thing is there's nothing we can't do. We travel literally with an entire woodshop, we're ready for anything. I want to say I've seen it all but there's always something new. But we're we've showed up on site and people sometimes people don't know what level means and we've had times where luckily I've grew up in construction so I can operate heavy machinery where we've had to go rent skid steers and tractors and bring it in hundred yards, 200 yards of soil level it all off. You weren't think that you know from chicken coop people chicken coop builders but I really I like to take it to a level that it's like custom homes. Sure you know that's the only thing we do provide knowledge about the chickens because that's really really all starts when you start to learn chickens you start to realize why we do what we do. And what is the average price range for your prefab or your custom coop? I just went to our website and like our California Coop, that starts at $1750 and that is definitely more expensive than your Tractor Supply, or your you know, your agricultural stores are selling the little Chinese coops, but when you start to learn what is needed for a chicken coop, hands down, it is the best deal out there. And that's been my whole goal when I mentioned these production coops between the California Coop and my number one seller the American Coop. The reason why I call it the American Coop is I said I want to somehow beat China at their own game. They can mass produce so cheap that it's hard to compete but what we have to our advantage is because size is so important we can build the coops the right size and not have to pay for that huge cost to have them shipped over from China where they are very affordable when you compare them apples to apples. So the American Coop, again our number one seller, that starts at $2850 you know, you can price it by square foot, cubic foot to try to compare it to other coops. There's no comparison, especially when you look at the quality, the deep litter system, and... Oh yeah, when you get to like okay, it is time to clean it doesn't get any easier. One of my favorite videos is me and my Kristen our chicken girl. We went to a coop it was 18 months old and we cleaned it out in less than 10 minutes. It was so easy. And the best part about the industrial hemp it didn't even need to be cleaned. We ended up throwing the litter back in there. Yep, that's the price for the production coops and of course, my baby, the Carolina Coop is really where it all started. They start at $5000, $4995 that's the Cadillac. It's just a beautiful, beautiful chicken coop. So it's got a lot of trim work handmade windows, cupolas. Very, very, very classy, very nice. And then of course you get into the custom coops. the sky's the limit. We've done custom coops anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000. Oh, my goodness. Yeah, and I'm not I'm not bragging I don't know. It's expensive, choice of materials. And then the other thing too is we do a lot of coops where it has mortise and tenon joinery. Most people have never heard about that. But it's a type of joiner has been around for thousands of years where you're actually not using screws, you're not using nails. You're joining two pieces of wood by cutting a tenon on one and then drilling a square hole in another piece and they mate together. So it's literally that it is officially a giant piece of furniture that's very, very time consuming, but looks gorgeous. I can only imagine I know that the ones that I've seen online are are incredible. And I have coop envy for sure. Well, thank you. Obviously, your website and your Instagram where I follow you, where else can we find pictures and get some more information? So Carolinacoops.com, Instagram, Facebook, and you know, the other popular place we see a lot of people find us is actually Pinterest. Okay, that makes sense. I don't know how it works. I don't know why. I actually have a full time marketing lady who is awesome at her job. She does our website, she does all the social media. And she's mentioned to me, she goes, "Yeah, Pinterest is a great referral place." So what I try to do is just get as many pictures out there and also videos because it can get confusing in the world of chicken keeping and building a coop or buying a coop, you know, and everyone's got their opinion. But when you get the chance to watch our videos, you'll start to learn and that's what I do. I'm going to educate the consumer about chickens. And this is what you need to know if you want to be successful. And if you have chickens now and you're struggling and you're thinking about getting out of the hobby, most likely it's not the chickens, it's your coop, that coop is so important for their health and safety. Being somebody who's made mistakes. I can say that that's a very valid point. And I would absolutely agree with that. Yeah, we've all been there I made a lot of mistakes is how we've learned and that's that's what makes you better but it's amazing with the right coop how easy chickens can be to keep and how much fun they can be. And you mentioned another thing too, you know, a common question is, is it hard to introduce new hens, younger hens to an existing flock? And the answer is it can be, but if you've got a big coop, and I think free range is not as difficult but the best way to do it, which you mentioned, you hit on a little bit is the way nature intended it. When your hand goes broody, and you know you don't have to have a rooster around but if you give her fertile eggs, or if you can time it right, give her fake eggs. After 21 days, pull those fake eggs out and get some day old baby chicks put them underneath her - boom, now they're part of that pecking order. They're part of flock with no fighting. And it is so much fun watching. You know Moms have the hardest job on this planet. And it's so much fun watching Mama hens, you can hear the difference in them talking to the baby chicks, telling them "Let's go eat", what to eat, cleaning them and protecting them. It's so fun to watch them. I wish that I can have baby chicks all the time. And then my favorite is when I jump on Mama's back and go for a ride. Well, Matt, I really appreciate your time today. I think that this has been a lot of great information. Definitely some information that people are looking for. Hopefully, it will help them with their own coop building projects, or they can consider some of your pre built ones if they aren't quite as handy or willing to take it on themselves. So Matt, thank you so much. I appreciate your time today. Well, my pleasure. Thanks for having me. I have had a lot of fun again, let's let's hopefully do this again. Absolutely, I'd love to. And for those of you listening, thank you so much for joining us for another episode of Backyard Bounty and we'll see you again next week. Thank you for listening to Backyard Bounty, a podcast by HeritageAcresMarket.com. Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review. If you have a question you'd like us to answer on the show. please email us at Ask@HeritageAcresMarket.com. Also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube at Heritage Acres Market. All the links mentioned in this podcast will be included in the description. See you again next week! Sign up to receive email updates Enter your name and email address below and I'll send you periodic updates about the podcast. Edited by PodSugar Audio Production & Editing

Artists around the world work everyday to raise awareness for problems they are passionate about. Three artists in particular are stirring up the buzz about Colony Collapse and the rapid decline of the world bee population. One such artist and beekeeper, Ladislav Hanka, created an installation piece in collaboration with his bees displayed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2014. This piece was called the Great Wall of Bees and consisted of the artists etchings of flora and fauna covered in honeycomb by his bees, displayed inside a glass case filled with 5000 bees. This massive case showed viewers the beauty of the process of bees filling the honeycomb in, as well as exemplifying the beautifully collaborative symbiosis between the artist/keeper and the bees. In 2014-2015, London mural artist Louis Masai paired up with fellow street artist Jim Vision to put up murals of bees in densely populated areas to raise awareness of the bee crisis. These huge pieces are eye-catching spray paint images of bees, sometimes just there or sometimes caught in a sticky situation, and are always tagged with the artists’ signatures and the popular campaign: #Save The Bees. A seed company sent them a thousand packets of seeds for bee friendly plants and the artists hand them out to passersby while painting bees. This activism goes one step further than raising awareness by actually working towards making the urban environment a better one for bees. The artists also organized the “Save the Bees family day” event to raise awareness and connect a community around this venture. The main artist, Louis Masai, also incorporated this work into his 2015 show on endangered species entitled “When We Go, We’re Taking You All With Us”. In February of this year painter Meesha Goldberg directed a project entitled “Equilibrium Rites” in which she and two other artists walked along 100 miles of almond orchards in California to raise awareness for the Bee Crisis. The three Oregon based artists were joined by three other women as they dressed in the garb of the Melissae (ancient Greek bee priestesses) and banged a drum methodically, walking 20 miles of beautiful flowering orchards per day. This performance art/ritual/activist event took place during the gathering of 85% of the country’s honeybees in California to pollinate the hundreds of thousands of acres of almond orchards. This activism doesn’t just raise awareness of the bee crisis, it focuses the attention on this specific event and the related problems of monocultures/food deserts, disease, and pesticides. In association with the event there were series of photographs and paintings created and even a short film made. These were displayed in a gallery exhibit entitled “Honey and Venom” in August. Written by: Karissa Schroeter An adjuvant is defined as a pharmacological agent that modifies the effect of other agents. Adjuvants are currently used in both the medical and agricultural fields (which are from a production/business standpoint closely intertwined). In agriculture, it is used to enhance a pesticide/ funcide/ insecticde / herbicide/ agricultural spray's effectiveness. Adjuvants can either be "in can", which means they are added into the pesticide before it is sold to the public or "tank mix", which means farmers purchase and add it to pesticides on their own. Examples of adjuvants include: After having worked closely with BASF's agricultural business as an engineering co-op at the Cincinnati site having been lucky enough to be a part of organizing the ISAA, International Symposium for Agricultural Adjuvants, held on June 13-17th, 2016 in Monterrey, CA, something hit me. Adjuvants are essentially unregulated in the United States (and very lightly regulated everywhere else). WA & CA require preregistration of adjuvants before they are sold and the effectiveness of adjuvants is measured by ASTM Int & CPDA but that is it. Why are pesticides heavily regulated but adjuvants are not at all? Tank mix adjuvants can literally transform a mild, approved pesticide into a "super pesticide" and they are virtually unregulated and are not tested for their toxicity to the environment (let alone humans!). Farmers no longer simply use one pesticide or insecticide as they did in the past. Today, farmers use a complex chemical mix of products including adjuvants. A big study in 2012 came out that proved that organosilicone surfactants caused learning impairment in honeybees. When colony collapse disorder struck millions of bees in CA, research was done to figure out what happened to cause the mass deaths. It was discovered that an organosilicone surfactant (untested) was used on almond trees in CA along with a BASF fungicide (tested and confirmed non-toxic alone) and a Chemtura insecticide (tested and confirmed non-toxic alone). Scientists concluded that that specific mix of adjuvants, pesticides, and fungicides is what had poisoned, disoriented, and then killed the bees. The mixture proved to be an endocrine disruptor in bees. If both companies and farmers know that adjuvants are an integral part of the collective process, why are agricultural products tested individually? And why ignore adjuvant products when making regulations and requirements? Money. The current lack of regulations and requirements for adjuvant products makes life a whole lot easier for both the companies that produce adjuvants and the farmers that purchase them. There is a conflict of interest with adjuvants and the Principle Agent and Moral Hazard Problems comes into play. Currently, the push in adjuvant technology is entirely performance driven. There is no push for regulations or concern for the health of bees. If all agents involved with adjuvants continue to pursue their self interest without regards for the greater good, then the bees will continue to be harmed by these adjuvants and the wicked problem will continue to escalate. What is needed now is education of the public and the creation/enforcement of regulations for adjuvants. Conduct a Google search for the health benefits of honey and a sprawling list of organic food and health and fitness websites will appear. Hundreds of websites will claim seemingly minor or more radical benefits of honey. Conduct a similar search for royal jelly and the claims will become more outlandish. Several sources claim that honey and royal jelly will cure menopause and male infertility. Are these health benefits replicable and observable or anecdotal? Let’s examine three more often claimed benefits of honey: weight loss, improved athletic performance, and improved memory. First, in general, the National Honey Board states, “a tablespoon of raw honey contains 64 calories, is fat-free, cholesterol-free, and sodium-free,” and royal jelly contains “vitamin B5 and other B vitamins, biotin, inositol, folate, nucleic acids, gamma globulin and 17 different amino acids, including the eight essential amino acids that the human body cannot produce.” Honey contains nutrients such as protein, water, fiber, sugars and various vitamins and minerals. Fiber and other nutrients are essential to dissolve fats and cholesterol. While claiming honey contributes to weight loss may be an exaggeration, it is certainly a better sweet alternative than sugar or artificial sweeteners. Honey has also been shown to lower weight gain, adiposity, and triglycerides than sucrose in rats. Next, honey has been shown to boost athletic performance. Richard Kreider of the University of Memphis Exercise and Sport Nutrition Laboratory stated, "Most of the studies to date have shown supplementation with glucose to provide the extra staying power. We were pleased to find that honey, a 'cocktail' of various natural sugars, performed just as well." Honey, being a natural source of carbohydrates, is a great boost for exercise. Lastly, a study has claimed that women experienced a boost in memory after eating twenty grams of honey a day. However, some have criticized the study for the lack of a blind procedure. Stanford researcher Dr. Victor Henderson stated that perceived memory problems are often not real when examined objectively. If there is real concern, memory issues are most likely related to depression, sleep problems, or medication. Also, some voiced concerns over the amount of honey the participants were required to eat. Clearly, raw honey does have nutritional and health benefits. While it may not be a cure-all for all ailments, it can greatly help weight loss and athletic performance. Currently, one is not able to conclude that honey can cure memory loss or other more serious conditions. According to the Honey Association, it's hard to tell how long honey has been collected by humans since the earliest records are from the beginnings of recorded history. Early cave paintings show ancient humans gathering honey. Over the years honey has been used for a variety of things in a variety of cultures. In ancient cultures, honey and bees was used as a symbol of royalty. Bees were the symbol of popes, Greek and Egyptian gods, and stamped on currency. Napoleon used bees on his flag carried into battle. Honey was also used a sweetener since ancient times. This use as a sweetener continued through Egypt and Greece cultures, and was continued to be used commonly in European cultures up until the Renaissance. During the Renaissance, sugar imported from other countries started to widely replace honey as a sweetener. A final use of honey throughout history is for medicinal purposes. Below is a short video describing honey and beeswax as a medicine in Egypt. Brother Adam, a monk at Buckfast Abbey, began beekeeping for the abbey when he was twelve when he was apprenticed under Brother Columband. In 1915, when Brother Adam was 16 they lost the majority of their beehives to a plague of acarine disease named after the parasitic tracheal mite which caused the wipeout of so many hives. The sixteen hives that lived were all either pure Italian or of Italian descent. The hives also did not show any trace of the disease that killed so many others. This observation inspired Brother Adam, who began to selectively breed his queens. The government asked the abbey to increase the number of hives they had in order to help replenish the bees that died to the plague throughout the country. Brother Adam took to studying the traits of pure strains of bees from foreign countries and importing them to an isolated valley where he could breed his bees in peace. It seems to have taken him about ten years per strain to achieve a stable cross of desired genes. The end result became the Buckfast bee which is a famous be around the world. Brother Adam’s success is one of the first and biggest modern selective bee breeding program. He used bee breeding stations to let select the queens and later be able to select the drones. He bred his bees and then left them for a time to allow them to be naturally selected for. He only used queens that came from successful hives in his breeding program. And as I mentioned it took ten years to get a trait to stick. He was patient with his bees and gave them time. Brother Adam knew how to learn from the bees and find the best balance that works for both bees and humans. The problem we face today is much more widespread than Brother Adam’s plague. I was unable to find specific information on whether colony collapse affects Buckfast bees. Regardless, I would like to suggest that a gentler, more patient approach to selectively breeding bees than artificial insemination may be more effective in the long run. Most of us have the natural instinct of waving frantically at the air, twisting around and sprinting in the opposite direction when we see the black and yellow winged creatures we know as bees. This is mainly due to the fear of being stung by the bee; we remember being innocent children playing at the park until our skin is pierced by the sharp stinger of a bee, leading to yelling and crying and our skin becoming a site of redness, itching and pain. Bee venom, however, may serve a hidden purpose aside from inciting panic in everyone not working as a beekeeper. For more than 5,000 years, ancient civilizations have used bee venom as a therapeutic measure to fight against disease and injury. As time progressed, the world has grown and moved onto developing antibiotics and other precise drugs to fight diseases such as tuberculosis, pneumonia, and polio. Bee venom therapy has not been completely lost though; scientists have found a unique group of 13 bacteria that live in honeybee's stomachs which have had strong counteracting abilities toward powerful infectious bacteria including MRSA, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and VRE. These findings present a promising future for treatment of many diseases especially due to the antibiotic-resistant bacteria epidemic, however more tests are needed to further determine the clinical potential of honeybee belly bacteria. In addition to fighting bacterial causes of disease, bee venom has also been used in many countries as a way of counteracting the debilitating symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Although many patients provide anecdotal evidence of their symptoms being ameliorated after trying bee venom as a treatment. However, larger and more precise studies are required to determine the efficacy of these treatments. So how can honeybee venom help those of us without these diseases? Gwyneth Paltrow, a notable Hollywood actress, has admitted to using bee venom therapy as a source of skin therapy, making her look 23 instead of 43. In the video below, Allure insider Shannon Ray tests this method herself by getting a bee venom facial! Olofsson, T. C., Butler, È., Markowicz, P., Lindholm, C., Larsson, L. and Vásquez, A. (2014), Lactic acid bacterial symbionts in honeybees – an unknown key to honey's antimicrobial and therapeutic activities. Int Wound J. doi:10.1111/iwj.12345 Written By Celeste Bauer You’ve all heard the expression “the queen bee” referring to someone who is in charge with implicit qualities of strength. But what makes a queen bee a queen? How are we changing the process? And is it for better or worse?

Magali has always had a passion for bees, and now she makes her own honey from wild flora in the Vercors mountain range. You’ll love her pretty voice and precise pronunciation. Download to your computer or phone To download the PDF and the recordings, click here. Track 2 (first track of the interview) Magali lives in the Vercors Mountains and collects her honey at up to 1200 Meters above sea level. What brought her to this region and to this profession? So, please tells us how bees make honey. Right now, there is a lot of work, because you are in the harvest period, right? Tell us about the cycles of production during the year. Everything depends upon the queen, is that so? So you make ‘artisanal honey,’ right? Can you tell us about the difference between your honey and what you call ‘intensive honey?’ In the last few years, French beekeepers have been complaining about pesticides. Do you have those same problems here, high up in the mountains? So, the honey that you are harvesting now will be in jars and available for sale in how many days or weeks? You told us that your bees produce honey from wild plants. What sorts of honey do you produce? And when you tell us that it is ‘chestnut honey’ or ‘linden-tree honey,’ how can you be sure, since you can’t follow the bees around each day? However, the bees do surprise us sometimes. You might think that if we put the hives on a lavender field and the lavender doesn’t give any nectar, that the bees would just take a vacation and relax. But no! Instead, they might go off and find chestnut trees. In that case, instead of a thick white honey we expect… How did you get into beekeeping? Please tell us about that first experience going to buy honey with your parents and about this neighbor who wanted to retire… The links above give you the following recordings: - Slowed-down 25% - Slow echoing

Now streaming on: “IO” has some good and bad news about the Earth. The good news is that all of those in-depth news reports about Earth soon becoming uninhabitable were indeed not wrong. The very bad news is that Mother Nature finally brought out the Raid can on human kind and sent us fleeing the planet to a floating colony outside of Jupiter’s moon, IO. There, humans seek to find a new way to live, rationalizing that our trashing of the Earth was simply inevitable. Such is the setting for Jonathan Helpert's “IO,” which tells of a young woman back on Earth named Sam (Margaret Qualley). She has not lost hope, using extensive science to see if there is a new way to live on a planet that forces her to walk around the city in an oxygen mask, and casts an eternal smog over the art museum she loves to steal away to. Back at her countryside lair, Sam sends messages back and forth with her lover Elon, who is on the colony and begs her to take one of the few shuttles out of Earth left, which would mean that Sam was accepting that that Earth can no longer sustain human life. In various moody passages, which effectively establish the scope of her isolation and the specific world she's made for herself, we see the life she has sustained, while surrounded by her scientific equations and notebooks. Through a fair share of voiceover, Sam speaks in detail about her progress with different elements and lifeforms, and “IO” loads up on its science jargon as if trying to weed out any Netflix viewers who don’t desire gardening, beekeeping, and Nowak’s evolvability equation to be the primary weapons for a hero’s fight for survival. Anthony Mackie, playing a man named Micah, arrives on a hot air balloon about 25 minutes into the film. He wants to meet her famous scientist father (Danny Huston), whose voice we hear whenever she plays his tapes as a type of soothing mechanism, or protocol. Feeling less like his own mysterious being than a screenwriting tool, Micah helps hammer home what Sam’s father told her—“Don’t underestimate the power of human connection"—and talks whimsically about the time of "Before." Nonetheless, his arrival comes with suspicious timing: the last Exodus shuttle off of Earth is leaving within a few days, and soon enough he shares that he wants to take her on his balloon with him to the shuttle launch site, at any cost. But she doesn't tell him the truth about her father and he doesn't tell her why he actually is here. In the passages that follow, “IO” does not grow a remotely compelling story out of the dry seriousness it started with. And as capable as the film’s duo might be, they cannot make their characters’ elusive backstories curious or their pensive gazes magnetic. Qualley and Mackie struggle to find chemistry as two slightly less lonely people in the world, conversing with monotone line-readings while guarding their private denials. They most of all help the movie supplant the notion of having its own interesting ideas by reciting the likes of Yeats, Eliot, and Plato. However pure its intentions, “IO” is genre minimalism to a fault. It rhetorically asks questions like, “What if the only immediate narrative tension involved getting two people to a launch site?”, “What if these two characters always have secrets from each other?”, and more specifically, “What would it look like if a dystopian film was based on science, and had someone cryptically quoting Yeats through their oxygen mask?” Broad themes like staunch hope, and vital human connection, become cheap sentiments, vanishing into air. “IO” isn’t science fiction storytelling distilled so much as it is vaporized.

Combining the universal coming-of-age experience with terrifically unusual specifics, the Italian drama “The Wonders” is a low-key charmer. Writer-director Alice Rohrwacher’s style might be described as naturalistic with moments of Fellini. The movie, set in the Tuscan countryside, is, on one level, the latest adolescent-awakening tale featuring a pivotal summer. But Rohrwacher (“Corpo Celeste”) is less interested in traumatic journeys than in the joys and surprises in the commonplace in the story, which involves a beekeeping family with a run-down farmhouse and hippie ideals. German patriarch Wolfgang (Sam Louwyck) condemns modernization as a threat to the purity of his land-focused way of life, and his stubbornness has kept the family living largely in isolation. He and his underseen Italian wife, Angelina (Alba Rohrwacher), have four daughters. Levelheaded Gelsomina (Maria Alexandra Lungu), the oldest at about 12, oversees the family’s honey-making business, and longs for more connection with the outside world. Opportunity soon arises in two forms. First, a reality-TV crew arrives, filming a promo for a show hosted by a woman who looks like a ridiculously costumed Monica Bellucci — and turns out to be literally that. With her feathered headdress and faux white braids, Bellucci’s character, Milly, mesmerizes Gelsomina. When she learns that Milly’s producers are seeking traditional food-producing families for a show, Gelsomina, defying her father, submits an application. Troubled 14-year-old Martin (Luis Huilca), meanwhile, has joined the family to work as a farmhand. Martin speaks little but whistles like a songbird. Wolfgang begins treating Martin, who also is German, like the son he never had. “The Wonders” doesn’t have much in the way of crescendo or suspense. (Another director would have vigorously presented, for example, a honey-lab mishap.) Also, the plot borders on slight, and backstories — the relationship of a household member named Coco (Sabine Timoteo) to the family receives no explanation — can be frustratingly absent. But Rohrwacher, who grew up in an environment like Gelsomina’s (she has said that her young heroine was inspired by her sister, who plays Angelina), excels with mood and setting, immersing viewers in the old-style world of bees and honey, which Gelsomina presides over with a winning blend of know-how and TLC. Rohrwacher doesn’t yank characters around with plot contrivances. Gelsomina’s daily grind, which includes pulling bee stingers out of her father’s neck, sparkles with novelty. Rohrwacher also captures the odd but meaningful nature of families, and how people feel a primal need to belong. Like the movie’s tone, the performances also are accessible and natural. An emerging talent, Rohrwacher occasionally distinguishes herself from the realists she seems inspired by, such as the Dardenne brothers, by seasoning her movie with whimsy. A camel seems to have walked in from the Jordanian drama “Theeb,” playing in the cinema next door. Starring: Maria Alexandra Lungu, Sam Louwyck, Alba Rohrwacher, Sabine Timoteo Written and directed by: Alice Rohrwacher Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes

You are here We depend on bees for a lot more than honey. In fact, bees pollinate the plants that supply up to one-third of the food we eat, so it’s important to both global food security and our local economy to protect their habitat. And yet, even the very act of beekeeping can be to our own benefit – a fact proven by Pollinators and People, a therapeutic beekeeping project funded by the Greenest City Community Grants program. In addition to creating forage and habitat for native pollinators, the project connects people from around the Lower Mainland on an equal playing field. “Executive chefs and homeowners work alongside [people who are] street-entrenched and unstably housed – both learn from the other,” says Sarah Common, chief community officer at Hives for Humanity, which created the Pollinators and People project with a $28,800 grant. “The bees, the gardens and the pollinators – they connect the people.” Bees pollinate the plants that supply up to one-third of the food we eat, so it’s important to both global food security and our local economy to protect their habitat This is a key element of the Greenest City Community Grants program, a collaboration between Vancouver Foundation and the City of Vancouver. The projects it funds tend to build bridges and nurture partnerships that may not otherwise exist – in addition to making the city more environmentally sustainable. The program was established to further Vancouver’s ambitious goal of becoming the greenest city in the world – with the best air and water quality and good access to healthy, locally grown food – by 2020. But when the City of Vancouver introduced the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan in 2010, it knew it couldn’t achieve it alone. “We needed every resident and non-profit organization to explore ways to pursue these goals,” says Sadhu Johnston, acting city manager. The best way to do that was to partner with Vancouver Foundation, which had already established strong ties to existing community organizations. The City contributed $1 million to the Greenest City Community Grants program, and it was matched, dollar for dollar, by Vancouver Foundation. Now, both partners oversee the synergistic work happening right now that will help Vancouver become the greenest city by 2020. The reason the program works, says Johnston, is that the goal is supported by ideas generated and implemented in the community through three areas: youth-led projects, projects created by Vancouver residents to benefit their own neighbourhoods, and projects led by community-based charitable organizations. These projects target a range of areas including climate leadership, green buildings and transportation, zero waste, access to nature, clean air and water, local food and green economy. And the program’s breadth is amazing, says Johnston. “The actual involvement of those most impacted . . . thousands of students and seniors and residents are directly involved; hundreds of thousands are peripherally involved, and they benefit by seeing or eating, or they have no idea of the program’s objectives but they still benefit.” The Choi Project is one example with such reach. The project engages people, especially youth, through education in a movement toward stocking Chinatown grocery stores with locally grown ethnic Chinese food – specifically choi, or leafy Chinese vegetables – rather than produce flown in from China. Locally grown produce is fresher, healthier and better for the environment than imported produce, which can lose much of its nutritional content and consume considerable resources by spending between five and 10 days in transport. “We are inspiring people in our own community to balance tradition with sustainable value,” says Kevin Huang, co-director and co-founder of the Choi Project, recipient of a $25,000 grant. “We’re able to build a bridge intergenerationally between the technical skill and knowledge of our elders and the broader community’s great interest in Chinese food in general and in local food.” People like being part of something this big, says Vancouver Foundation’s Trina Prior, Greenest City Community Grants manager. “When those closest to the issue help solve it, it’s very powerful.” For example, the Vancouver Aquarium, creator of the well- known Ocean Wise conservation program for sustainable seafood, received a $50,000 grant to launch the Make Vancouver a Model of Locally Sourced and Accessible Seafood project. The project aims to provide Vancouver residents with greater access to sustainable seafood by engaging a wider swath of local restaurants in the Ocean Wise program, including restaurants of all price ranges, many restaurants outside the downtown core and a greater number of ethnic restaurants. “Chefs are in a strategic position to help influence consumer demand by making information about the great work they are doing with local, sustainable seafood available to their customers,” says Katy Muenter, Ocean Wise co-ordinator. “Working with new chef partners throughout Vancouver has greatly expanded the reach of the Ocean Wise program and allowed us to connect with even more Vancouver residents.” And that’s ultimately what the Greenest City Community Grants program is all about – connecting Vancouver residents with knowledge and opportunity so they can each become personally connected to the goal of making their city the greenest city imaginable Story By: Corey Van’t Haaff

Prior to Beewise, the latest beekeeping technology—if you could call it that—was created in the 1800s. The “tech stack” was a literal stack of wooden boxes called a beehive, filled with honeycomb, not to mention bees. To harvest honey and check the health of their colony’s residents, beekeepers would have to go to a hive, don protective gear, send a bit of smoke into the hive to calm the buzzing little buggers, and then examine the findings. Most beekeepers around the world still use this process today. Beewise hopes to change that, using the actual latest technology, including artificial intelligence and advanced robotics. Updating a 150-year-old process The automation of manual labor isn’t new, but in the world of beekeeping, it is practically unheard of. For Saar Safra, Beewise’s CEO and co-founder, the more he learned about commercial beekeeping from his co-founder, Eliyah Radziner, the more the numbers didn’t add up. “Globally, 71% of all fruit, vegetables, seeds, and nuts are pollinated by bees,” he says. “Think about avocados and almonds and cucumbers and berries and coffee and cotton. We’re dependent on bees—they are essential to our global food supply.” Yet beekeepers must physically go to fields that are sometimes hours away so they can check on the health of their colonies and harvest their honey. To a strategic thinker and tech entrepreneur like Safra, this was a clear inefficiency and an obvious opportunity to use technology to improve not only the health and output of bees but also the health of the planet. Safra’s plan for beehive optimization is two-fold: keeping bees healthy and increasing the amount of honey and pollination they’re able to produce. Between 30% and 40% of bees die every year worldwide, so real-time feedback on colony health is crucial. Beewise’s hives, called Beehomes, boast precision robotics, cameras, computer vision, and AI to help large-portfolio beekeepers monitor the internal workings of their colonies from afar. Special sensors flag diseases, pests, hunger, and more. Commercial beekeepers, who have anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 hives, get pinged on an app when a poor condition is discovered. “They can see the entire hive, they can see what we identify, and they can apply our treatment, or use the data to come up with their own,” Safra says. Honey at scale A healthy bee is a productive bee. The more productive bees in the world making honey and pollinating crops, the more secure the global food supply. Safra and his colleagues know that in such a numbers game, true scale can only be achieved when hives run autonomously. To that end, Beehomes detect when honey is ready to be harvested, do so automatically, and then alert beekeepers when it’s time to collect the windfall. Each of Beewise’s six-by-eight-foot hives house 40 boxes, and each box can hold around 50 thousand bees, together totaling about 2 million moving, buzzing bees per device. The 13-employee startup, which started in August 2018 and raised a seed round in mid-2019, is almost exclusively focused on R&D, says Safra. The team has experts on applied math, physics, machine learning, distributed systems, convolutional neural networks, and more. To manage the complexity behind an automated beehive, the experienced team at Beewise turned to AWS, per Safra. “Having built various startups over the years, I’ve been a big fan of AWS for years now. Each company had varying needs, but AWS always seems to have them covered. At Beewise, we need to be able to reliably connect with our network of distributed in-field boxes that are all interconnected. The amount of data each box generates is immense. Our team leverages services including AWS IoT Core and AWS IoT Device Management to securely connect all the devices, as well as RDS and Elastic Beanstalk to manage the mass amount of data.” From an architecture standpoint, it looks like this. So far, Sarfa says, Beewise has seen success in helping bees live longer, healthier lives. “They pollinate better and they produce more honey. And for us, there’s no greater satisfaction, because we’re doing well by doing good.”

John Charles, Makurdi The Nigeria Export Promotion Council has trained over 250 bee farmers in Benue State in modern methods of beekeeping that will enhance the production of natural honey that can be exported to Europe. The Zonal Controller in charge of Makurdi Zonal Office, Mr Anani Ben-Egon, while declaring the training open, said the lack of strict sanitary requirements that could guarantee the safety of honey for human health was responsible for the inability of Nigerian bee farmers to export the product to Europe. He added that aside health and sanitary requirements restricting Nigeria honey export to the EU, inadequate production of honey in the country also accounted for low exportation. Egon said, “The global honey trade is worth $240bn with China maintaining the lead as the world exporter with 11.3 per cent of global export of natural honey in 2017 worth $270.7m. The continuous engagement with product/industry associations, farmers’ groups and other relevant stakeholders will enhance the production of honey in the country that would be suitable for export to the EU market.” The state coordinator, National Committee on Export Promotion and Benue Exporters Cluster, Dr Lawrence Barki, stated that there could be no better time than now to encourage bee farmers in Nigeria in line with the Federal Government diversification policy on the development of non-oil sector of the nation’s economy. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH. Contact: [email protected]

Five Purdue Extension agricultural economists will be among industry experts taking questions from the audience during the new “Question the Authorities” sessions at this year’s Farm Science Review, Sept. 22-24 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio. Chris Hurt, Jim Mintert, Corinne Alexander, Mike Gunderson and Maria Marshall will discuss current market conditions and provide an outlook for harvest season, as well as offer tips for managing a farm during an economic downturn. Nineteen Purdue Extension specialists will have presentations at this year’s Review, including: * Roy Ballard, an Extension educator from Hancock County, will present “Getting into Beekeeping” on Sept. 23 at 1:30 p.m., and “Foodlink” at 2:30 p.m. Both sessions will be at the Small Farms Center on the Review grounds. * Sara Dzimianski, an Extension educator from Perry County, will present “Dairy Goats 101” Sept. 23 at 1:30 p.m. at the Small Farms Center. * W. Ashley Hammac, an Extension conservation cropping systems agronomist, will present “Nutrient Cycling in Cover Crop Systems” Sept. 22 at 11:30 a.m. in the Small Farms Center. * Keith Johnson, an Extension forage specialist, and Chad Martin, an Extension renewable energy specialist, will provide information about the CENUSA project, an Iowa State University-based Midwest biofuels research initiative, all three days in the Energy Tent. * The Education Store will have a number of Purdue Extension publications for sale throughout the Review in the Firebaugh building. Purdue has been a presenting partner at Farm Science Review for 11 years. The Farm Science Review is hosted by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at Ohio State University. It draws more than 130,000 farmers, growers, producers and agricultural enthusiasts from across the United States and Canada annually. Participants can peruse 4,000 product lines from more than 600 commercial exhibitors and engage in educational opportunities with Ohio State and Purdue specialists.

Okay, normally this week would be a trip through yet another wonderful library of the world, but I have to share with you some exciting news: I’ve decided to become a criminal. - My specialty: Larceny - My item of choice: Raw Honey - My victims: My honeybees Yes, I’m proud to announce I have stolen my first bit of honey from my backyard hive . And they never knew what hit them (in other words, I didn’t get stung). Patience..or lack thereof… In a first-year hive, you’re not really supposed to take much from the worker girls to ensure they have enough honey to see themselves through winter, but by early August my hive was wall-to-wall comb meaning I had about 30 bars filled with comb. By early September, the comb was mostly filled with honey and pre-honey (aka nectar). By early October my patience and sugar tooth were both wearing thin. A little about making honey… When bees go off to visit plants, they help pollinate plants by spreading pollen around. As a reward, they get a little snack called nectar (bees also nibble on some pollen because it’s full of protein). The nectar gets taken home and stored away on the comb. Then the non-foraging bees (the younger bees of the hive) set to work evaporating off a huge amount of liquid from the nectar. They do this by fanning their wings…a lot! Nectar contains about 80% water. Honey contains only 18%. Yeah, when they say “busy as a bee” they mean it! Why do they need to go through all this? Because if there is too much water, the honey will ferment and then you’ve got a bunch of drunk workers staggering around the hive. Eventually, fermented honey will rot leaving the bees with nothing to eat (if they don’t die of alcohol poisoning first). Once the nectar reaches the “just right” moisture level, the bees make a nice little wax cap over it. The cap creates a seal that keeps moisture from whizzing back into the honey. When you pull out a comb and see the cells covered in a nice white layer of wax, your honey is ready. Which is why my patience was tested… Early in the summer my bees had already made plenty of honey along the top edge of the comb, but they were also laying brood (baby bees) in the bottom part of the comb. I didn’t want to destroy any brood to get honey so I waited. By late summer, most of the brood was out of the bars I was checking (I pretty much just check over the back half of the hive most of the time). There was still a nice line of capped honey across the top portion of the bars, but the bottom had only nectar. So I waited hoping my patience would pay off by checking every couple weeks for one comb to be fully capped. Checked in early September. Nope. Checked in late September. Nope. And then it was October… Before my hive check this weekend, I pulled out my top bar beekeeping book. It said if you can press on the comb cells and the nectar doesn’t run, the honey is ready, it just hasn’t been capped. With my finger ready for pressing, I dove into the hive. The bars were full of honey and nectar so I felt okay about the possibility of stealing one comb for myself. I mean, they owe me six months rent, after all. I pulled the very last bar out and pressed the cells. No runny nectar. Since cheering and jumping around leads to angry bees which leads to stinging bees, I had to contain my excitement until i got the comb inside. Since this was my first go at thievery, I had no idea how to hide the evidence. But the only way to learn, is to jump right in there and give it a go (which is why I don’t hang glide or fly planes…not much room for experimentation there). I set up a colander with some cheesecloth in it and then used a steak knife to cut away the comb. I expected some resistance, but the knife went through the comb like butter. I left about an inch of comb on the bar to give the girls a head start on building a new comb. Disappointing my husband who was licking the honey off the bar comb, I took the bar out to the hive and put it back in place. Back inside, I mashed the comb in the colander with a ladle. Then, I realized I forgot to put the colander in a container to catch the honey that would come oozing out. Oops. I quickly dropped the colander into my Dutch oven, put on the lid and then sealed everything up with a plastic bin bag. And then I waited. It was sunny out so I put the honey pot outside to take advantage of some solar energy to get the honey flowing more quickly. In the evening, I brought it in since I know the racoons in my neighborhood are smart enough to figure out how to get through a plastic sack. About 24 hours later, I figured I’d tapped the comb for all it had. I gave the comb a few more smashes before moving the comb (and cheesecloth) to a tray. The tray is now outside so the bees can clean up the wax which I’ll hopefully use for candles or hand salve or some other clever concoction. And into a couple little jelly jars, I scooped the honey. It’s only about 8 ounces, but it’s mine all mine! Thanks bees! The comb…the after picture. Sorry, bees. The bees have finally paid their rent!

Looking for something fun to do with the family this month? Whether you want to spend time inside, outside or both, here are several events to check out in March. Click on the event’s name to learn more! The Lion King At The Morris — March 4-22 2nd Annual Froggy 102.7 Family Dance – March 7 Art Fair at The Century Center — March 7-8 Winter Fun at Rum Village — March 8 Family Night At The Lion King at The Morris Performing Arts Center — March 11 - Join us for Kids’ Night on Broadway at Disney’s The Lion King on Wednesday, March 11. Seating is very limited for this offer – first-come, first-served for buy one adult ticket, get one child’s ticket free! There will be fun interactive activities and games prior to the show at The Granada at The Morris from 6 to 7 p.m. before the show begins at 7:30 p.m. B100’s Brittney Baily will also be at the show! Buy your tickets online with code KIDSNIGHT or call The Morris Box Office at 574-235-9190 — just make sure to say KIDS NIGHT! Kidz Bounce at South Gate Church — March 11 & 25 Kids Chicken Class at Success Academy — March 14 All Ages Mosaic Craft Night at Gallery 2910 — March 15 B100 Mom Squad Blood Drive — March 23 Free Beekeeping Class at IUSB — March 24 South Bend Auto Show — March 28-29

Osvaldo & Rita Bruni Heart of BioBruni Osvaldo and Rita, the very heart of Biobruni met in the South of Italy. Osvaldo's beekeeping journey took him near to the place where Rita was studying pottery and together they flourished through their passion for nature. In 1986 Osvaldo and Rita discovered and moved to the farm in Piemonte (northern Italy), this was the perfect place to set roots for business, for family and what was to become their way of life. Around 10 years later along side their joint passion for bees, Osvaldo couldn’t stop himself from having some goats to look after the land. In 2000 they were selling their first few bottles of organic fresh goats milk. After the milk came the yogurt, followed by kefir (fermented milk), and then the cheeses and of course their home was complete with their five children. In the last 15 years goat farming and production has taken the majority of Osvaldo’s effort. He committed himself to produce an alternative and unique concept of its time. Today, BioBruni is still an organic farm, one of its kind, producing organic dairy products to supply all across Italy. Along side the bees, goats and five children Rita also could not stand still. And she completed the circle of the farm with the “Agriturismo” where with her English roots and her natural welcoming spirit she can host friends and more in this special haven of nature and happiness. The Story Continues Samuele & Lisa Bruni Sam and Lisa met as their paths crossed in London. Sam was working within the food production business and Lisa was running her music publishing company. They connected through many common passions mainly to restart a life in the country. Sam had grown up on the BioBruni farm and Lisa in a small town between Oxford and London. They married and lived in Somerset, England where their passion for nature and the countryside took further hold of them. They moved to Italy at the start of 2016 to take on the dairy farm and production from Rita and Osvaldo. They both hold a sincere passion to see BioBruni develop into a sustainable business long into the future, contributing to the availability of choices for organic consumers across Italy. They are invested in developing the farm, dairy and experience of each member of the BioBruni team along with meeting the expectations of their valued growing consumers. we love happy goats. we are passionate to be one with nature.our commitment to organic is essential for our busy bees to thrive. our collaboration with the sustainability to grow our family farm for the future...

** Please note that this Made to order item may take 7-15 days to hand mount before dispatch ** All unique pieces of EYES collection are made to order. For more information or business inquiries. Please contact email@example.com Honeycomb pattern and natural linen texture provide a harmony character that easies with the eyes. It fits perfectly with both dark color and light color interior. The pattern is inspired by fine drawings of wonderful beekeeping process from the 18th-century French encyclopedia. In the EYES collection, these images were converted from the original drawings into simplified embroidery patterns with an intention to create a three-dimensional image from simple two-dimensional textile techniques. Beehive, Natural linen - Embroidery Wall Art Price includes VAT for Sweden and EU countries. Embroidery Wall Art :: Made to order Cardboard mounting *Exclude frame Width: 40 cm Height: 60 cm Colors: Natural linen, Black thread Designer: Chamaikarn Pai Chartsiri Made in: Thailand Main Material: 100% Linen Rayon thread embroidery

Bee Pollen (Bio) Here you will find three versions of our bee pollen. Our organic bee pollen has been obtained from certified organic Hungarian beekeeping installations and apiaries that are monitored and certified by the German ecological inspection board ABCERT (DE-ÖKO-006). The highly active Spanish pollen taste in contrast to the more tart Hungarian pollen slightly sweet. Bee Pollen are very rich in protein (about 25%), vitamins, minerals u.v.a. Ingredients and can ideally are stirred into cereal or yogurt.

These vouchers make the perfect gift for any beekeeping or honey enthusiast!🍯 With this voucher you can purchase from our wide range of beeswax creams, candles, food wraps, our selection of raw honeys, or even a beekeeping tour where you can come and meet the bees! 🐝 Don’t delay, head over to our storeto get your order in today to be ready for Christmas!🎄 We are pleased to announce that you can now order custom gift hampers directly from our website!🎁 Choose from our wide selection of beeswax products and our own range of raw honeys to make the perfect hamper. Head over to ourhamper page to order yours in time for Christmas!🎄 For the next week our homemade Beard wax and Hair Wax are on sale with 20% off. Our Beard wax can be used as a balm for the beard and as an aftershave to help sooth skin irritation. Can tame the wildest of beards. Also a great moisturiser! The hair wax is fantastic styling putty, with a strong hold. The wax can also help heal and strengthen damaged hair. Visit our store to get yours! This Halloween, to celebrate the spooky season, we are having a sale on our range of candles, with 20% off!🎃 Our Candles are handmade in Ireland from pure beeswax. Unscented, these candles produce a pleasant, natural smell. Beeswax is a renewable resource and no chemicals are used in the production of these candles. Head over to our shop to get yours now!🦇 For the next week we are running a Candles andCosmetics sale with 20% off, just in time for Mother’s Day! Our creams are made from the beeswax from our own hives and other natural organic ingredients. Our candles are handmade in Ireland from Rainbow Candles. Unscented, these candles produce a pleasant, natural smell. Head over to our store now to get your order in time for Mother’s Day! For the next 7 day you can get a range Beeswax food wraps on sale with 20% off! Bee Green Wraps promote healthy homes and healthy lunch boxes. The wraps are made by infusing natural fibres with a special blend of beeswax, tree resin and certified organic jojoba oil. Bee Green Wraps are perfect for storing/covering/wrapping fruit, veg, garden produce, nuts, sandwiches, cheese, bread, crackers, and fermented foods in your pantry, fridge or lunchbox. Head over to our store to see our range. Our Beeswax Lip Balms are now on sale with 20% off. Our lip balms are made from the beeswax from our own hives and other natural organic ingredients. They soften and moisturise dry and cracked lips. The balm has good healing properties and is beneficial in the prevention and healing of cold sores. We make lip balms in two fragrances; Lavender and Orange. Head over to our store to get your’s today! For the next week our Beeswax hand creams are on sale with 20% off! Our hand creams are made from the beeswax from our own hives and other natural organic ingredients. The cream moisturises and conditions and can soften rough callused hands. The cream also has great healing properties and is great when used on small cuts, scars and burns. Feedback from clients has found our cream is beneficial for brittle nails. The hand cream comes in two fragrances; Orange/Peppermint, and Lavender.Visit our storeto get your while the sale lasts. For orders outside Ireland/UK, please contact us re postage prices Dismiss

The arson attack on the Skouries mining site and its aftermath Originally posted here: http://international.radiobubble.gr/2013/02/the-arson-attack-on-skouries-mining.html An arson attack took place on the worksite of mining company Hellas Gold in the Skouries forest in north-eastern Halkidiki in the night from 16 to 17 February 2013. An initial report, posted by the pro-mining blog “Citizen of the Aristotelis Municipality”, stated that 50 to 70 individuals wearing full-face hoods and armed with shotguns and petrol bombs entered the site shortly after midnight and set equipments and vehicles on fire. The report further claimed that the assailants immobilized the two security guards who were on the site and held them hostage after dousing them with petrol and threatening to set them on fire. The value of the shares of the majority owner of Hellas Gold, Canadian company Eldorado Gold, dropped by 6% in the Toronto stock exchange following news of the attack. The Skouries forest is at the centre of a hot dispute between the mining company, Hellas Gold, which is owned at 95% by Canadian mining giant Eldorado Gold and at 5% by Greek public works company Hellaktor, and local communities. The company claims that a pharaonic plan for mining of gold and copper in the area will benefit the region through the creation of some 5,000 direct and indirect jobs, while local residents argue that not only the dubious terms under which mining rights were transferred to Hellas Gold mean that the Greek State will receive no financial benefits from the mining project, but also that activities planned by Hellas Gold will cause massive damage to the environment which will in turn lead to the loss of many more jobs in the existing sectors of the local economy (farming, animal husbandry, fisheries, beekeeping, food processing and tourism). The residents’ claims are supported by research conducted by various independent scientific institutions such as the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Technical Chamber of Macedonia. The fact that the company has the support of the government in the name of “securing foreign investments” has often resulted in extremely heavy-handed police tactics against protesting residents, for example during a demonstration on 21 October 2012. More radiobubble reporting on this issue is available on the tag Skouries (in English, French and Spanish) as well as here, here and here (in Greek). There was considerable confusion as to what happened exactly on the mining worksite in the night of 16 to 17 February. The claim that the security guards were taken hostage, tied up and doused with fuel spread through the media even though it was not confirmed in the press release of Eldorado Gold or the statement issued by Hellas Gold. According to Greek news website TVXS, local media reported that police officers denied that there had been a hostage situation following the attack on the site, as security guards pulled back after seeing the group of 40 or so people who were coming. The official statement issued by the Ministry of Public Order after Minister Nikos Dendias travelled to the regional capital of Halkidiki, Polygyros, did not mention any specific events; it merely reported that the Minister said: ” First, Greece is a European State with the rule of law. Second, we all have the obligation to secure the possibility of foreign investments in this country. It is well-known that this is the only solution to face the huge and dramatic problem of unemployment. Thank you.” Security camera footage of the attack, which was released to the media, also shows no evidence of a hostage situation. All indications are therefore that the claim that guards were taken hostage and doused with fuel by the assailants does not stand, even though it was repeated ad nauseam on TV talk shows and included in the statements of security guards to the police. The police proceeded to a first wave of random detentions in the morning of 17 February. Local residents contacted by phone told us that, of the first 27 people who were detained in the moutain villages near Skouries, some were company employees who favour the implementation of the mining project. This first group was released before another group of 4 people was detained, who were also released within hours. Things became more serious however when an arrest warrant in flagrante was issued in the night from 17 to 18 February against three prominent community members who oppose the mining project, Lazaros Toskas, Tolis Papageorgiou and Maria Kadoglou. The warrant was based on statements by the worksite’s security guards to the police, which repeated the claims that they were taken hostage and doused with petrol by the assailants. At the end of his statement, one of the guards argued that these three individuals were the moral instigators of the attack, as “all three, in posts on the internet and statements to the media, incited opponents [of the mining project] to acts of violence.” Another one argued that “Tolis Papageorgiou said in a recent speech in Komotini that he opposes mining and doesn’t care if his struggle against it results in the loss of human life, Lazaros Toskas is present in every protest against the company and Maria Kadoglou, through the web page she administrates, incites people to protest against the company.” The police managed to locate and arrest Lazaros Toskas, who was taken to the Polygyros court for trial on 18 February (Papageorgiou and Kadoglou could not be located before the in flagrante arrest warrant ran out in the evening of 18 February.) His arrest generated an outpouring of solidarity on the internet due to the flimsiness of the charges brought against him. As a prominent member of the local chapter of opposition party SYRIZA, Toskas also had the full backing of his party, which expressed outrage at the fact that his arrest was clearly targeting the party itself. A large solidarity gathering of friends, neighbours, party members and fellow residents of Halkidiki was waiting for him outside the courthouse and broke into applause when he walked free after the trial. Upon his release, Toskas filed a counter-lawsuit against his accusers for false statements and diffamation. The Polygyros prosecutor returned the indictment documents to the police, demanding that the investigation be continued and a stronger argument be made in order to continue pursuing the case. The case file has now been transferred from Polygyros to Thessaloniki, where an investigator has been appointed to determine if the attack on the worksite can be defined as an act of terrorism. The assault on the Skouries worksite generated extensive coverage on Greek media on 18 February, giving the mining issue more exposure on mainstream media than it had for the several previous months. It must be noted however that evening talk shows essentially provided a platform to local and national politicians who support the mining project (in particular to the mayor of the mining region, Christos Pachtas, whom opponents accuse of being behind the dubious transaction through which the mines found themselves in the possession of Hellas Gold in 2003 when he was deputy minister of finance), while giving little air time to the grievances of local residents and to the damage the project would cause to the environment. TV talk shows also spent considerable time discussing the alleged hostage situation, despite the fact that all indications are that the allegations are false. As of 19 February, the police is still conducting detentions of residents in the villages of Ierissos and Megali Panagia near Skouries, without however having been able to indict or arrest anyone on credible accusations. Local activists report that the police are demanding that detainees handover DNA samples and threaten them with prosecution for insubordination if they refuse to comply. Update 20 February 2013 – 10:20am A local resident we contacted on the phone confirmed that the police is taking DNA samples from detainees, threatening with arrest for insubordination if they fail to comply. Furthermore, there were police cars staffed with two hooded individuals outside the anti-mining coordination meeting in Ierissos yesterday, taking down the registration numbers of vehicles parked outside the meeting venue. The coordination meeting decided to hold an anti-mining demonstration in the village of Megali Panagia on Sunday 24 February. Update 20 February – 11:45pm A resident of Ierissos we contacted on the phone reported that hooded policemen have been conducting patrols by car and on foot in the afternoon. Furthermore, two residents of Ierissos were detained by the police and held incommunicado for 5 hours in the precinct of the regional capital Polygyros. Relatives, lawyers and the local SYRIZA MP were deliberately lied to by the police chief, who said that he had no idea on the matter. The mother of one of the detainees, who was standing outside the precinct waiting for news, saw her son through the basement window and contacted the lawyer, who confronted the police chief. When the lawyer argued that this was akin to kidnapping, the police chief answered that “it hadn’t been 48 hours yet.” The entire village of Ierissos gathered in protest outside their own precinct until they learned that the detainees had been released. The residents intend to sue all the policemen who lied about the whereabouts of the detainees. – detailed liveblog of developments since 17 February on Alterthess (in Greek) – background documentary on opposition to mining in the area: “Gold in the time of the crisis: the treasure of Cassandra” by the Exandas Documentaries team (in Greek, English subs to be available soon). The police made several statements to the media through its spokespeople and by e-mail but had not published any official press release on its website at the time of writing. The blog managed by Maria Kadoglou, Hellenic Mining Watch, is a valuable source of information about mining plans and activities in Greece (in Greek).

Peel’s is South Africa’s oldest honey brand – we only sell 100% pure honey produced by local beekeepers and proudly South African bees. Our honeys are non-irradiated to ensure that our honey retains all its natural benefits and is unadulterated – so it’s all real honey! The Peel’s story is a journey: one man’s journey, the journey of a honey brand, a taste journey. We have three ranges – the Travelogue Range, the Farmstall Range and the Legacy Range – each paying homage to the authenticity of Peel’s brand in their own way! The Travelogue Range will hopefully encourage an appreciation for South Africa’s beekeeping culture and the art of beekeeping in that you realise that our speciality honeys not only offer an adventure in taste but also in texture, smell and colour. From the golden nectar that is Orange Blossom Honey to the silkiness of Saligna Honey and the nutty flavour of Macadamia Honey, we know that you will soon discover your favourite honey! This range also includes our Honeycomb… straight from the beehive, pure honey in its most natural form… Our Travelogue Range invites you to enjoy the taste of pure honey and the breath of flavours imbued through nature’s subtleties! No road trip is complete without visiting a farmstall on the way; full of delicious raw produce. Rustic wooden crates, honest sacks of potatoes, unpretentious blackboard pricing, a personal touch. We are transported to a simpler time. From nature to the table, we bring you our Farmstall Range. Our Farmstall Range keeps things simple! This includes our familiar squeeze bottle full of Liquid Honey goodness consisting of multiflora honey, our Raw Honey and Creamed Honey which are jars of golden coloured joy; and, of course, our range of delicious nut butters, including Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Macadamia Butter, and our very own Raw Honey and Peanut Butter Mix. Our Farmstall Range persuades you to step back into in time and to (re)develop a passion for the simple life! A range of artisanal old-world indulgences, inspired by our pioneering founders, Jack and Doris Peel. At the heart of our tasty treats is Doris’ love and commitment to providing sweet delights to travellers at Jack’s landmark stop in the scenic Midlands Meander. Made with pure honey and selected nuts, every honey buy should be accompanied by honey-infused Brittles, Honey Fudge, Honeycomb Rock or our Caramel Crunch! Our Legacy Range is a taste of the sweetness of indulgence and reminds us that sometimes life takes a nostalgic turn!

Established in 1971 and with more than 100 employees, Adam’s provides pest management and lawn services to residential and commercial customers throughout Minnesota, western Wisconsin, northern Iowa, and the eastern Dakotas. Adam's Pest Control's main office is located in Medina, with a second office located in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Technicians are located throughout our service area. Adam's Offers Generous Compensation and Benefits - Paid training - Paid time off - Health care plans for you and your family - 401(k) Plan with company match - Hourly/ salary + commission incentives for new sales - Ongoing training throughout the year - Start and end your day at home with a provided company vehicle; all expenses covered* - Pay increase for completing advanced training* - Pay increase for earning your Master Pest Control license* - An initial set of uniforms and an ongoing yearly uniform allowance* - A shared cell phone plan and all of the tools and equipment you will need* *Applicable to Technician positions Learn more, schedule an informational interview today. Adam’s offers online informational interviews that let you get to know our company and culture. You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and discover if a career in pest control is right for you. A Career in Pest Management What is pest control?Pest control is reducing or eliminating different types of unwanted insects and wildlife that adversely impact human activities. Pests are “controlled” through exclusion, repulsion, physical removal, and chemical, mechanical, or biological means. The U.S. Bureau of Labor projects a 20 percent increase in job growth for the professional pest management industry through 2022 -- faster than the average for most other occupations. This growth indicates solid, stable employment opportunities and strong prospects for career advancement. The professional pest management industry offers opportunities for everyone, including high school graduates who are not planning to attend college and women seeking a career track with work/life balance. If you are ready to improve other people’s lives — and in the process improve your own — join us! Why is pest control important? Pest Management Professionals enjoy clarity and purpose in their work. Every day, we’re making a positive impact in the world. Pest Management Professionals (PMP’s) improve their customers’ lives in very real and important ways: from protecting the reputation of a small business person, to keeping our food supply safe, to relieving anxiety so a family can sleep soundly. And we see the results right away … in the smile of a regular customer, the gratitude expressed when we eliminate a frightening situation, and the peace of mind our customers feel knowing our prevention techniques are keeping their homes and families safe. Pest Management is a Great Career for WomenWomen who love learning, helping others, and are seeking a rewarding career that offers flexibility are discovering the benefits of being a pest management professional. No prior experience? No problem. We’ll teach you everything you need to know and give you all the hands-on experience you need to be successful. Most of our best technicians had never considered a career in pest management before applying. Want to learn more? Set up an on-line informational interview to explore the possibilities. Adam’s has a strong commitment to supporting women in professional pest management. We are proud to sponsor the Professional Women in Pest Management (PWIPM), an affiliate group of the National Pest Management Association whose mission is to attract, develop and support women in the pest management industry through educational programs, resources, and peer networking. Adam’s helped to start and is active in the local PWIPM chapter. What does a Pest Management Professional do? Innovation/problem solving – Being a successful pest management professional means correctly identifying the pest, choosing the best control method for the situation, and helping the customer make the necessary changes to keep the pest from coming back. Real responsibilities – Our Pest Management Professionals work independently to meet the needs of their customers. They are responsible for demonstrating Adam’s values, as well as solving and preventing real problems. Variety – No day is ever the same. They face new challenges with each customer and have the authority and flexibility to solve the customer’s problem. Get to be outdoors – If you’re not one who wants to be stuck in an office all day, then a Pest Management Professional might be the right career for you. Our techs are on the go, solving pest problems inside and outside. Always growing - Adam’s pest professionals are always growing in knowledge and experience. They are constantly learning more from internal company training, vendor training, field training, and state provided continuing education seminars. Pest Management Professional Qualifications Ability and desire to learnPest Management Professionals (PMPs) are licensed by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture and are required to pass certification examinations. Whether you have many years of pest management experience or none at all, you will receive extensive training and support to prepare you to pass the exams. Your training does not end once you are assigned a route. Adam's provides continuing education through regular training meetings and online training modules. Ability to work independently Adam’s PMPs typically operate out of their trucks and from their homes throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. This allows our PMPs to be closer to their customers for better response times and more efficient service delivery. Adam’s provides you with a truck and all the tools and equipment necessary to provide the services. Ability to build relationships Providing technically sound and consistent services is only one aspect of what it takes to be a successful Adam’s PMP. You should also be able to develop relationships with your customers – some of whom may be distressed over their pest problem. Being comfortable talking with your customers about the service you provided and how the customer can prevent the problem from recurring is an important skill you should have. In short, you should: - Have the eyes of a hunter - Have the mind of a detective - Like to help people - Like variety - Like to learn - Be self-motivated - Be responsible - Be looking for opportunities to advance A Day in the Life of a Technician A work day for an Adam’s pest management professional is an active one. The first thing most technicians do is log into our proprietary software to check their work assignments for the day. Before leaving home, they make sure their vehicles are fully stocked with the products and tools for the jobs they have to complete that day. Daily stops may include single-family residences or commercial businesses like apartments, warehouses, offices, healthcare facilities, hotels, and restaurants. With the use of our sophisticated, yet easy to use routing software, service scheduling has become much more effective. Commercial technicians primarily perform regular pest prevention for an existing customer base, while residential technicians’ appointments are scheduled by the contact center agents and may include service calls on new customers who are experiencing serious or persistent pest problems. Because of where we live, we don’t have a predominant pest like other areas of the country (such as fire ants, termites, or scorpions). Therefore, in a single day an Adam’s pest professional might prevent ants and spiders, trap mice, and fog for mosquitoes and ticks. They might be called to get rid of wood destroying insects, or harmless but annoying bugs, and pests that can introduce health risks. Adam’s pest management professionals follow a specific protocol. First, we talk with our customer about the pest issue and their concerns. Then we conduct a thorough examination of the infested area, carefully looking for sources and causes of the pest problem. Adam’s professionals then discuss the findings with their customers and explain the various methods that are available to solve the issue. The technicians then perform the service, which typically involves spraying an appropriate pesticide in an environmentally responsible and safe manner. Before the technicians leave the job site, they explain the services that were performed and inform their customers of steps that can be taken to prevent or minimize re-infestations. As you can tell, being an Adam’s PMP requires many skills, including patience and empathy in dealing with customers who are often distressed about their infestations; hunting and detective skills to find the pest and its source; understanding the pest’s behavior and how to effectively treat it; and people skills to help customers understand the pests and how to prevent them. At the end of the day, you will likely feel satisfaction and pride in a job well done, knowing that you truly helped your customers. You will look forward to tomorrow and the unique challenges the day will bring; confident in your ability and the support you get from the entire Adam’s team. All the Training You Need to be Sucessful We want you to succeed. No matter which position you take with Adam’s, we want you to be a success. That’s why every year since 1971, Adam’s has invested in advanced training and state-of-the-art technology and equipment. Adam’s founder always said he’d rather spend more money on training and less money on lawyers. And that philosophy continues to this day. Our legacy of investing in training, a willingness to evaluate and improve our training, and expanding our training to accommodate our growth through new innovations, like our interactive training library, help Adam’s maintain our consistent excellent customer service that is second to none. New Employee Training Every new employee attends an orientation session. The orientation includes a presentation on Adam’s Mission, Vision, and Values and an introduction to our corporate culture based on our company motto: “To Be the Best, We Must Do the Best!” We believe our technicians can better control a pest if they have a thorough knowledge of its biology and habits. Correctly identifying the pest is fundamental to eliminating it from a home or business. Knowing how it forages for food, where it lives, and its reproductive habits often allow us to not only treat the presenting problem, but also the cause. Adam’s training process for technicians begins with one-on-one classroom training with our in-house entomologist, Dr. Mohammed El Damir, BCE. In this training you will learn about the biology and habits of common pests, laws governing the pest control industry, and other subjects included in the certification exams. Don’t be concerned with taking the exams. Dr. El Damir has an impressive track record for preparing technicians to pass the exams. Once licensed, your supervisor will show you Adam’s way of doing business with hands-on field training. Adam’s commitment to better trained technicians using the latest, industry-proven techniques means faster, better solutions to our customers’ pest problems. Adam’s commitment to training does not stop once our techs are licensed. Your training does not end once you are assigned a route. Your manager, Dr. El Damir, and your fellow technicians will support you in the field by helping you solve unfamiliar pest problems and answering any questions you may have. Adam's provides continuing education through regular training meetings and online training modules. You will attend the Minnesota state pest conference each spring. You will also be encouraged and given a significant monetary incentive to complete and pass online and correspondence courses. With experience, additional courses will be made available to you. What it is like to work at Adams Whether you join Adam’s as a Pest Management Professional or as a member of our internal support team, your hard work will matter and will be appreciated. Adam’s offers the flexibility to contribute with an emphasis on getting tasks done well and on time, rather than how you complete a task. Productivity, engagement, and delivering high quality work are what matter at Adam’s Pest Control. Moreover, every Adam’s Pest Control employee has... - Opportunity to work on challenging and complex problems - Access to relevant new technologies - Opportunities to work in teams - The respect of his/her colleagues - Coaching and mentorship opportunities - A trusted manager who is invested and interested in their professional and personal development - Access to multiple career tracks We have fun, too! Popcorn Thursdays, Get Active, Biggest Loser (weight loss competition), Virtual Happy Hour, Christmas in July, Walk for the Animals, and Toys for Tots are just a few examples of the many regular employee appreciation and engagement activities at Adam’s Pest Control. But most of all, it is our culture of respect for one another that fosters the comradery and enjoyment we have coming to work. What Employees Say About Working at Adam’s: “What I like best about working at Adam's is the respect I am given as an employee. My supervisors trust me to do my job correctly and are great at communicating. I also love the autonomy. The ability to work simultaneously as an individual and as a team creates high job satisfaction. My favorite part of the job is when I can create harmony with the customer to eradicate pests and when everyone feels they are getting a good deal.” -Evan Rollo, Technician “I enjoy meeting new customers, building relationships, educating them on pests and how to fix or prevent the problem, and making them happy. I also enjoy the freedom of being my own manager and being responsible for all my equipment, vehicle, and route; and the independence of the job but knowing I have outstanding support staff, supervisors, technicians, and resources at my disposal to get the job done professionally. I like the feeling of coming home exhausted from working a hard day, but knowing I accomplished something and helped somebody with a problem. I like that I get a great feeling of accomplishment from this job. It is especially gratifying when a customer is very happy with my service and lets me know by calling the company or recommending me to other people.” -Josh Walden, Technician “What I like best about working at Adam's is the flexibility in scheduling. It gives me the ability to have a work/life balance that benefits my whole family. I also like that I wake up looking forward to going to work. I get to spend my day helping solve homeowners’ pest concerns; and I feel a sense of fulfillment when I leave a service knowing I have helped our customers.” -Craig Clement, Residential Service Manager “One of the best career decisions I have ever made is becoming part of the Adams team. I feel appreciated and that I can have an impact here. Leadership genuinely cares and works hard to make sure I am successful as the company and I continue to grow. It is very rewarding to be able to work closely with my team and to be able to provide industry-leading tools, comprehensive training, and advanced technology to service our customers more effectively than most other service providers.” -Jeff Katzenberger, Chief Operating Officer “The best part of coming to work each day is the people I work with. Everyone on Adam's team -- from administration to technicians to management -- share the same common goal of supporting each other. I have never worked for a more wonderful company that makes you feel like you are part of a "family" that cares for one another and helps each other succeed. As someone who is not a fan of monotony, I find my career choice very satisfying. The pest management industry is constantly evolving with service techniques, products, and policies. Every day I meet different people as I go throughout my day. But the best part of my job is the ongoing opportunity I have to improve myself, our technicians, our company, and even our industry as a whole.” - Chloe Lindquist, Human Resources Coordinator “Adam’s is a great organization for personal growth and development. I started here over 30 years ago as the receptionist. Over the years, I have had many opportunities to learn new skills and to take on more responsibilities. The owners and other managers are really terrific people. They are honest, respectful, and have been very good to me. I like the people I work with; everyone is friendly and supportive. I’d recommend working at Adam’s.” -Patty Weinand, Accounts Processor More about Adams Pest Control Respect: Demonstrating courtesy toward others while recognizing their rights and wishes Integrity: Consistently meeting high moral principles and professional standards Service: Helpful activities resulting in outstanding customer satisfaction Excellence: Constant and never-ending improvement of the ways we do business Growth: Stretching to reach higher corporate and personal development goals Stability: Measured and predictable response to change and market opportunities A Workplace Culture of Learning, Improving, and Growing Adam’s company culture emphasizes respect and integrity, encourages collaboration, and recognizes each employee's strengths to make our company more productive and efficient. - We encourage and create opportunities for lifelong learning. - We celebrate personal development, as well as learning skills that can be used in your job. - We support a healthy work-life balance. - We have proactive policies on equality and diversity. A Reputation You Can be Proud of The reputation of the company you work for matters. And you can be proud to say you work for Adam’s Pest Control. As one of the largest and most well-known local pest control companies in our area, your friends and family are probably already familiar with our brand. We are known for our professionalism and expertise, our past success, and our community involvement. Adam’s employees regularly serve in positions of leadership in the state and national pest control organizations; and local news agencies look for Adam’s to share its expertise and accurate pest information. Adam’s also enjoys a reputation for giving back to the community. Adam’s Cares is an internal program that financially supports charities that are important to our employees. In addition, Adam’s supports many local, national and international nonprofit organizations, including local community events and sports teams, the Animal Humane Society, the University of Minnesota Dept. of Entomology, Toys for Tots, and Nothing But Nets. A Tradition of Growth and Stability Adam’s has grown each year since 1971. Adam’s management team guides our growth with an even-handed, long-term perspective that results in a financially sound and stable business. Steady growth and financial stability benefit every employee with security, peace of mind, and new opportunities. Anyone who has worked at a company with rocky financial performance can tell you, Adam’s stability enables you to better plan your personal life and financial situation, as well as achieve your personal career goals. A Legacy of Innovation Innovation stimulates growth and expands opportunities. We believe to stay competitive in an ever-changing world, we must constantly innovate, challenge the norms, and encourage new ideas. We call this philosophy our Constant and Never-ending Improvement - or CANI -- process. We welcome you to be part of Adam’s ongoing quest to be the best. Innovation is in Adam’s DNA. We have a long history of innovation beginning with creating a device that snapped onto the bottom of a one-gallon compressed air sprayer and was designed to carry tools and insecticide refills -- and the Fireplace Animal Rescue Unit, used to catch small animals in chimneys. Adam’s was also the first pest control company in Minnesota - and one of the first in the country - to use heat to kill bed bugs; and was the first pest control company in Minnesota with two nationally certified bed bug detection dogs. Adam’s Demonstrates its Environmental Consciousness At first, environmental consciousness and conservancy may seem inconsistent with a pest management company, but not when that company is Adam’s Pest Control. As an early adopter of Integrated Pest Management, Adam’s was the first pest control company in the nation to offer GreenPro-certified services under the National Pest Management Association’s new, higher standards. It also shouldn’t be surprising that Adam’s is an advocate for protecting bees and other pollinators. We championed getting the local ordinances changed to allow beekeeping on commercial properties. Adam’s began beekeeping in June, 2019 when we first introduced approximately 12,000 bees to their new hive. The hive is located in the rear corner of Adam’s property with access to a large wetlands area and nearby farms.

Welcome to San Diego Beekeeping Society! Join us in our mission to educate and encourage responsible beekeeping. Our members range from beginners to advanced beekeepers. If you want to become a beekeeper or be involved in the San Diego beekeeping community, become a member! Currently you can become a member by joining us on Meetup , paying your annual dues, and sending your email address to SDBS to receive email notices and invitations. And join our Facebook Group to join the conversation. Annual dues are $20, usually paid in January, but are paid the month new members join. Dues support bee education and events for our community throughout the year. Currently, the SDBS is accepting dues through the following sites: We meet on the 2nd Monday of each month, except for holidays. Due to COVID-19 concerns, we are meeting virtually via Zoom until local restrictions are lifted. Please look for meeting announcements through MeetUp. We also schedule events and classes throughout the year. Check our MeetUp page for upcoming events. 1650 El Prado, Majorca Room, San Diego, CA 92101

An OS update, which I thought I had installed weeks ago, put an end to my horrid keyboard lag problem, and I can now type freely. Color me happy. I have other happy news: My "baby" bee colony (started for and given to me by a kind and generous beekeeping neighbor) is growing splendidly, contrary to the fear that took hold of me when J told me he thought, due to the lack of visible activity, the hive was dying. I bought J a bee suit today--as well as two for the kids (I wish I had a pic of Farmer Boy in his, but it is on J's phone)--and we went to check the state of the hive. Thank the Lord, the bees are doing so well that I went ahead and added a super on top of the main hive body to give the bees room to stock honey so that the queen can continue laying... I pray the workers can gather enough nectar to complete their honey stores for the winter. Since I am just starting out, I don't want to be faced with the moral dilemma of letting my bees starve or feed them sugar. :-/ We now have a duck sitting on a clutch of four Khaki Campbell eggs and eight Indian Runner eggs. It seemed a pity to let the duck sit on only four eggs, so we went ahead and bought the IR eggs in hopes of getting a flock for slug patrol. Now for a bit of grimmer news, we only have one duckling left from the incubator clutch (and she* still doesn't look like a Khaki Campbell); however, the two goslings hatched well and are growing. We named the three after Narnia characters, so we have Lucy (duck), and Polly and Diggory (geese). Today, we had to kill yet another sick hen. It is so heartbreaking to have to do that. That was why I was really in a funk until we checked the bees and saw they were OK. It is hard raising life and harvesting death. Sometimes, when a series of bad things happen, you really forget to look up and take stock of all the progress you have made. I have been reminding myself of late how much more my garden is approaching my ideal now than it was when we bought the place. If I can find them, I will post some Then and Now photos. This year, barring an unforeseen disaster, we should have a very nice eggplant and pepper harvest, and my tomatoes are looking good. I might even get lots of carrots. We have already pulled up some hefty early potatoes, and I had my first-ever successful garlic harvest. We're eating cucumbers and have had zucchini since the last week of May.** Last year it was too hot, and this year is on the cooler side, so other harvests are slow in coming. I am not sure pumpkins and such will have time to ripen because my plants are barely setting fruit. :-/ The winter was so mild that the garden has a pretty hefty pest load ,and all my first sowings of beans were completely wiped out. My okra was so shocked and stunted--those that have survived the insects--probably aren't going to do anything at all either. Such is the the growing year.... Better not to put all your eggs--or seeds--in one basket. *If Sprout's and my fledgling skills are anything to go by, after vent sexing the goslings, we have a goose and a gander. **We've eaten plenty of other stuff, too, like peas, beets, salads, rocket and mustard, cabbage, etc. from the cooler days on...

Last Updated: 22 April 2021 If this is your first harvest, then you may want to focus on getting the basic equipment first. Honey Harvesting Equipment that all Beekeepers must have The primary supplies a beekeeper needs to harvest honey will consist of a complete beekeeper suit, a hive tool, smoker with fuel, tank, strainers, honey extractor and jars to store your honey in. There’s a lot more, but we’ll just focus on the essentials. 1. Honey Harvesting Equipment Honey extracting equipment is used to remove honey from the combs while at the same time preserving the combs’ physical state for future use. These mechanical devices mainly feature large drums that serve as the extraction chamber where the honeycombs are placed. Once the honeycombs are harvested, they are transferred into the drums which are then set to spin at high speeds, forcing all the honey out. Simply put, the extractor was designed to employ centrifugal force in order to extract the honey out of the comb while keeping it intact. However, while extractors are important, you’ll also need to secure a few other things in order to properly go through the process of honey extraction. Two of the most common types of extractors are classified as either radial or tangential extractors. Although both kinds of devices serve the same purpose, they differ in how each of their frames is positioned in the extractor basket. Radial extractors have frames that are positioned inside the basket with the top side facing outwards while, the tangential extractor features frames that have only one side of the frame facing outwards. Compared to the latter type of honey extracting equipment, the Radial extractors would require a lesser amount of energy to operate. For that reason, radial extractors are more often used for commercial purposes. Additionally, extractors also come in a variety of sizes. Larger extractors are basically intended for commercial uses while the smaller ones are ideal for small-scale businesses and hobbyists. Usually, the larger types of extractors can hold over a hundred of frames at once. This allows you to extract gallons of honey in no time. However, the smaller types of extractor can hold up to three or four times at once. However, regardless of which type of equipment you choose, you’ll have to make sure it suits the purpose as well as your budget. Take a look at look at our list of recommended honey extractors here. 2. Beekeeping Suit For the beginning beekeeper, safety will be your primary concern. Therefore, one of the most important aspect you will need for a harvest, is a beekeeping suit. Since the face and neck are the most vulnerable part of the human body, a hat and veil are the most important part of your beekeeping suit. A good beekeeping suit offers ample protection from the bees stinger, protecting the beekeeper from the bee’s venom. A full beekeeping suit consists of a lightweight, full-length overall, with a hat and veil, and gloves. Although some beekeepers find wearing gloves too cumbersome while performing delicate beekeeping tasks, gloves serve as an important part of protecting beekeeper’s hands while harvesting honey. Bees don’t like wooly or coarse fabric so keep it smooth. Also, stay clear of any material that has an oily or animal scent, it may attract swarms of bees to you. Make sure your suit is fully covered up and that any gaps are sealed off. It’s also a good idea to choose only thick materials that will not overheat, but at the same time will be thick enough to withstand bee stingers. Take a look at our list of recommended bee suits here. 3. Bee Smoker This is an important honey harvesting equipment, especially if you want to avoid stings from angry bees. Beekeepers use a “smoker” as a way to calm the bees in order to harvest their honey. The smoke dulls their receptors and stops the guard bees from releasing an alarm signal -pheromones. It basically disorients the bees and makes them retreat deeper into the hive. With only a few bees surrounding the frames, the process of harvesting honey is made so much easier. The smoke also makes them eat more honey, which further soothes them! A smoker is designed to emit smoke by using various fuels. Many different natural types of fuel can be used including hessian, twine, burlap, pine needles, corrugated cardboard, or rotten wood. 4. Honey Strainer After using a honey extracting equipment, you’ll have honey ready for packaging. But before you pour the honey in jar and brand it as your own, you’ll first need to remove any impurities. The easiest way to do this is by using a honey strainer. You can use a regular kitchen strainer or colander, but I recommend a professional honey strainer for the job. An effective honey strainer will separate impurities like bits of wood, bee parts, wax and any other unwanted particles from the honey. Once you’ve poured the honey through the strainer, you’ll be left with pure, clear honey that will make you proud! 5. Bee Brush The bee brush is one tool that is usually recommended for new beekeepers. The brush is used to remove bees from the comb during harvesting. It is also used for other purposes like queen rearing, making splits and more. The reason the bee brush is an essential tool is that it gently removes bees from the frames without killing the bees. The brush is usually made of soft bristles that are uniquely designed to remove the bees without causing any harm. During a honey harvest, you will need the bee brush to sweep each frame before putting it into the extractor. This is one job that requires care and can be time-consuming if you have a lot of bees. The point is to carefully remove the bees from the frame by using the brush and also positioning the frame in a way that the bees will come off without getting entangled or breaking their legs in the process. The best way to do this is to turn the frames upside down before you start brushing. You will discover that the bees will simply fall off the frames with minimal loss to you. Some beekeepers place the frame in an upward position and still get the same results. However, they are strategic about the way they brush, The honeycomb is constructed in a way that both sides angle up from the middle of the comb. Because of this angle, you have to brush the bees in the same direction as the angle. Going against the angle is like going up against a tide – it will a harmful effect which can kill the bees. 6. Honey Uncapping Knife An uncapping knife is used in making clean, quick cuts through wax cappings on the honeycomb. The wax cappings usually create an airtight seal around the cells housing the honey, and this makes it very hard to extract the honey. With an electrically heated uncapping knife, you can easily take off the cap on a honeycomb and extract the honey easily. Another alternative to an electric uncapping knife is a jagged edge or saw-like knife. Make sure the knife is clean, hot and dry so it mimics the effect of an electric knife before using it. To make it hot, dip it in hot water and wipe off the water with a clean cloth before using it. Remember, you don’t want any contaminants, so you must ensure that the knife is clean and rust-free. 7. Double Uncapping Tank This is a handy tool used to collect wax cappings as they are sliced off with an uncapping knife. An uncapping tank is great to have when harvesting honey. These tanks are useful for processing the frames before putting them in the extractor. Simply uncap your frames over the tank and you can collect the honey in the tank. The tank comes with a honey gate that helps you in processing the honey more effectively. It separates the wax cappings from the honey itself and helps increase your yield while reducing processing time. 8. Honey Uncapping Fork Yet another useful honey harvesting equipment that you can’t do without is the honey uncapping fork. Uncapping forks are used in scratching the cappings that uncapping knives missed. It’s a great tool for scratching open tough cappings on the honeycomb. You can use it instead of an uncapping knife or simply for prying open the unyielding cells that your knife cannot open. Either way, it will do a good job every time! 9. Honey Storage Bottles or Jars Another important honey harvesting equipment is the honey jars. You need to store the harvested honey in an airtight jar with a lid. Use a jar made with material that will preserve it for a long time. Food-grade plastic or glass is the number one choice of many beekeepers. No matter what choice you make, it ensures that the lid of the container is airtight.

Deep in the woods of an Argentinian forest, Pedro (Viggo Mortensen) leads a simple life. He lives on his own in a cabin, tends to his bees with local girl Rosa (Sofia Gala) and is involved in less legitimate activities with childhood friend Adrian (Daniel Fanego) and the latter’s slow-witted godson Ruben (Javier Godino). But when he begins coughing up blood, he knows he is quickly succumbing to cancer and he decides to make a rare trek into the city to see his brother. Meanwhile, in the city, his identical twin brother Agustin, a paediatrician, leads a comfortable but unhappy life and feels only numbness when his wife tells him they can adopt a baby. When the scruffy, chain-smoking Pedro visits unexpectedly and offers him a cash reward for treatment, Agustin seizes a chance to take his sibling’s life and kills him, leaving his body to fake his death, enabling him to return to the cabin in Pedro’s place. Agustin soon realises his brother’s life was no idyllic backwater breeze, however, as he has to feign his sibling’s ailments while piecing together his estranged brother’s life and figuring out how to extract himself from the kidnapping scheme Pedro got himself involved with. The bees which make their way into his unfamiliar beekeeping suit turn out to be the least of his problems as he inherits a vendetta with the owners of a local general store, further isolating himself from the remote community. He also has to navigate an uneasy relationship the gun-toting, bible-quoting Adrian and convince Rosa that he hasn’t been acting strange since he returned from the city. Everybody Has a Plan is a ponderously paced though richly atmospheric affair, its picturesque setting all broody swamps, hazy sunsets and fields speckled with ghostly trees. But a strong sense of place isn’t matched by the story, which is thin and difficult to ever really care about. Similarly, the romance with Rosa feels underdone. The main reason to see this, a debut picture from Argentinian Ana Piterbarg, is Mortensen, who turns in not one but two intense and convincing performances, in Spanish no less. Mortensen remains a great screen presence, but he needs a better avenue for his considerable talents. Originally appeared in : Concrete Playground

I'm a speaker, comedian, podcaster, and a direct sales consultant. I'm a wife, mother, a Grammy, a winery enthusiast, and a beekeeper. I had an after-school detention for talking every single day for 3 years. I like being barefoot but hate cold feet. I'm a huge fan of the Oxford comma. I love reading, laying in the sun, cruises, visiting those grandkids, all the Marvel Avengers movies, and making people laugh. Over the past decade, I've talked to over 10,000 women about sex & from those conversations, I created a stage show called “Stand Up Comedy Sex Ed” and a motivational keynote called “Let’s Talk About Sex: The Value of Open, Honest Discussions about Women’s Sexual Health.” Over the past 2 years, I've begun supporting entrepreneurs like myself to stay rooted and grounded in their own version of success with two new talks called "Zooming Through 2020" and "Blooming In Your Own Season." If you need someone to encourage and lift up your audiences, or keep them grounded but help them rise, hit me up. Also if you need someone to talkabout sex, seriously or jokingly, or beekeeping. Or grandkids. Or Cruises. I'm your girl. I just love to talk.

Honey turning bittersweet for Salinas Valley beekeeper Life for commercial bee keepers has been a challenge the past five years or so thanks to the diminishing number of bees caused by a number of factors. No one knows this better than Dale Hillard who has watch his honey bee population go from 40 to 50 hives in past years to the low twenties where he was two weeks ago. If he collects some more swarms this month that number could increase a bit. There are three basic reasons, according to Hillard, why the honey bee population has fallen off so radically. First, a mite that came from Asia about a decade ago has attacked the bees. The mites attach themselves to bee larva and this produces deformed bees. What can be done to control the mites? Hillard said there are techniques that can be used to rid the hives of some of the mites but if you don’t get all of them the problem remains. Because of commercial beekeepers who travel from one area to another with their hives, the mite problem has spread from the West Coast to the entire U.S. To compound the ongoing problem of the mites is a second serious issue related to them. In the past five years it has been discovered that the mites carry a virus that can destroy a hive if its immune system weakens. “If you see you have mites in a hive, there’s a good chance you’ll probably also have or get the Deformed Wing Virus and that’s a death knell for the bees,” Hillard said. The 71-year-old beekeeper also believes that pesticides that the bees may encounter when they are out and about looking for pollen can also weaken their immune systems and make a hive more susceptible to the virus. There is research being done trying to find a way of dealing with the mites and the virus they carry, but thus far that work hasn’t found a silver bullet that will eradicate the problem. Meanwhile, the honey bee population remains in jeopardy. “I think we might be reaching ‘critical mass’ where this could really impact the commercial sector where bees are necessary for pollination,” Hillard said. “The loss of hives is getting quite high.” Hillard taught at Gonzales High and was a counselor there until he retired in 2000. He became involved in beekeeping in the early 1980s when he purchased his first hive and set it up in his backyard as a hobby. The novice beekeeper or sideliner, as a hobbyist is sometimes called, was interested in both pollinating his garden and collecting honey. “You get one hive and pretty soon someone offers you another or you have to deal with a swarm,” Hillard said, explaining how quickly his one hive became two and then more. Since he owned property at the time on River Road, Hillard moved his hives out to the wide open spaces where they wouldn’t be a bother to neighbors. During this formative period the self-taught apiarist attended a few conferences, read the professional journals and joined the state and national beekeeping associations to learn more from like-minded individuals. With a chuckle, Hillard admitted that the trial-and-error method was a little painful at times, but the occasional sting goes with the territory of raising honey bees. What began as a hobby and “summer thing” when he wasn’t teaching became a business as well. Hillard reached the point when he was collecting 500 pounds or more of honey a year so he began selling it at four local retail outlets. He also assisted people who were dealing with a swarm problem and, on occasion, made his hives available for some local crop pollination. Hillard said there isn’t as big a need for commercial pollination in the Salinas Valley as in the San Joaquin Valley where there are lots of orchards. Usually during the spring there are enough wildflowers and new growth that there is plenty of plant life for the bees to visit. But in May and June beekeepers usually have to relocate their hives to places where there is an abundant natural food source. This might be wild sage, poison oak and other plants. Although he doesn’t sell poison oak honey, Hillard said that the product is popular with fire crews who believe consuming it can build up their immunity to poison oak. “Some people swear by it but I guess it depends on the individual,” he said. “I don’t know if it really works or helps with an allergic response to the plant.” The beekeeper had enough honey to continue to sell it commercially until three years ago when production fell off considerably as the bees’ numbers began to wane. Now he has to wait to see if he has enough hives to have honey to sell. Hillard said it is discouraging too see what has happened to the honey bee population but he plans to continue as a hobbyist. He hopes his small business can continue but that remains to be seen. There’s just so much he can do to protect his bees and then it is out of his hands. • AGE: 71 • OCCUPATION: Owner of Hillard Hives and Bee Removal. • WORK: Gonzales High, 1967-2000. Hillard Hives, 1981- present. • EDUCATION: Graduated from San Jose State University with a BA in geology in 1967. Received an MA in counseling from San Jose State in 1988. • PERSONAL: Lives on five acres off River Road south of Salinas.

Eco Festival aims to promote an environmental awareness among communities. This groundbreaking initiative an example of proactive and constructive community engagement. Visitors will have a unique opportunity to experience showcase of sustainable livelihood activities such as mariculture, beekeeping, or eco-farming, attend creative workshops, engage in corporate team buildings, compete in environmental quizes, enjoy adventurous treasure hunts or watch world known documentaries focused on environmental issues. Creative part of the day includes even more programme activities: Short animation films (not only) for Children will be screened between 2 – 3 pm as a part of Eco Cinema, Neem candle and Jelly making, Mtwapa Creek Tour on the Canoe or Boat, Treasure Hunt with sweet and healthy awards, Design and Painting Competition, Kwetu Eco Products for sale. How to get to Kwetu? Your attendance will help our communities. Shuttle bus will be operating from Moorings Bar & Restaurant between 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. Share this story

Kathleen Blakistone first became interested in gardening when her son was in third grade at McKinley Elementary School in Santa Monica. She joined a group of parent volunteers, known as the “Gardening Angels,” under the tutelage of Bonnie Freeman. Freeman led the Santa Monica School Garden Project, which created sustainable student gardens on 12 public school campuses. Blakistone majored in political science and urban studies at UCLA before moving on to a successful career as an executive in packaging sales. She enrolled in the Master Gardener program offered by the University of California Cooperative Extension. In 2001, she and husband Richard Draut purchased their home in Venice. The couple took out the lawn and replaced it with native plants, among the first in their neighborhood to do so. They later added edible landscape and a coop with several chickens. When they found bees had gotten into the wall of the rear house, they bought bee boxes and hired a removal expert to transfer the bees rather than exterminate them. (Draut promptly got some training in beekeeping.) Eventually Draut enrolled in the Master Gardener program himself. He also became really enthusiastic about aquaponics, growing plants and raising fish together in one integrated system. In February of 2011, they read an LA Times article about a small agricultural enclave in Compton called Richland Farms, described as “a garden paradise.” By June they’d made an offer on a third of an acre, and it was theirs before the end of the year. “We wanted to leverage growing food in water and, as we’d made our bid and closed escrow on the spring and fall equinoxes, and the cycle of the moon is so incredibly important for when you plant and when you harvest, we chose the name Moonwater Farm,” Blakistone says. The couple spent about 18 months restoring the house and garage. Next they worked on the yard and have since put in a stable and chicken coop. Moonwater Farm incorporates principals of permaculture, a philosophy of working with nature rather than against it. They reclaim rain water from the roof to recharge the groundwater and are constantly regenerating the soil by composting. They also have an aquaponics system. The farm now includes perennials such as fruit trees, artichokes, rhubarb, herbs and medicinal plants, as well as traditional row crops like cabbage, broccoli, squash and fennel. The couple hosts youth workshops “so kids can get a sense of what’s possible, not only by working in the soil but also working with the animals and doing woodworking,” Blakistone says. Source: She found herself in nature

By Sophia McAvoy, Class of 2017 Inspired by my Science Fair project, the Middle School at Woodside set itself a goal to be the first school in the United States to build, and maintain, a Slovenian hive. We accomplished this goal in April of 2019! Slovenian beekeeping is a technique that originated in Slovenia over 100 years ago. Slovenian beekeeping is more efficient, and is healthier for both bees and humans. We were inspired by the fact that Slovenian students of all ages learn beekeeping basics and the bee’s importance to the environment. We hope to spread that concept here in the US by offering AZ hive tour, workshops for local agricultural groups, beekeeping associations, and schools. We also hope to start a 4-H club in our county that focuses on bees because there is not one in our county currently. Within our classroom this hive will help us achieve our secondary goal of expanding our microeconomy by selling nucs, expanding our current honey sales, and various products from the hive (lip balm, creams, soap, and candles). We also plan to use the hives to do scientific research comparing and contrasting the Langstroth hive with the Slovenian hive. Slovenian beekeeping is a technique that originated in Slovenia over 100 years ago! Slovenian beekeeping is more efficient, and is healthier for both bees and humans. It removes the burden of lifting an eighty pound hive super, (where the honey is stored) so smaller children and adults who may not be able lift such a heavy object. The frames where the bees reside slide out of the back of the hive, which removes the hassle of having to lift the top off and take everything out, including the bees, which aggravates them. A Slovenian Hive allows the bees to be much calmer and more peaceful than in the Langstroth hive. Since we have children on campus who are very young, and hope to bring people of all ages and abilities to learn about bees, calmer bees who are less likely to sting are ideal. The Slovenian bee house is essentially a shed with specially fitted beehives placed in the front, where the bees’ entrances/exits are located. In the house, there is enough room for storage and a work space for honey extraction and/or other necessities and/or activities that we may need to do to take care of the bees. Written by Kat Jacks, 8th Grader "A Bee is an exquisite Chymist" [chemist] – Royal Beekeeper to Charles II Bottling honey is how we prepare it for storage and sales. After the honey is extracted, we strain it by pouring the honey through a fine straining material (we use cloth or plastic), making sure nothing but honey ends up in the bottling bucket. The bottling process requires a team effort, lots of patience, and a tolerance for being sticky. It is very important to keep the workspace clean and to only use clean, sanitized materials. We split our work into three tasks: carefully pouring our honey out of the bucket’s nozzle and into bottles; putting the caps on and washing the bottles with warm, soapy water to make sure remnants of honey are gone and it is no longer sticky; and labeling the jars. By the end of the day, we managed to fill an entire table with honey! This year we are planning to enter two types of honey into a judging competition at the Massachusetts Beekeepers Association Annual Meeting. This required us to keep our honey divided by the “super” that it came from so that we could accurately track several factors. More on this in a future blog entry. Written By Gautam Shankar, 8th Grader Recently, the Middle School Classroom used a refractometer to figure out the water and sugar content in our honey after we extracted. This year, instead of combining all the honey into a couple of buckets we used a separate bucket for each super so we could do experiments with it and compare each one to the others. We used the refractometer, not only for the science we are doing but also because we are submitting our honey into a competition. In a honey competition, your honey has to be between 14% to 18% water. If there is too much water it could ferment and if it has too little water the judges could think that we artificially tried to dry our honey. All of our honey was within the competition parameters. One interesting finding in our comparisons was that the AZ hive had higher sugar content and less water. All of the supers from the Langstroth hives had around the same amount of water and sugar in them, but the AZ hive honey had less water, more sugar, and weighed more. We hypothesize that this might be due to the AZ hive being in a hotter space much of the year (protected by the hive house). We hope to design and experiment for next season that will allow us to test this hypothesis. We also plan to interview experts to see what they think about this hypothesis. A refractometer (ree-frak-tom-i-ter) is a tool which uses light to measure the amount of sugar and water in a liquid. It works by measuring the angle of light after it goes through a liquid by doing this it is able to determine the water and sugar content in a liquid. The refractometer measures the amount of sugar using the Brix scale. The Brix scale is largely used in the honey, sugar, fruit juice, carbonated beverage, wine, and maple syrup industries. The Brix scale uses the mass of the liquid to figure out how much sugar is in a liquid instead of volume. One Brix in the Brix scale is equal to one gram of sugar, sucrose to be more specific, in a 100 gram solution. Since honey is relatively dense 100 grams of honey is not that much at all being only around 4¾ tablespoons of honey. In the near future, we plan to learn more about and conduct experiments on the honey and hives. In the spring, we are also going to use liquid nitrogen to see and compare hygienic behavior in the queen bees. Hygienic behavior in a queen bee helps the hive deal with varroa mites and infected brood better resulting in a healthier hive. We will share our results once we conduct the experiment.

New to beekeeping, new to beesource; recently assembled 20 wooden frames with pierco foundation where 2 of the frames wont hold the foundation, it falls out with the slightest nudge. Any experience, advice? Thanks! A forum community dedicated to beekeeping, bee owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, honey production, health, behavior, hives, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!

dipped tallow candles Natural candles can be made from beeswax, soy (or other plant waxes), or tallow (animal fat). Tallow became the number one ingredient for candle making across Europe. I am looking forward for your next post, I’ll try to get tthe hazng of it! Tallow, however, came with limitations. Chop your beeswax into small pieces to aid with the melting time. In areas where bayberries grew (mostly along the east and west coasts) the bayberries were picked in the fall, for making candles. Wrap the wicking around a stainless steel … Designed by Orange-Themes.com. After the fall of the Roman Empire, olive oil became a scarce commodity across Europe. It may be surprising but little is known about the earliest history of the candle. CANDLESTICK, TALLOW. Discover the world through photos. And why have they grown to be a hugely popular home product that we all adore? It's been over thirty years since Keith Abel sold his first bag of spuds and some things haven't changed. dippen, duppen, AS. So, being the patient person I am, decided not to make a hand dipped candle. The Romans dipped rolled papyrus in melted tallow or beeswax. The growth of the whaling industry in the late 18th led to a major change in candlemaking. 2 Handmade Pure Beeswax Church Candles 7.5cm x 4cm (Free Shipping UK) £15.41 5 Handmade Pure Beeswax Rolled Votive Candle 2in x1.1/8in (Free Shipping UK) Homemade candles are so easy, it’s silly. By dipping the wick repeatedly into the melted tallow you can build up a candle. Jump to navigation Jump to search. Added in World of Warcraft: Shadowlands. dipped candle (plural dipped candles) . Ancient indigenous tribes of contemporary Alaska and Canada used the eulachon, or ‘candlefish’, as a source of light and heat. Candles are in vogue. Some people would dip the candles in a bucket of cool water, after dipping it in the wax, in order to help it harden faster. The type of wax or tallow used will affect how many times the candle need to be dipped, in order to be big enough for use. I make votive candles or container candles. English-Romanian technical dictionary. We dipped and dipped and it seemed to take forever. The most common tallow candles material is beeswax. Honey harvest of the season is in progress, with some coming in July, and the final collection in mid August after which point bees will be left to rest and g… You can use old jelly jars, recycled jars, or mason jars. We ended up making a jar candle. There has however been a shift in the waxes used in candles. As soon as the tallow was melted, the wicks were dipped into it by hand, using the sticks as handles so the string could be fully immersed. Such candles were made on farms and in cottages in batches of maybe 100 at a time. Paraffin, which is thinner when melted, requires twice as many dips. Discover (and save!) I really enjoyed the article and the detailed information. Potato chip containers, waxed drink boxes, even sturdy, old paper towel rolls will work. When burned, the glycerine inside tallow produced an unpleasant odour. The tallow merely needs to be remelted (if it has started to solidify) and mixed with any other wax that is going to be used. For this reason, they were usually hung, often from the rafters. Masters and their apprentices worked upwards of sixteen hours a day in these workshops, transforming tallow supplied by butchers into dipped and moulded candles. This wax proved to be a much more reliable substance for candle production. While candles were popular in Roman times, the main source of light came from oil lamps. Stearin candles still remain popular in Europe to this day! The counter-balance weight was formed either into a ‘knob’ or a ‘curl’. by Baroness Onora O'Toole. Each time you dip, the candle gets a new layer of fat. Bees wax candles, hand dipped candles, handmade candles, dipped candles, taper candles, hand dipped taper candles, bees wax taper candle wildblackthorn. If the melted wax gets too hot, it will melt the existing layers off the wick, when the candle is dipped again. The resulting candles were used to light their homes, to aid travelers at night, and in religious ceremonies. Each candle is made from either 100% beeswax or tallow. your own Pins on Pinterest If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Youu really make iit sem so easy with your presentation but I find this Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Quickly get set up online or give our award-winning team a call. There were several kinds of tall … These clever folk soaked the pithy core of rushlights, or torches, in animal fat to burn. It was not until the 1850s, that paraffin wax came on the scene. It will solidify once it cools. LIGHTING . You don't need to heat it as high as wax, so some folks like that. Hand dipped tallow candles. Hand dipped candles were usually made of tallow (a rendered form of animal fat) which was collected from the fat of farm animals. Today, we have come full circle and the candle business is booming once again. To make homemade candles, put equal parts tallow and beeswax beads into a pot. These candles are made by hand using traditional candle making methods. I only rendered enough tallow for about two candles. A candle made by repeatedly dipping a wick in melted tallow. It was a metal bowl filled with tallow (animal fat) and a strip of twisted cloth. Tallow is a natural component of the fat. This is done by hanging them over a broomstick or other convenient piece of wood. While its not necessary to make tallow candles in modern times, it is a good skill to learn. In order to render it out, chunks of fat are melted over a fire. Now dip them back into the tallow, holding them in the tallow for a few seconds. Manufacturers are increasingly looking at waxes such as soy, palm and flax-seed oil. Only 1 available and it's in 6 people's carts. While oil burning lamps burned cleaner and with less odor, oil was expensive and could be hard to get. Multiple wicks were repeatedly dipped into hot tallow until candles reached their desired thickness, then hung on a candle tree to harden. Only 1 available and it's in 6 people's carts. It was found to make harder candles than any other material, which burned longer and brighter. Candles became very important for religious observances in Christian churches. Candles. Pretty much any sort of animal fat could be used, but the various fats did vary in the hardness of their tallow, how much tallow was produced and the tallow’s odor when burning. n. We do know, however, that they have been a source of light and used in celebrations for over 5,000 years. Making tallow candles (Didcrot) Melting, wick twisting, dipping, casting. A high heat is not needed and in fact can be detrimental to the process. In 1825, Chevreul and another chemist Joseph Gay Lussac patented a process for candle making from crude stearic. An engraving depicting the dipping of tallow candles. Well you're in luck, because here they come. After I built up a sufficient amount of wax, I allowed the candles to harden and then trimmed and smoothed the sides. With a double-boiler type set up, melt the wax. Bees wax candles, hand dipped candles, handmade candles, dipped candles, taper candles, hand dipped taper candles, bees wax taper candle wildblackthorn. Pig fat was considered the worst, for its odor; the fat of wild animals, such as deer, was hard to gather, as most wild animals didn’t have much fat; so the best was fat from sheep or cows. Bees use about 7 parts of honey for each part of wax they produce, so the cost in lost honey production is considerable. Beeswax candles were widely used for church ceremonies. But once it is melted, allow it to cool slightly, but not to solidify. An early source of light was the tallow candle, where a wick was dipped many times in fat until it was about 3/4 inch thick. Filling the dipping vat with pieces of tallow. Candles serve to symbolise a celebration, soothe the senses and improve home decor. The choice for the modern consumer, when it comes to candles is vast, and not always easy to navigate. The liquids are then allowed to cool. When burned, it produced a bright light. In Wales the traditional dipped candle was referred to as cannwyll-y-dwfr (water candle). How to Slash your Electricity Bills by 80% or More (Video). a grease lamp . Wicks made from thin strips of cloth were tied to a number of wooden wands, about 10 to each wand. Alum or steric acid can also be added to the wax to help it harden and burn slower. Dipped candle. As a consequence, there was a surge in demand for quality candles. The wax from insects was combined with seeds. Although many of the candles featured in this category are the size of an average dinner candle, we can make other sizes. The earliest known use of candles is by the Egyptians. Beezwax wins here as well, as it only requires six or seven dips to make a good taper. Beezwax wins here as well, as it only requires six or seven dips to make a good taper. By using the same container every year, they eliminated waste and the problem of cleaning the wax out of their cooking pots. tallow candles are hand-poured and made in small batches on our farm. The tallow was melted and the wicks were dipped repeatedly in the tallow, which built up slowly on the wicks. So how about making your own hand-dipped beeswax candles? We harvest the suet fat from our grassfed cattle during the butchering process and later render the fat into tallow. The Chinese made candles from whale fat during the Qin Dynasty. Lard will also work to make these. Hey Jessica, thanks for stopping by. While the Egyptians were using wicked candles in 3,000 B.C., the ancient Romans are generally credited with developing the wicked candle before that time by dipping rolled papyrus repeatedly in melted tallow or beeswax. If they were stored lying down, there was a good chance that they would melt together in hot weather. Once you have a few good layer of tallow built up on the wick, you can speed up the dipping process by dipping the candles into the cold water bath after pulling it out of the melted tallow . The most common tallow candles material is beeswax. If we look at early China, candles are said to have been moulded in paper tubes. Dipping had to be done fairly rapidly, so that the existing wax wouldn’t have a chance of melting. It is also possible to dip several tapers at once by hanging pieces of wick over a stick or narrow board. The cloth was dipped in melted tallow and burned when it was lit. The double-skimmed tallow is then ready for use. This young lad is dipping multiple candles into a kettle of hot beeswax The easiest way to make candles is to capture tallow right after rendering it from your local farmer. These early candles were made using tallow wax, which was derived from the meat of cows and sheep, and an unwound strand of twine. A frame of broaches containing wicks is attached to a nodding donkey - a balance- shaped beam suspended from the ceiling with a pan containing counter-balance weights at one end. They’re rustic looking, make great hostess or holiday gifts, and are much easier to make than you might imagine. While they are no longer used as a major source of light, they continue to grow in popularity. This is an easy method for making poured candles out of homemade tallow. Homemade tallow candles are a snap to make, and are wonderful to have for power outages, or just anytime you're craving the ambiance of a flickering candle. You guessed it: white. In India, candle wax was made by boiling the fruit of the … Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party. These skilled candle makers produced candles, different kinds of vinegar, soaps and cheeses. Romans began making true dipped candles from tallow, beginning around 500 BC.European candles of antiquity were made from various forms of natural fat, tallow, and wax. Posted on January 27, 2011 by Nathan. However, paraffin isn’t actually the best wax for making candles, beeswax is. It sounds gross but we’re talking about a time where nothing was wasted and if a family gave up a farm animal to eat, they would make sure they used every part of it they could, including the fat scraps. Filling the dipping vat with pieces of tallow. Wooden & Pewter Candle Mould: The Fall of Tallow. But beef and sheep tallow is easily made into dipped or molded candles. Liquid oil lamps had a tendency to spill, and the wick had to be advanced by hand. me. Posted on January 27, 2011 by Nathan. The candles could be hung from the roof, keeping them cool and out of the way until they were needed. Historians note that the first ‘standard candles’ were made from spermaceti wax. However, if it was done too fast, all that would be accomplished would be to splash the wax on people’s skin and clothing, not a desired result. As homes in colonial and pioneering times didn’t have air conditioning, storage of the finished tapers was important. They’re a versatile slow burning candle that produces bright light without smell. The idea that tallow candles could become food for human beings was by no means unthinkable in Victorian Britain. These candles burn slow and bright, with no odor and can make great gifts. Giving hand-dipped beeswax candles as gifts is always appreciated and cherished by family and friends alike. Today, many people attach a piece of hardware (usually metal nuts) to the bottom, in order to weigh down the wick and keep it straight. Of course, making beeswax candles requires having a large enough beekeeping operation in order to have wax to spare. There are 190 tallow candles for sale on Etsy, and they cost $12.11 on average. If a family had a root cellar with a high enough ceiling, that was an ideal place to store their candles. In 1834, Joseph Morgan, a pewterer from Manchester, England, patented a machine that revolutionised candle making. "One tallow stain, or even two, might come by chance; but when I see no less than five, I think that there can be little doubt that the individual must be brought into frequent contact with burning tallow--walks upstairs at night probably with his hat in one hand and a guttering candle in the other. This resulted in stearin wax. It was also harder than tallow and beeswax, so it wouldn’t soften or bend in warmer climates. Oct 7, 2015 - 'A short introduction to making candles with beeswax a few years back was an inspiration enough to dabble with my own candle dipping project on a hot August day. Once a week we have a “candle lit” dinner, so we go through a lot of candles … A wide, shallow pot works best, almost like a giant frying pan. First, render the fat down. If you enjoyed this post, here are some of our popular posts you may enjoy: 3 Best Ways to Make your Candle Last Longer, I love having candles all over my room, it makes me feel more at home ✨ it’s interesting to read about how theyre made with concerns over toxins etc, love this post. Repeated dipping of the wick in the melted tallow or wax built up the body of the candle, just as we build up our hand-dipped candles today. After being cut to length, the wicks were dipped in molten wax so that one end was stiff enough to poke through the hole at the bottom of the mould, and then the moulds were filled. Tallow (animal fat) was traditionally used by the poorer in society. These early Chandlers worked hard to make a living among the busy and often cutthroat trade of Medieval London, often taking on side-line ventures such as trading herrings and butter. Yes, it's better to add wax for flame control and hardness of candles. They’ve definitely come along way since the early days. Here’s a complete rundown on the history of the candle. ... Read on to find out how to make a molded or dipped tallow candle with a DIY cotton or rush wick. If this is an impossibility, tallow can be purchased from many reputable sources such as this one, or this one. Dipped candle Dip Dip, v. t. [imp. One of the fatty acids he identified was stearine (stearic acid). Water left on the candles can produce bubbles in the wax, which will stay there, trapping the water. In India, candle wax was made by boiling the fruit of the cinnamon tree. Always up to date with the latest patch. The Romans dipped rolled papyrus in melted tallow or beeswax. So, bayberry wax was often mixed with tallow, improving the odor of the tallow candles and making the bayberry go farther. The usage of candles declined after the 1980’s when Edison pioneered the commercially-viable incandescent light bulb. Cotton string was the most common wicking material used, although braided or twisted strips of cotton cloth were used if string wasn’t available. How To Become An Astronaut In Canada, Five Sentences About Body Parts, White And Gold Wall Paint, Hidden River Cafe Take Away Menu, Can You Deposit Cash At Atm Barclays, Julia Vickerman Powerpuff,

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Finding Your Wolfpack: Student Organizations When Pauline Bulala first arrived at NC State as a freshman, she felt a little lost. “Everyone expects you to find your people right away, but that wasn’t my experience,” said Bulala, a senior in biological sciences. “It was kind of hard.” Bulala reached out to her orientation leader for advice on making connections. He recommended getting involved in student organizations and helped her find some that fit her interests. Over time, Bulala helped restart the Filipino American Student Association, joined the Pre-Physician Assistant/Nursing Club and the Catholic Campus Ministry, and became an orientation leader and a Chancellor’s Aide. She’s now the vice president of the University Activities Board, a student-led organization that plans a wide range of virtual and in-person student events that foster advocacy, awareness, inclusivity and education. “Getting involved in organizations on campus, and helping other students do so as an orientation leader, really helped me find people on my wavelength,” she said. “Now I love giving back to that student who’s feeling the same way I did my freshman year and helping them feel like they can thrive here.” Barrow’s office supports these organizations with resources like mail services and trainings on relevant topics like financial issues, technology and hosting events. They also serve as a resource to student organization leaders as questions arise. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations have been meeting virtually and occasionally engaging in safe outdoor events. Barrow says this is especially important with so many students having fewer of the in-person interactions that often lead to relationships. “With so much isolation right now, staying connected in safe ways is especially important,” he said. “NC State is such a big place, but getting involved can help make it feel small. I hear some of the best stories from students who say that they stayed at NC State or built strong relationships because they got involved with student organizations.” In the past, Student Leadership and Engagement has hosted involvement fairs to help students learn about the organizations NC State offers. This year they’ve rolled out a Virtual Involvement Fair where students can browse short video introductions from more than 50 campus organizations and learn how to connect with them. NC State is such a big place, but getting involved can help make it feel small. “If you’re shy about interacting with organizations until you know what they’re all about, the virtual fair is a great way to get a taste of what they’re doing,” Barrow said. “We had more than 7,000 views on these videos last semester, which shows that students are really taking advantage of these resources and trying to get involved.” If the wide range of options leaves you uncertain of where to start, Barrow offers a three-step process for getting involved on campus. - Start with something academic. More than 300 organizations are tied to a college or academic department, so everyone can find something that connects to their academic interests. - Find something familiar. Whether it’s beekeeping, anime or social justice, if you have a hobby or interest, NC State probably has an organization for it. And if it doesn’t, Barrow’s office will help you start it. - Try something unfamiliar. Find an interest or activity you’re curious about but have never engaged in. Maybe it will become your new passion. Balance and Fulfillment Another important aspect is finding the balance that is right for you. “Joining an organization does not mean you have to take on a leadership role or be at every meeting,” Barrow said. “You always have the freedom to pull back and do less when you need to or even leave a group and try something else if you feel like it isn’t the right fit.” Second-year graduate student Coleman Simpson has learned a lot about balance during his six years in undergraduate and graduate classes at NC State. He’s currently completing dual master’s degrees in agricultural and extension education and in public administration while also serving as president of the Student Senate. In spite of his busy schedule, he says making time for student government and other organizations has been an important way to recharge. “Balance is so important,” Simpson said. “It comes down to what’s going to fill you up when you need a break from academics.” For Simpson, this is serving his fellow students by investigating concerns and issues of the student body. “Being elected by your peers to represent 36,000 students is really cool — and kind of terrifying,” Simpson said. “I love being able to help my fellow students and will leave campus knowing I made a difference at NC State.” Simpson has also been active in a number of other organizations related to his academic areas, including the Agronomy Club, Agri-Life Council and the Agricultural and Extension Education Club. Through those groups, he got to travel to national conferences, do outreach and even volunteer at the North Carolina State Fair — memorable experiences he got to share with good friends he met through these groups. Don’t be afraid to explore every nook and cranny of the university to find your people. “Organizations can always offer you a place for community and fellowship and relationship building,” Simpson said. “Don’t be afraid to explore every nook and cranny of the university to find your people.” Bulala agrees that the effort it takes to find your place is worth it. “I know it’s been really hard to connect this year, but there are orgs out there waiting to welcome you,” she said. “It may take a little bit of digging, but they’re there.”

Bee Life Cycle Whether you’re considering a career in beekeeping, or just curious to know more about these colorful, workaholic insets, the bee life cycle will fascinate and possibly also surprise you. This article covers all the stages a bee passes through, from egg to adult. You’ll learn what bees look like at different stages of their lives and how they transform. You’ll also become familiar with how bees reproduce and the average lifespan of a bee. What Are the Life Cycle Stages of a Bee? Bees are unique insects belonging to the classification Hymenoptera. There are approximately 20,000 distinct species. In spite of this, development is more or less uniform across species. Bees pass through three stages on the way to adulthood. This is similar to caterpillars that form cocoons and emerge as butterflies. That’s not to say that the development process is identical for all bees. For social species, such as honeybees, societies are separated by caste. The adult stage can look different, depending on the caste. Similarly, each species develops at a different pace. One type of bee might mature swiftly whereas another takes a longer time to evolve. Every bee begins life as an egg. Almost all species of bee lay their eggs in protected locations. Social bees care for their eggs, whereas solitary bees do not. Fertilized eggs grow into females. Unfertilized eggs become males. Solitary bees lay both male and female eggs. Only established social bee colonies produce male eggs. Honeybee queens lay their eggs in cells inside the beehive. Bumblebee queens brood their eggs in their underground nests. The bumblebee lays her eggs on balls of pollen, taking care to keep them warm. Parasitic species, such as Psithyrus, lay their eggs in other nests. The larvae are then reared by the workers of the invaded nest. Contrastingly, solitary bees don’t have permanent nests or hives. The females lay their eggs in crevices or small underground nests. The larval stage is the first part of a bee’s life. At this point, bees look more like maggots than the winged insects they will become. This is true of the various species. Larvae do very little besides eating and molting. Larvae molt as they grow—how often depends on the species and caste. At the end of this stage, the larvae will be up to 1500 times their original size. Honeybee larvae destined to become workers grow quickly. In only nine days, they are ready to reach the next stage of life. Queen honeybee larvae grow even faster, pupating after approximately six days. Leafcutter bees, a solitary species, spend roughly two weeks as larvae. How and where the larvae develop is specific to each species. As an example, social bees living in colonies raise the larvae. The worker caste feeds and cleans the larvae until they become pupae. Conversely, solitary bees provide supplies for the larvae, rather than caring for them. The freshly hatched larvae will find prepared supplies of pollen and nectar nearby and need to feed themselves. Once a bee larva is sufficiently grown, it will form a pupa. The larva spins a cocoon around itself, preparing to transform. During the pupal stage, the bees don’t feed. Solitary bee larvae pupate on their own without assistance. Social bee larvae will receive support from their caretakers. For example, worker honeybees cap the pupating larvae cell with beeswax. Solitary and social species of bee can be as different as night and day. One of the aspects where this distinction is clearest is when they become adults. Male Solitary Bees The males of solitary species often emerge from their pupae ahead of the females. This is to increase the chances of successful mating. The emergence is usually as the temperature rises after the winter, or during the summer months. Once they’re free of their pupae, the males wait close to the nest for the females to emerge. The males of some species of solitary bees will die shortly after mating. Other males live through the season or longer. Male Social Bees Male drones are only born to larger bee colonies. As with solitary bees, they emerge during the late spring or summer. They develop from egg to pupae more rapidly than solitary bees, although taking longer than queen or worker bees. Drones are a drain on the colony while they stay in the hive. As their sole purpose is to reproduce, they can’t perform other tasks. They eat large quantities of stored honey, or harass worker bees to be fed. About a week after the drone is out of his pupa, he will begin flying out of the hive. These are practice flights in preparation for the final mating flight. The males of social species fly far from their hives to breed with unrelated queens to avoid inbreeding. Drones will die after mating with future queens. Any drones that don’t manage to mate and return to the hive won’t be welcomed. Workers will prevent virgin drones from re-entering the hive. Unable to survive without help or defend themselves, they will die. Female Solitary Bees All females from solitary bee species are fertile. When they emerge from their pupae, they are ready to mate. They appear a short time after the males. The females of certain solitary species will mate more than once. After mating, females start preparing basic nests for their eggs. During this time, they collect the food the larvae will survive off when they hatch. The cycle begins again. Female Social Bees Social bee females are either workers or queens. As you may have guessed, these two castes share little in common. The majority of female larvae will grow into workers. In bee colonies, the workers do all the labor that keeps the beehive up and running. Without worker bees, we wouldn’t have honey. Workers will never be capable of reproducing. They stay sexually immature for their whole lives. The jobs a worker bee performs change as she ages. When she has newly emerged from her pupa, she inspects cells and cleans them with her mouthparts. These cells are where the queen will lay her eggs and must be spotless. At this early stage of adulthood, workers also clean the hive in general. Bee corpses are dragged from the hive and dumped outside it. Similarly, dead invaders, such as moths, are disposed of in the same way. Next, a worker will graduate to the role of a nurse. In honeybees, this occurs between three and five days later. Nurse workers secrete royal jelly to feed the queen. They are also responsible for raising young bee larvae. These caretaker-type jobs entail feeding and cleaning. They keep both the queen and larvae free of waste by licking it away and ingesting it. The workers also aerate the hive by fanning their wings. Additional chores are building and maintaining the hive by producing beeswax. The worker will eventually start taking practice flights. Once she graduates into the role of forager, she’ll be leaving the nest repeatedly. Worker bees are the honey-producers of the colony. They gather plant nectar and return it to the hive. Through a process of regurgitation between workers, honey is made. The workers also collect pollen in their pollen-baskets. The pollen is returned to the nest to make bee bread to feed larvae. The average bee colony has a single queen. The queen controls the colony through pheromones she secretes. Queens have bigger abdomens than workers. This is due to the presence of reproductive organs, particularly the ovaries. A queen hardly ever leaves the hive as her main function is to lay eggs. She will only leave the hive when new queens are reared. If the reigning queen sickens or dies, workers know to intervene. They start rearing queen larvae to replace her. New queens are also produced in established colonies. How Do Bees Reproduce? When it comes to bee reproduction, females definitely have the advantage. Whether solitary or social, male bees usually don’t live through mating. Social Bee Reproduction Remember that for social bees, only queens are fertile. There can be hundreds or thousands of workers in a colony, but none can lay fertilized eggs. Once a bee colony grows large enough, the time for new queens has come. They are born around the same time as drones. Workers will feed royal jelly to selected female larvae. By doing so, they guarantee these larvae will develop into queens. When the new queens are ready to come out of their cells, the original colony will swarm. This means almost all the bees in the colony, including the old queen, will leave the beehive. A small group of workers is left behind for maintenance. The colony will create a new beehive elsewhere, leaving the existing one for a new queen. Preparation for swarming—such as finding a new home—is done by workers in advance. Emerging from the pupae as a future queen is a matter of luck. As more than one queen develops at once, there will be competition. The first queen who breaks free of her pupae has the advantage. She will typically attempt to destroy the pupae of her competitors for the hive. The new queen flies off to a drone congregation site. These are locations where lots of males gather together, waiting for future queens. The queen will make more than one mating flight. In certain species, the queen may mate with up to 18 drones. Each drone will die after copulating. Part of his endophallus (or penis) will remain inside the queen, which is fatal. Each time the queen mates with a drone, his sperm is stored in her spermatheca. This is basically a sperm storage pouch. Drone sperm stays alive in the spermatheca for as long as the queen lives. By the time she is finished mating, she can have millions of viable sperm stored. This is what enables her to lay eggs throughout her life without ever mating again. Solitary Bee Reproduction Solitary bees have mating flights, as do social bees. The males of many solitary species die soon after the mating frenzy is over. Others, such as the male carpenter bee, survive the experience. The females keep sperm stored in their spermatheca. They build small nests to lay their eggs in and add food for the larvae. After laying, the female will leave the eggs to develop unaided. The mechanics of mating are individual to the species. One type of carpenter bee, Xylocopa varipuncta, has a mating dance that involves scent. The males have perfume glands to attract females. The males wait in plants, emitting rose-scented chemicals to entice a female downwind. How Long Do Bees Live on Average? The lifespan of a bee can be several weeks, months, or years. The species, caste and gender of a bee influence how long he or she will live for. Queen honeybees in the Apis genus can survive for years. Apis mellifera (European honeybee) queens have a lifespan between two and five years on average. A European honeybee worker’s life is only two to four weeks. If the worker reaches the winter, she can live for months. Male drones live four to eight weeks, and won’t make it to the spring. Some species are only active seasonally. Bumblebee colonies die off as the summer ends, returning again in the spring. The queens of these species hibernate and lay eggs when the winter is over. By now, you’re familiar with the basics of the bee life cycle and reproduction. As with any animal or insect. There are many thousands of species of bee out there. A few have been domesticated by us, many more are feral. As with any animal or insect, it’s important to acknowledge the species diversity. Still, you’re now familiar with the bee life cycle and reproduction basics. Your next step could be picking a species you’re interested in and researching further.

The Chimpanzee Motorway - Connecting Forest Habitats in Western Tanzania Mpanda District Council in Katavi Region in Western Tanzania has recently approved the boundaries of the new proposed Tongwe West Local Authority Forest Reserve. This Forest Reserve is part of the Greater Mahale KBA (Key Biodiversity Area) which, in turn, is part of the Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot. “It is a rare opportunity to be able to set aside such a large stretch of intact forest and woodland for conservation. We congratulate Mpanda District Council on recognizing the long-term value of Tongwe West Forest and on their forward-thinking decision to protect these natural resources,” says Kathryn Doody who is Community Conservation Advisor for Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) in Mahale. Collaboration for success Joining with the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) and other conservation partners such as the Jane Goodall Institute, FZS has supported Mpanda District Council in identifying, assessing and approving the protection of Tongwe West Forest Reserve. The designated boundaries encompass an area of 3650 square kilometres. The new reserve is contiguous with existing protected forest areas including both government forest reserves and community owned Village Land Forest Reserves. “It is quite remarkable that the reserve falls on land that lies entirely outside of existing village land boundaries,” says Magnus Mosha, FZS Mahale Project Leader. The forest reserve will protect vital water sheds, safeguarding water supply for the adjacent communities and helping to maintain clean water flows into Lake Tanganyika. In addition, Tongwe West Forest Reserve will protect the watershed of the Katuma River which is a life line for agriculture in Tanganyika District and Lake Katavi in Katavi National Park. It is expected that sustainable timber harvesting will be permitted in specific areas and carefully monitored providing much needed income for forest management, local communities and the local government. Visually striking geological features in the area, such as Nkondwe Waterfall and Magorofani Rocks will provide future opportunities for eco-tourism, particularly as the road networks in western Tanzania are developed allowing easier access to these sites. The large stretch of forest and miombo woodland connects previously disparate forest reserves. This connectivity allows the movement of animal species across the wider ecosystem that includes Katavi National Park and Mahale Mountains National Park (both IBAs). The protection of Tongwe West Forest will secure the habitat of a significant proportion of Tanzania’s chimpanzee population that resides outside of protected areas. This is an important step forward in safeguarding this endangered species in Tanzania. Whilst research efforts continue to shed light on chimpanzee populations in the area there is still much to learn about other key species. It is known that Red Colobus, elephants, buffalo, roan, and other large mammals are resident in the Tongwe West area. Local community elders tell us this area is historically important for the movement of elephants between other large protected areas in the ecosystem. However, more efforts are needed to fully understand the movements of the elephant population and other species and how they utilize the designated Tongwe West Forest Reserve. The management of the Tongwe West Forest Reserve will be the responsibility of the new Tanganyika District council in conjunction with 10 forest adjacent village communities under the auspices of a newly formed Forest Management Council. “Approving the protection of the site is only the first step, there is a long road to sustainable protection of Tongwe West Forest,” says Josephina Rupia of the Mpanda District Natural Resources Office. CEPF and FZS will contribute to the preparation of a general management plan that combines expertise from the Forest and Beekeeping Division with local knowledge from community representatives in the Forest Management Council. This project is partly funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF). CEPF is a joint initiative of l’Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Union, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation, and the World Bank. A fundamental goal is to ensure civil society is engaged in biodiversity conservation. More information on CEPF can be found at www.cepf.net. BirdLife International, together with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society (BirdLife in Ethiopia) form the Regional Implementation Team (RIT) for the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) investment in the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot (2012-2017). The investment will support civil society in applying innovative approaches to conservation in under-capacitated and underfunded protected areas, Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) and priority corridors in the region. See the interactive map of all projects implemented under the CEPF Eastern Afromontane hotspot programme here.

[March 28, 2016]–I was given an assignment about a month ago to do a little piece on a new farm brewery in Laytonsville, Maryland, the Waredaca Brewing Company. I had to do it via phone interview, a sizable drawback in that I didn’t have a chance to taste the beer. But the piece came out all right and I rectified the situation last week by paying a visit. As various pieces of luck had it, my wife and I were heading south to celebrate the 100th birthday of Lynn’s Aunt Mary, whom I accused of lying about her age. She doesn’t look a day over 80! We went from thence to visit old friends in Virginia. Between the two events I neatly slipped in a quick visit to Waredaca, spiriting away a couple of the brews now available, one in a crowler, the other in a growler. A farm brewery in Maryland is not the same thing as a farmhouse brewery in Flanders. (See the recent review on 3 Monts Grande Reserve Amber.) In 2012 the Maryland General Assembly passed a bill (similar to one in New York State) that enabled farms to apply for a state farm brewer’s license, an intriguing niche in the small brewery world. The license basically allows a farm to begin a brewery providing one or more of the ingredients used in the beer are grown on the farm. The brew can then be sold on or off-site, with production limited to 15,000 barrels a year. That shouldn’t be much of a constraint at Waredaca, which expects to make about 600 barrels in 2016 on its ten-barrel system. One of almost a dozen farm breweries that have sprouted in Maryland since 2012, Waredaca is the newest, having opened in December, though the farm has been around for three generations. The late R. Beecher Butts, for whom the flagship IPA is named, started an overnight camp for boys in the early 1930’s. In 1953 it moved to its present location in Laytonsville, about 20 miles from Washington D.C. and 25 miles from Baltimore. The camp later became coed, and still later became what it remains today, a full-service equestrian facility that offers instructional riding programs for all levels, boarding, and training and competitions in eventing—which combines dressage, cross-country, and show-jumping. A little over a year-and-a-half ago Butts’s children charged the third generation with bringing something new to the farm table, so to speak. Jessica Snyder, Beecher’s granddaughter and the brewery manager, said, “We ran through a lot of scenarios—not all as seriously as some others. We talked about a brewery and a winery straight off the bat, but we also considered raising free range cattle, flower production, commercial food production—herbs, edible flowers, pumpkins—different recreational things. But in the end the brewery was the one everyone thought was a good idea. And it has been a good idea. Of course, it certainly helped in figuring it all out that we had a professional brewer in the family.” Jessica’s cousin, Steph, one of five principals in the brewery, is married to Keith Kohr, who had honed his chops at Flying Dog Brewery in Frederick, Maryland. Kohr is now Waredaca’s chief cook and bottle washer. But he can speak for himself: It requires some chutzpah to produce beer at a horse farm, considering the easy opening it gives potential critics. Waredaca tackles this head-on; the recent Belgian-style dubbel and tripel beers, Maude and Geedie respectively, are named after two Belgian draft horses that worked on the farm in the 1960’s. I had the Geedie and it was a lovely beer, fruity and estery with the ample depth you’d expect from a 9% brew. So no worries there. The Beecher IPA is equally appealing, a relatively mild IPA by modern standards at 5.8% ABV, citrusy and distinctive for its lemony, slightly camphor-like flavor due to the addition of lemon verbena grown at the 230-acre farm. This will be a common practice, said Snyder: “We have a hop yard, a brewer’s garden where we’re growing herbs and fruits and vegetables that we can add to the beers, and we’re doing some beekeeping, so the honey from that is included in our honey wheat beer, Little Dam.” If not a farmhouse brewery in the Old World sense of the term, it is a brewery on a farm. So, said Snyder, “We’ll always have some kind of saison on hand. And for non-drinkers or designated drivers there will always be an in-house soda using some ingredient from the garden—currently, a lemongrass ginger.” There was a respectable crowd in the new tasting room on the Sunday afternoon I showed up, though it was still a bit too cool to use the spacious patio area where select music nights take place. Seven different beers were on tap, horses were in the meadow, spring was in the air, and all seemed right with the world. Name: Beecher IPA Brewer: Waredaca Brewing Co., Laytonsville, Maryland Availability: Locally, year-round For More Information: www.waredacabrewing.com

Vilnius is a compelling European city that has both an intriguing history and a modern, ahead-of-the-times vibe. Lithuania’s capital has often been in the line of fire during time of war thanks to its strategic location, and it has changed ruling hands many times over the centuries. Today, however, Vilnius is peaceful, picturesque, and welcomes the world with a smile. After paying a visit to discover the city for ourselves, we’ve compiled these ideas for things to do in Vilnius, Lithuania, from the top sightseeing activities to the best local food and drink. This article contains links to products and services we love, from which we may make commission at no extra cost to you. In this article: Things to do in Vilnius: sightseeing 1. Take a free city walking tour Free walking tours are a brilliant way to find your feet in a new city at the beginning of a trip. Having been on many of these around the world, I do not exaggerate when I say that our tour with Vilnius With Locals was one of the best we’ve ever taken. Our guide, Jurate – born and raised in Vilnius – gave insights into the city’s history, told entertaining stories and answered all the group’s questions. She guided us through the popular landmarks of the Old Town and the Republic of Užupis (more on that below). Vilnius With Locals also offers a free alternative walking tour to some of the less trodden areas of the city, as well as paid tours (10 euros) exploring the city’s Soviet and Jewish histories. If you prefer to try a self-guided tour, check out this cool Vilnius sightseeing map to visualise the city’s top locations and landmarks. 2. Walk up Castle Hill to Gediminas’ Tower The lonely structure of Gediminas’ Tower, standing atop Castle Hill, is one of the most recognisable features of the Vilnius skyline. It’s also one of the oldest relics of the city’s history. Gediminas, a Grand Duke of Lithuania, built the first wooden structures on this site in the 14th Century. Around the same time, he made the first recorded mention of Vilnius in a parchment, a copy of which is displayed in the tower today. The museum inside the tower exhibits archaeological artefacts and stories of Lithuanian history. Each floor has a different theme and display style. On the top level, you can go outside for a great panoramic view of the city. If you don’t fancy heading up to the tower on foot, don’t worry – you can take the funicular instead. The museum entry fee is €5 (or €2.50 for concessions). 3. See the city from Three Crosses Hill The Three Crosses Monument provides an alternative point of elevation for a city view, this time with no entry fee required. The white concrete structure peers over Vilnius from the highest point in Kalnai Park, just across the River Vilnia on the east side of the Old Town. It’s a short but fairly steep walk up to the monument and viewpoint. Wooden crosses have stood on the hill for three centuries, replaced by a more permanent concrete structure in 1916. The precise symbolic origin of the crosses is not clear, but one legend dictates that it commemorated three Franciscan monks who were crucified when visiting the city on a mission. 4. Visit the self-declared Republic of Užupis The small bohemian neighbourhood of Užupis on the east side of Vilnius Old Town garnered international attention on 1 April 1997 when it announced itself as an independent republic. Today, the legend of the self-declared Republic of Užupis lives on, complete with a constitution, president, ambassadors and a 12-person army. Supposedly, you can apply to be an ambassador by contacting the president on Facebook and taking him for a beer. (You have to buy the drinks, of course.) On 1 April, Užupis’ independence day, the bridge separating it from Vilnius Old Town is guarded, and you can only enter if you smile. Inside the streets of Užupis you will find its constitution displayed on plaques in many different languages, featuring principles such as ‘everyone has the right to be unique’ and ‘everyone has the right to make mistakes’. Užupis is reflective of the artistic edge that exists in Vilnius. Its streets are filled with artwork, outdoor pianos and restoration projects, making it one of the most Instagrammable spots in the Baltics, and oozing the kind of vibrant energy that makes this city such a welcoming place to visit. 5. Take a stroll along Vilnia River Something we really loved about Vilnius is the tranquil atmosphere the city has. This is particular true of its green areas, such as the parks and river banks. The River Vilnia loops around the Republic of Užupis and then traces along the edge of Kalnai Park, at the foot of the hill of the Three Crosses Monument. This stretch of river is nice for a peaceful stroll, perhaps with the occasional break on a park bench with a good book. We were blessed with some snowfall on our visit, which gave the riverside scenery an added layer of beauty. Vilnius is a great European winter destination, but be ready to wrap up warm! 6. Walk around the Old Town at night Vilnius’ maze of beautiful buildings old and new is a delight to explore in daylight, but takes on a special kind of magic at night. Grand buildings like Vilnius cathedral and the many colourful churches spread throughout the city look magnificent in lighting. Often in the streets of the Old Town you will find street musicians performing, especially at weekends. It’s a very calming atmosphere to simply meander on foot at your own pace. 7. Learn history at the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights Lithuania has endured a history of oppressive occupations over many centuries, but no times were as brutal as the middle years of the 20th century. One of the unfortunate nations trapped geographically between the Nazi and Soviet regimes, Lithuania became a pawn of war, and its people suffered greatly as a consequence. The Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights in Vilnius focuses on this period, in particular the Soviet post-war occupation of Lithuania. It tells the story of the people who rallied for Lithuanian independence, a goal which was once again achieved in 1991. In the basement of the museum are Soviet prison and torture cells, maintained in the same condition they were left in by KGB officers. There is also a room dedicated to Jewish persecution in Vilnius, in particular the Paneriai massacre, which was perpetrated during the Nazi occupation of the city. 8. Discover the city’s street art While the most conspicuous attractiveness of Vilnius is its historic architecture, underneath the surface the city has a thriving artistic soul. In the cobbled back streets of the Old Town and beyond, you can find stunning murals by street artists from all over Europe. The Užupis neighbourhood is perhaps the pinnacle of Vilnius’ street art scene, with many bright and colourful works adorning its walls. But there are other great examples all over the city. For example, walking from the bus terminal towards the Old Town, we spotted a giant wall mural on the corner of V. Šopeno and Šv. Stepono. We later discovered this was by the Polish duo Sepe Wręga and Chazme Kalinowski. 9. Shop for old gadgets in 6blusos Don’t be mistaken; while this place has ‘flea market’ written in big letters on a wooden sign outside, it isn’t a market in the way you might expect. 6blusos in Vilnius is a curious little antique shop located on the north end of Pilies Street in Old Town. if you have any trouble finding it, look up ‘Flea Market’ on Pilies Street in Google Maps. Outside you will see an arrangement of bizarre odds and ends, a taster for what you will find down the steps that lead inside. Antique camera equipment, old timepieces, games, jewellery, signs, gas masks – it’s all there. As several signs inside will make you aware, the shop has a strict look-don’t-touch policy. It’s a fun place just to peruse even if you don’t buy anything. 10. Take an alternative guided tour As an alternative to a free walking tour in Vilnius, if there is a particular aspect of the city you’re interested to explore, there are various themed guided walking tours you can take. These are some of the most popular, which have reduced group sizes and other safety measures in place: - Undiscovered Vilnius with a local: exploring the hidden stories and diverse influences of Vilnius, plus a taste of Lithuanian fish delicacies and a beer at a local bar. - Soviet Vilnius small group tour: focusing on the impact of the Soviet occupation on Vilnius and life behind the Iron Curtain, including food tasting and a beer. - The Women of Vilnius tour: a two-hour experience telling the tale of some of the city’s most famous and pioneering women. Things to do in Vilnius: food and drink Vilnius was one of the most forward-thinking and adaptable cities in response to the challenges Covid-19. Acting quickly to adjust to the times, the city transformed itself into an open-air café to create outdoor spaces for its bars and restaurants to begin operating again. Nowhere has been quicker to adapt, and as such, Vilnius is one of the safest places to get out and enjoy the local cuisine and drinking culture. 11. Try the delicious cuisine of Lithuania Lithuanian food is grounded on culinary traditions that have lasted centuries, blended with influences that have crept from European neighbours. Vilnius is at the forefront of the country’s food scene, with dozens of restaurants serving authentic Lithuanian dishes. In the cold Baltic climate, soups, stews and potato dumplings are central to the national cuisine. Pork is the meat of choice, and root veg such as beetroot is a common ingredient or accompaniment. We spent four days seeking out the best Vilnius restaurants for eating authentic Lithuanian food on a low-to-medium budget. This will give you a good insight to explore the local cuisine self-guided, but alternatively you can book onto a ‘Flavours of Vilnius’ tasting tour for a guided journey through the city’s architectural and culinary highlights. 12. De-stress at Cat Café In the last ten years, the cat café phenomenon has swept across Europe. Having originated in Taiwan in 1998 and blossomed in Japan in the early 2000s, the concept is essentially exactly what it says. A café, serving cakes, snacks and various beverages, with a host of feline residents for your visual and cuddling pleasure. After the first European cat cafés popped up in England, France and Austria, a whole spate opened across the continent in 2014. Lithuania rode on the crest of this wave, with Cat Café opening in Vilnius in October of that year. Being cat-lovers ourselves, this wasn’t something we were going to miss. If you want visit too, be aware that it’s popular and you need to make a reservation online in advance, which is especially advisable with table numbers now limited to enable social distancing. Hygiene rules include compulsory face masks (bring your own), hand sanitisation, and washing your hands before and after any cat contact. If you want to feed the cats, you can by some treats inside. There is no entrance fee, but you do need to spend a minimum of €5 per head. There’s plenty of tastiness on the menu to help you do that. We indulged in a cheesecake and chocolate orange cake, together with a hot wine and a coffee with amaretto. All this came to €14. 13. Eat in a chocolate restaurant If you still have an appetite after your fill of hearty Lithuanian food, you can treat yourself to a dessert at Vilnius’ very own chocolate restaurant (yes, you read correctly), Pilies Sokoladine. Pretty much everything on the menu is made of chocolate. There are even chairs and table sculptures on display made of chocolate. It’s quite literally a chocoholic’s paradise. The highlight of the menu is the selection of sumptuous chocolate cakes; you can also choose from a selection of handmade chocolates that are available in the restaurant’s shop at the front. 14. Drink Lithuanian craft beer Lithuania’s craft beer scene is equal to its food scene in terms of cultural heritage. Beer has been integral part of celebrations and festivities in Lithuania for centuries. Many of the age-old farmhouse brewing techniques remain in practice today, and with breweries committed to using local ingredients, Lithuanian beer is truly unique. While the beer scene is focused in the north, there are independent breweries all over the country. In Vilnius you can sample the very best of their output. To find out more about the best places to drink in the city, check out our article on Vilnius pubs for Lithuanian craft beer. 15. Try the world’s oldest alcoholic drink The only drink with a longer history in Lithuania than beer is mead. It is believed to be the oldest alcoholic drink in the world, with the earliest records of production dating back over 6,000 years. Mead has a golden colour and is made by fermenting honey with water and spices. Today, Lithuanian mead is designated as a national heritage product. The company Lietuviškas Midus is its foremost producer, and you can buy it in bars all over Vilnius. 16. Sample a ‘merry rolling pin’ of liqueurs On top of the excellent beer and mead, Lithuania also has a range of alcoholic spirits to sample. In many restaurants around the city you can order a taster board, which typically includes five spirits. It’s otherwise known as a ‘merry rolling pin’. We tried one in Etno Dvaras on Pilies Street for just €5. Our spirit taster board included some bitter liqueurs, like Trejos Devynerios (herbal) and Dainava (fruit-based). Our favourite, however, was Starka, a spirit made with fermented rye mash using similar techniques to whisky. 17. Snack on a delicious kibinai We’ve already mentioned Lithuanian cuisine, but this pastry snack is worth a separate mention. It actually derives from Turkish origin, and Trakai is best place to try it. The kibinai was brought to Lithuania by the Karaites people of Turkey, who settled in Trakai during the 14th century. The lakeside town now has plenty of places where you can try the snack, which consists of pastry filled with meat, cheese or vegetables. You can also find kibinai around Vilnius. On Gedimino Prospektas, the long, main road that stretches from Vilnius Cathedral to Neris River, there is a small café by Vincas Kudirka Square that serves a tantalising selection. Things to do in Vilnius: day trips 18. Take a trip to Trakai Island Castle Lithuania has many beautiful castles, and one of the most picturesque is within close reach of Vilnius. The 15th-century Trakai Island Castle has a scenic lakeside setting, and houses a museum inside that tells its history. Trakai is around half an hour from Vilnius by bus or train. From the bus terminal at Trakai, it’s about another half hour of walking to reach the castle. This is a pleasant walk along the main road of Trakai, past colourful houses and churches. Alternatively you can take an organised tour from Vilnius – these are some of the most popular options: - Classic four-hour tour with audio guide, a great budget option with reduced group sizes and distancing measures in place, including on vehicles during transfers. - Combined Trakai Castle and Paneriai Memorial tour, an added value option incorporating a visit to the site of the Ponary massacre midway between the city and Trakai. - Snowshoe hike in Trakai, an alternative way to reach the castle during winter months via a snowy wood walk, with a hot tea and traditional pie served when you arrive. The castle and its museum are open to visitors except on Mondays. Even if you find the castle itself closed, there’s a picture-perfect view of it from the lake’s edge near the visitor centre, and you can walk around outside its grounds. 19. See the Hill of Crosses Cross-crafting is an important tradition in Lithuania. Its greatest embodiment is at the Hill of Crosses in the city of Šiauliai in northern Lithuania, one of the country’s most celebrated and poignant landmarks. Crosses constructed of oak and iron have been left on the hill since the early 19th Century, and it has become an international symbol of peace. During the years of Soviet occupation during the second half of the 20th Century the site also gained significance as a marker of national identity and heritage. The hill is located around 12 kilometres outside Šiauliai, and reaching it from Vilnius can be tricky. The train journey between the two cities takes about 2–2.5 hours, with services running sparsely through the day (but with morning and evening trains available a day trip is possible). You can take a taxi for about 25 euros to the site from the train station in Šiauliai, or take the infrequent number 12 bus and get off at Domantai. A much easier option is to take a full-day tour from Vilnius, which can even work out cheaper than making your own way there. 20. See the historic town of Anykščiai The town of Anykščiai is a 90-kilometre drive from Vilnius. Home to an array of important historic sites and surrounded by some of the country’s most picturesque countryside, it makes for an captivating day trip from the capital. Anykščiai is where you will find Lithiania’s tallest church. The twin spires of the Church of St Matthew the Apostle stand 79 metres high, dwarfing all other structures nearby and visible for many miles around. A short distance outside the town is a secret treetop walking path, believed to be the only one of its kind in Europe. You can take an organised day trip to Anykščiai from Vilnius, which includes visits to the church, museums and other historic sites, as well as an excursion to the treetop walking path and exploration of the Lithuanian countryside. It’s also possible to combine a day trip the town with a visit to the Hill of Crosses. 21. Visit one of Lithuania’s beautiful national parks Beyond the reaches of Vilnius, Lithuania is drenched with stunning rural lowlands, with the country’s highest point above sea level less than 300 metres. The country’s relatively young national parks provide a window into its precious nature and wildlife. Aukstaitija National Park is the oldest in the country, established in 1974, located to the north-east of Vilnius. You can see its natural highlights as well as the Museum of Ancient Beekeeping and the Museum of Ethnocosmology by taking a full-day tour to the park from Vilnius. In the opposite direction, Dzukija National Park occupies the south-west corner of the country close to the borders with Belarus and Poland. A day tour to the park from Vilnius pivots from the historic hilltop town of Merkine. Where to stay in Vilnius Vilnius has a great range of places to stay for any budget and style. These are our picks of the best options for each budget level: - Budget: Jimmy Jumps House, Mikalo House, Downtown Forest Hostel - Mid-range: Litinterp Guest House, Loop Hotel, Comfort Hotel LT Rock ‘n’ Roll Vilnius - Luxury: Artagonist Art Hotel, Ratonda Centrum Hotel Another popular option is to stay in an Airbnb, giving you a private space to enjoy the city at leisure. These are three of the best Airbnb options around the old town: - Medieval flat in old town – one bedroom, up to three guests, located in the yard of a 16th century building - Old town apartment in prime location – one bedroom, two guests, in a building facing the Town Hall - Elegant old town apartment – beautifully furnished space for up to four guests Beyond Vilnius: further reading Are you travelling through Europe via Interrail? Check out these great Interrailing tips by Got My Backpack. If you love to explore historic cities, then also check out this article on the oldest cities in the world to find more ideas for your next trip. Heading across the border into Latvia, too? Check out this guide to what to do in Riga’s old town. Love it? Pin it!

It happens to many of us at this time of year. We lay our heads down to dream of sugar plums, reindeer, songs, smiling faces, or even some remote and relaxing location away from it all. Then we hear the noises up in the attic. Maybe it’s just a little scratching. Maybe it’s a full night of traffic. The problem is, we have unwanted and potentially damaging house guests up there. They can’t stay. That sound may be bats, who we typically consider friends in warm weather, thanks to their ability to control insect populations. But if they find a way into your home—and it doesn’t take much—they may hibernate there through the coldest months. Then, if the temperature rises enough, they may wake and move around the immediate area, which you might hear. They don’t pose a direct threat, but as we share on our website, they could damage your home exterior and, if left untended long enough, they could pose a threat to your family’s health. More commonly, the sounds may come from rodents such as squirrels and mice. Given time, both could settle in and grow family trees that you didn’t have in mind when you moved in. Squirrels require different measures, depending on the species. Gray and red squirrels will need to be trapped and removed. Flying squirrels, on the other hand, can be seen off with exit-only doors. It just depends on the situation, but our technicians will analyze the best approach. Mice are another matter. They can chew wires same as squirrels, but also find their way into the lower levels of your home, where they find food, bedding materials, and new nests. They can also spread several diseases through their urine and feces. If mice are the case, then we draw up a customized plan to advise, monitor and treat your home until the problem is gone. Whatever that sound may be, call us at 877-PESTS-55 when you hear it—even if it’s Christmas Eve, as one customer did a few years ago. (They woke up to a merrier morning.) The long winter nights are time for rest, not worry, and we can help. In 2020, we are thrilled to introduce INTRAP, a new, high-tech approach to rodent control, and it changes everything—especially for our commercial clients, such as food processing plants and warehouses, schools and universities, restaurants, hotels, or apartment complexes. Created here at Freedom Pest Control, INTRAP (Intelligent Real-Time Alert Program), harnesses the power of 5G connectivity to provide pest management that is ultra-efficient, responsive, and predictive. Using traditional methods, our technicians get results with frequent site visits to inspect and rebait individual control stations, and to manually note activity in order to analyze trends. But with INTRAP, we are on the watch 24/7. As the video above illustrates, our 24/7 intelligent commercial pest control uses dedicated technology that alerts our expert technicians the moment there is pest activity in, or near, our traps, making safety and compliance automatic. In addition, INTRAP helps us track and analyze data so we can better predict infestations before they do damage to a client’s business. Case Study: Commercial Fish Processing Facility Here’s an example of how INTRAP works for one of our clients, a 25,000-square-foot fish processing facility located on a pier in Gloucester, Mass. We effectively maintain traditional rodent control stations at ground level in the facility. However, the rafters above serve as “rodent superhighways” that require the time-consuming and disruptive task of inspecting high-level bait stations with a ladder. Meanwhile, the dark, rocky, and dangerous space underneath the facility poses other challenges. As our senior technician and associate certified entomologist Justin Marchand points out in the video below, getting to dozens of traps in this area is very difficult, and must be coordinated with the tide schedules. However, with INTRAP, Justin no longer has to continually climb ladders or crawl through the darkness to inspect each and every rodent trap. Instead, by the time he arrives on site, Justin already knows which bait stations have received visitors, or even had rodents pass by. So he only has to reset those traps that have caught a rodent, which allows more time for identifying and reducing the conditions that enable rodents to thrive. Moreover, both individually and together, the INTRAP stations provide data that tells the story of where rodents have been and where they are going. That information helps us analyze, predict and treat the facility with a reliable integrated pest management plan. A few days ago, we received a call from a local police department, relaying a citizen’s concern of a large hornet nest. Upon arriving on the scene, we quickly determined that the situation did not involve hornets and was no cause for concern. Instead, what we found was quite exciting-the first reported honeybee swarm of the season! What’s happening in this situation is just one of the many fascinating qualities of the European honeybee species. The bees in this swarm represent roughly half of a colony, and recently left their nest to make a new home where they can expand their population. While scouts seek the new location, the others have formed a temporary nest around this tree. Their queen is somewhere in the middle, and the exterior layer of honeybees beat their wings continuously to keep the interior bees warm. As the cold air kills off the outside layer, the next bees in line take over the job. Within a few days, the swarm will be off to build their new nest. Ever since they escaped from their early colonist hives, European honeybees have played a vital role in both natural and agricultural ecosystems. As one of 3,600 bee species in North America, the work they do to gather nectar (their favorite food) also helps spread pollen among wild plant species. But of all of those other species, European honeybees are most helpful to farmers, pollinating roughly one-third of the food eaten by Americans. Also, let’s not forget the many useful benefits of the honey and beeswax that they produce-the two reasons why colonists brought them to America. Sadly, honeybee populations are facing several threats, as studies show that U.S. beekeeper colonies declined by 44% between 2015 and 2016, and wild populations declined across 23% of the U.S. land area between 2008 and 2013. Scientists attribute some of the losses to pesticides, climate change, habitat loss, the mysterious colony collapse disorder. The most significant threat may be Varroa destructor, the Asian mite that invaded the U.S. about three decades ago and has since proven resistant to many eradication efforts. As if that’s not enough, scientists now hope to prevent the next potential threat following the discovery of Asian giant hornets in the Pacific northwest. In response to these many threats, efforts are forming across the U.S. to restore wild bee habitats, improve domestic beekeeping methods, reduce pesticides and increase awareness of their role in the ecosystem. We should be celebrating bees, not worrying about restoring them to their habitats. They are responsible for a lot of things that can benefit us, so they should be protected by as many people as possible. And if that means getting involved with, or starting your own fundraiser with the likes of GoFundMe, then that is what you should do. By doing this, the world’s agriculture supply, that bees are important for, will be protected and that should be our priority. So, while experts work to save these friends to farmers and Mother Nature alike, we hope you’ll find a new appreciation for this phenomenal species. Earlier this year we’ve debunked many commonly believed pest control myths on our blog. Click here and here to refresh your memory. Now, as the year is coming to an end, we thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite interesting (and true!) facts about insects and pests. Read on to learn more and then give us a call to schedule your free in-home estimate. Cockroaches can live up to a week without its head. They would survive for longer than that except, without the ability to drink water, they die of thirst. …and they’re fast A cockroach can run up to three miles per hour! Ants do not chew their food in the traditional sense. Instead, they move their jaws sideways, similar to a pair of scissors. Cricket’s ears on located on the front of their legs, just below the knees. Rats are well-known scavengers. In fact, every year they contaminate enough food to feed two hundred million people. …but they don’t live long Most rats die before they turn one year old. Termites love rock music! In fact, they eat through wood two times faster when rocking out to some tunes. The common housefly has taste buds on its feet. Bees may fly up to sixty miles in a day. …and they kill their queens Well, not maliciously. When a honey bee queen begins to die, she emits a pheromone that makes her smell unrecognizable to the colony bees and they will kill her. Fleas may be tiny, but they can jump up to one hundred and thirty times their height. Call Freedom Pest Control at 877-PESTS-55 today to schedule your free in-home evaluation! Here in 2020, as if we didn’t need anything else to worry about, news has emerged that Vespa mandarinia — also known as Asian giant hornets and in headlines as “murder hornets” — was identified in the Pacific northwest late last year. To be clear, New England has more to fear from our native hornets than this immigrant species on the other side of the continent, but there are still some things you should know. The Asian giant hornet is the largest predator of its kind, with a two-inch body length, three-inch wing span, large mandibles it uses to decapitate prey, and a quarter-inch stinger that can penetrate an exterminator’s protective equipment. Like other hornets, it rarely attacks humans unless provoked. But it packs a serious punch when it does, delivering multiple stings and up to seven times the amount of a honeybee’s venom. Some reports claim that the Asian giant hornet accounts for around 50 human deaths a year in its native Japan and China. (By comparison, 89 U.S. deaths were caused in 2017 by our own hornets, wasps and bees.) Honeybees are at the greatest risk from Asian giant hornets. When the predator scout discovers and reports a honeybee hive to its own colony, they can destroy the entire bee colony in a matter of hours, tearing the heads off of adults (hence the name “murder hornet”) and carrying its victims and their larva back home for a feast. This threat is particularly troubling in the U.S., where honeybee populations are already being decimated by parasites, viral diseases, and pesticides. Japanese honeybees have developed defense mechanisms for an invading murder hornet, but experts predict that European honeybees (most common in the U.S.) won’t stand a chance. Hopefully, honeybees and humans in North America will have little to fear of the Asian giant hornet. After detecting a few nests on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island and one dead specimen in Washington state, entomologists are now conducting an aggressive program to monitor and capture queens this spring as they emerge from their underground winter homes. In the meantime, we shouldn’t forget this intruder’s smaller cousins, like the bald-faced hornet. Read our post from last year on what to watch for and be wary of with these painful pests. Rats! Just the thought of them will make a lot of people squeamish. And for good reason. Rats are highly invasive, tenacious and dangerous, carrying many diseases that put families and pets at risk. We offer more information about them in our Services section, but in this blog post, we invite you on a rat inspection and initial service with Chris Sargent, sales director at Freedom Pest Control. In this short video, you’ll learn about signs of infestation, where they like to live, how to set a trap (and why you don’t want to), and how Freedom Pest Control goes about removing rat infestations—for good. At first sight, the hornet’s large paper nest startles most of us, and for good reason. The inhabitants are very defensive of anyone within a few feet of their home and can pack a mighty wallop, stinging repeatedly if provoked. This is especially true for North America’s most common species, the bald-faced hornet (Dolichovespula maculate), which is actually a member of the yellowjacket family. From a safe distance, baldfaced hornet colonies are amazing feats of nature. They are started new each year (and never reused), growing up to three feet long over a few months. They house up to hundreds individuals that play important roles in the ecosystem, controlling other insect populations and pollinating many flowers and fruit plants. However, if the nest is attached to your home or close to where you spend time outside, then it should be removed. But HOW it is removed depends on when you notice it. The queen establishes the small nest in April or May, starting with maybe a dozen combs, each housing an egg that grows to adult within three weeks. The nest grows as she continues to add young queen and worker combs until late summer, followed by stingerless males around September. If you notice the nest in a dangerous location during the late spring and early summer months, then you may be able to neutralize it yourself with the right store-bought product. But after a certain point, the safest option is to call in the professionals. This is just one of many examples where members of Freedom Pest Control’s Gold Plan benefit. Our technician will most likely notice it during one of the seasonal inspections of your property, and take action then. But if the customer spies the nest between visits, then our technician will take care of the problem (or any other, for that matter) at no additional charge. As the lazy days of summer roll in, you may begin noticing a lot of wasp activity. This is partly because, in spring, queen wasps reemerge from their overwinter nests and begin laying eggs to start a new colony. Queen wasps will continue reproducing and a colony can consist of hundreds to thousands of workers. During the summer months, wasps tend to stay close to their nests, which is bad news if they’ve decided to build one on or around your property. The first thing you should know is how to identify a wasp as they are often confused with bees. There are a few ways to distinguish between wasps and bees. First, the abdomen of a wasp narrows before connecting to the thorax. Second, wasps have much less hair and third, wasp colonies are typically smaller than the average bee colony. Wasps are dangerous! Here are some things you can do to deter them from building nests on your property and to keep yourself safe: 1. During the summer, wasps are attracted to protein foods. Do not leave food or open garbage cans on or around your property. 2. Seal vents, repair screens, and close up any cracks around windows and door frames where wasps may build nests or enter your home through. 3. Don’t swat or squash a wasp. Squashed wasps will release pheromones which will attract other wasps. 4. Keep your lawn short and your bushes trimmed 5. Remove sources of excess water If you believe you have a wasp nest on your property, we do not recommend trying to remove it yourself! Please call a professional to do the job instead. Call Freedom Pest Control today for all your wasp removal needs at 877-PESTS-55! We recently introduced you to carpenter ant swarmers, the winged version of a carpenter ant that leaves its colony to mate and start its own. Often confused with termites, carpenter ants tunnel through wood to build nests and can be difficult to locate. This tunneling can create a great deal of structural damage so proofing your home against them before they appear is super important. Read on for tips on how to prevent against carpenter ants: - Identify any areas in the home where there is moisture and correct the problem immediately. These would include roof, drainage, and plumbing leaks. - Remove any tree limbs and branches outside your home that may serve as “bridge” to the inside. - Seal up doors, windows, and cracks in the foundation that may serve as an entry point. - Be fastidious about cleanliness. Make sure to clean up food crumbs and drink spills immediately. Remember, carpenter ants are attracted to sweet foods. - Store food in airtight containers. - Carpenter ants frequently nest in firewood so be sure to stack it outside and away from your home. You may also want to elevate your pile so it does not sit flush against the soil. If you suspect that you may already have a carpenter ant infestation, or have found carpenter ant swarmers around your home, please contact a professional immediately. The damage that they cause can be quite devastating! We at Freedom Pest Control can help, please call us at 877-PESTS-55 for a free quote! It’s spring time which means that homeowners should be on the lookout for squirrels that may be nesting in attics. If you’re hearing scampering up above, it is very likely that a female squirrel has built her nest in your attic. Female squirrels will build their nests near openings such as roof vents, roof edges, roof soffit intersections, wall vents, chimneys, and plumbing mats. Female squirrels give birth to a litter sometime in the spring, starting in March and continuing through the month of June. A squirrel infestation is an issue for many reasons. Squirrels may do damage as gnaw on electrical wires and wooden boards. They also create a mess with droppings and urine, and can produce a great deal of noise, especially if they have gotten trapped in wall cavities. Below are some steps to take if you have squirrels in your attic: - Inspect your attic for entry points to identify how they may be getting in. While up there, check for signs of damage such as holes in siding, vents, and roof soffits as well as damaged insulation or chewed wires. In case you find some major issues with your roof, call for professional help from reputed companies like Nations Renovations (https://nationsrenovations.com/tx/roofing-services-in-grapevine/). - Try to identify if it is a female squirrel with her young. A telltale sign is a nest made of found materials like cardboard, leaves, and insulation. If a nest is found at this time of year, you can be sure that babies are present as well. - You may be able to scare the squirrels out with loud noises or bright lights. However, if this doesn’t work (since it is likely they will return, please call your local pest control professional. They will be able to take steps to remove them permanently. - Once the squirrels are no longer living in your attic, be sure to repair any holes that may offer entry and install metal flashing to keep them from reentering through open access points. Freedom Pest Control receives calls about termites in many different forms. It may be the house hunter asking questions about a specific area of damage in the basement. It may be from a homeowner who just came home and found thousands of wings in a window on the sunny side of their home. Or, it could be the apartment renter who found hundreds of small bugs in her bathtub. Termites, more specifically Eastern subterranean termites, cause an estimated $5 billion in damage every year to homes across America. Every spring when the temperature, relative humidity, and dew point reach a specific point in your home, termite swarmers are drawn out of the wood like ants to sugar. This is the time of year when alates, the swarming termites inside of your home, emerge from their colony in search of a mating partner. They are attracted to light, so they normally come out and flutter towards your windows. You might think you have a month infestation or flying ants. But the truth of the matter is they are termites and they’ve most likely been in your home for about five years, the amount of time it t takes for a termite colony to develop before they swarm. This means that termites have secretly been doing damage to your home for all that time. What to Do about Termites The first thing you need to do is call your local professional exterminator. Freedom Pest Control is incredibly knowledgeable about termites and our technicians are experienced at exterminating them. Your technician will inspect your home and point out specific conditions that are conducive to the termites and steps you can take to deter them. Some of these steps include reducing moisture and removing bark mulch around your home (this is because any material containing cellulose that has contact with the soil around your home or in your basement is a feeding ground for termites). If you think you may have a termite infestation, please call Freedom Pest Control today at 1-877-55-PESTS. We’re happy to come out and give you a free in-home estimate! Carpenter ants aren’t harmful to humans but they can do a considerable amount of damage to your home. Often confused with termites, carpenter ants tunnel through wood to build nests and can be difficult to locate. As they hollow out wood, such as in ceiling beams and wooden doors, the integrity of the wood is compromised and can result in serious structural damage to your home. Therefore, early detection and removal is key! Identifying Carpenter Ants It is not uncommon to find a single carpenter ant in your home rather than a colony. Here’s what to look for: - Carpenter ants are black but can have a dark red color - Carpenter ants are the largest type of ant. They can be as big as ¾ of an inch long. - Carpenter ants have elbowed antennae and a thin waist - Carpenter ants are polymorphic, or not all the same size. This means that size does not necessarily differentiate between adults and juveniles Carpenter Ant Swarmers As the spring time begins to roll in, you may begin to notice carpenter ant swarmers crawling on the outside of your windows. Carpenter ant swarmers are winged carpenter ants that leave their colonies to mate and start their own colonies. Spotting carpenter ants in or around your home is a tell-tale sign that there is a mature carpenter ant colony nearby or inside your walls. If this is the case, the carpenter ant swarmers will only increase the population and perpetuate your carpenter ant infestation. It is important to contact professional as soon as you notice a carpenter ant swarmer in or around your home. Ignoring them can result in a great deal of damage. If you suspect a carpenter ant infestation, please call Freedom Pest Control at 877-PESTS-55! If you follow us on Facebook (and now Instagram!), you may have heard that we are getting ready to move into a brand new office space in Merrimac, MA! We have loved our little space in Topsfield, MA over the past twenty-five years but as business has grown, so has our staff, and our needs. We’re pleased to announce that our new location will be open as very soon! Stop by to say and hi and to check out our state-of-the-art facilities! In addition to requiring more space for our growing company (and for that, we have YOU to thank!), our primary reason for moving was to be able to provide our technicians with the best training in the business. Our new location will allow us to offer continuing education, support, and guidance to our technicians, staff, and colleagues. We’ve installed a classroom with state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment, a mock bedroom to help refresh seasoned technicians and train new technicians on our bed bug eradication techniques, as well as a mock residential kitchen to provide training on common insects like ants, cockroaches, and mice. That’s not all! We will also have a mock commercial kitchen set up specifically for training our technicians on what to look for in restaurants and food processing plants. Finally, our new facility also has a fantastic outdoor area to teach and practice treating against mosquitoes and ticks. No matter our location, Freedom Pest Control remains the leader in pest control in Massachusetts and New Hampshire and, as always, home inspections are free with the purchase of any package. We pride ourselves on our highly trained service technicians and their knowledge, professionalism, and efficiency at removing pests, animals, and termites. Please call us today at 877-PESTS-55 to schedule your free in-home estimate! The holidays are over, and a new year is here! Now is a great time to make resolutions, set new goals, and get motivated to cross things off your “to-do” list. One of those items should certainly be to make sure your home is protected against pests because heading into a new year with a pest infestation is a total bummer. To ensure that your home stays pest free in 2019, follow these simple steps: Keep Your Home Tidy and Clean! We can’t stress this enough! Rodents and pests are less likely to take up residence in a home that is free from crumbs, clutter, spills, and easily accessible food. Be sure to maintain a clean kitchen and keep food in airtight and sealed containers. Wipe down counters and sweep floors on a regular basis and don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink or pet food on the floor overnight. Also, be sure to keep the rest of the home just as clean. Vacuuming and tidying up used cups and dishes each day will keep pests at bay. Check for Standing Water! Standing water in the home is an open invitation to insects and pests. Inspect your home for leaky pipes, dripping faucets, and windows that may be letting in moisture. Repair any issues that may cause standing water and be sure to remove that water immediately. Seal Up Holes! Rodents and insects can enter a home through even the smallest of holes. Inspect the interior and exterior home and look for cracks, holes, ripped screens, and broken doors. We also suggest installing screens over chimneys and vents. Why not kill two birds with one stone here: get rid of clutter while eliminating hiding places for pests. Rodents often like to burrow into areas of the home that collect piles and clutter, such as basements and attics. Getting rid of boxes and unused clothes and blankets will deter pests from getting too cozy. You might also want to consider transferring any belongings into plastic storage boxes. Not only are plastic boxes an incredibly handy storage solution, but they can also stop pests in their tracks. Be sure to prune tree branches and shrubs back from the exterior of your home to prevent pests from using them as a way to get on and in it. Depending on the number of trees or bushes that you have in your garden, it could provide numerous gateways for unwanted pests to make their way into your home. So, you may need to consider tree removal or services that can clean up any overgrown plants or branches to ensure that they stay clear from your personal space. Also, don’t forget to keep piles of firewood, compost, and leaf piles far back from your home. Finally, preventative pest control is one of the most surefire way to protect your home from unwanted guests. Please call us at 877-PESTS-55 to schedule your free in-home estimate. Cockroaches have a tendency to elicit screaming and jumping on tables, and for good reason! Cockroaches are creepy and disgusting and are typically found in homes that are unsanitary (even though we know that they can make appearances in even the cleanest of homes). However, there are a number of insects that are often mistaken for cockroaches, including the water bug. There are many ways that the water bug differs from the cockroach, though. Read on to learn more: Water Bug Characteristics - Water bugs are generally bigger in size than a cockroach. A water bug is, on average, about two inches long. - Water bugs have short antennae. Cockroaches are often identified by their very long antennae, almost the length of their body, as well as their six legs covered with spines. - Water bugs can hold their breath for a long time and live and hunt prey in water. A cockroach prefers land and is typically found in dark, moist spaces. - Water bugs are known for their ability to hunt down their food. In fact, once they’ve captured their prey, the water bug will inject it with an enzyme that liquefies its insides so they can suck out the liquid. Cockroaches, on the other hand, are scavengers and subsist on food and garbage that they find. - Water bugs are known to bite if they are handled or feel threatened. Cockroaches are known to stay away from people and will hide if approached. - Water bugs can fly and will do so from one body of water to another. Cockroaches can fly but they’re not particularly adept at it. - Finally, and maybe most important, cockroaches spread disease and can cause health issues whereas water bugs typically do not. Our pest control technicians are experts at identifying cockroaches and differentiating them from other insects. If you think you’ve seen a cockroach in your home, please call us at 877-PESTS-55 to schedule your free in-home estimate! Here on our blog we often talk about how to get rid of the unwanted rodents, insects, and pests that may take up residence in your home. But, what about the four-legged creatures that already live in your home and are a part of your family? Unwelcome pests may cause your pet to get anxious and upset. Furthermore, it is important know how to keep you pets safe and healthy when pest control treatments and techniques become a necessity. Read on for some pet-friendly pest control tips: Don’t Invite Pests In First off, it is important to make sure that your home is always proofed against pests. Be sure to clean regularly, remove trash, and keep food sealed and in airtight containers. Remove any standing water in or around the home and fill in cracks and openings that pests may enter in through. Choose Your Traps Wisely When trying to catch rodents, snap traps are a popular choice but can be harmful to pets. Be sure to place them in areas that are not accessible by your pets or choose a snap trap that is enclosed. Contain Their Food Rodents love to eat your pet’s food Make sure your pet’s food bowls are always clean at night and only put down the amount of food that your pet will finish for the day. Eliminating this food source overnight will deter rodents from finding their way into your kitchen. Make Your Pest Control Technician Aware During your initial visit from a pest control technician, be sure to make them aware of what kind of pet, or pets, you own. Your technician will explain the procedures of the treatment that will be used and discuss answer any questions that you may. Please know that the safety of your pets is of our utmost concern and our treatments are completely pet friendly! We at Freedom Pest Control love pets! If you are experiencing any sort of pest infestation and have concerns about how to deal with it with pets in the home, please give us a call! We can help you come up with a plan of action that is effective and safe. Please contact us today at 1-877-PESTS-55 for more information! Thanksgiving and the holiday season is upon us and we can’t wait to eat lots of great food and spend time with loved ones. However, as pest control experts, we are hyper aware of the fact that this time of year can also bring around unwanted guests, such as rodents and bed bugs. The colder weather, visiting guests, and extra food laying may increase your chances of developing some sort of infestation over the holidays. To stay pest free this Thanksgiving, take a look at the following tips (especially if you’ll be hosting!): Store Your Food Properly As you’re gathering the food for your big meal, be sure keep it in sealed, airtight containers and store them on high pantry shelves or in the refrigerator. Also, as you’re preparing food, be fastidious about cleaning up crumbs which may attract rodents. After the big meal, do not leave leftovers or desserts out on the table overnight. Clean and vacuum your kitchen and dining areas as good as possible after your guests leave. Crumbs, fallen food, and even the scent of food will attract rodents. Holiday meals often create an excess of garbage and scraps. Be sure to take your filled garbage bags to your outdoor barrels at the end of the day. Outdoor barrels should be sealed tightly and kept in an area that doesn’t allow for easy access indoors. Beware of Bed Bugs Bed bugs are excellent hitchhikers and can be carried into your home by even the cleanest people! If you have older children coming home to visit, throw their overnight bags and their clothes in the dryer on high heat to kill any bed bugs. Once guests leave, wash linens in hot water and check on and around your mattresses for any signs of the little pests. Seal Proof Your Home As you’re decorating and pulling things out of attics and basements, be sure to inspect for small holes and cracks that pests can enter in through. Now is a good time of year to ensure that your home is protected before the winter really sets in. If you need help pest proofing your home or suspect an infestation of some kind, contact us at 1-877-PESTS-55 for more information and to schedule your free in-home evaluation! As cooler temperatures are beginning to set in, pests are busy preparing for the upcoming winter. Many pests will do so by seeking warmth and shelter inside your home or place of business. One such pest is the spider because they have difficulty surviving in cold temperatures. The will head inside for protection against the elements and to seek out food as many of the flying insect populations decline due to the weather. Read on and get to know your common New England spiders: The House Spider The house spider is fairly common and is the type that one would typically find in their home. The house spider is small and yellowish brown in color with a rounded abdomen of about a quarter of an inch. They have eight legs, no antennae, and eight eyes. House spiders will create their webs in places of the house where other pests may also dwell, such as attics, basements, and other dark and cluttered areas. The house spider is certainly not dangerous, but its presence can be quite bothersome and alarming! The Black Widow Black widows are identifiable by their black body with a red hourglass shape their backs. Their bodies are rounded, they are about one and a half inches long, and they have eight legs and no antennae. They will typically hide in protected and cluttered areas like basements, garages, and crawl spaces. Though not extremely common in New England, the black widow spider does exist in the area and can be quite harmful. Their venom is toxic so please seek out immediate medical attention if bitten. The Sac Spider The sac spider is one of the creepiest looking spider you may encounter. They can have a leg span of up to an inch long, have a pale yellow color, and two rows of eight eyes. Unlike the house spider and black widow, the sac spider does not catch their prey in a web but prefers to hunt for their food at night. Though not typically aggressive towards humans, they will bite if threatened. Their bites are not harmful but are certainly painful! If you’re experiencing a spider infestation, please contact us today at 1-877-PESTS-55 for more information! Have you been outside in recent weeks and felt like there were a crazy amount of squirrels running around your yard, the parks, or darting across the roads? You may have even noticed an increase in squirrel roadkill. If so, you’re not alone and you’re not mistaken. Residents all over New England have been noticing a sudden surge in the squirrel population and there’s actually an ecological explanation for it. Here’s why: Sudden Squirrel Surge Fall of 2017 was a bumper crop year for acorns. If you have an oak tree in your yard, you may have noticed more acorns on the ground than usual. Bumper crop years happen about two out of every ten years and, during these years, there can be more than 250,000 acorns per acre as opposed to an average of 20,000 to 65,000. This means that animals that survive on acorns, like squirrels and chipmunks, were able to really stock up last year, increase their fat reserves, and, in turn, improve their chances of survival over the winter months. Now, the squirrel population is high and this is the time of year when new litters are starting to venture out on their own in search of new territory and food. Don’t be alarmed if you also start seeing more animals that prey on squirrels, such as foxes, fisher cats, hawks, and owls. Again, for these animals, more availability of food causes a population irruption. Winter is Coming Winter is coming, which means that this influx of squirrels will also be looking for someplace warm and cozy to spend the cold nights. Squirrels often take up residence inside attics via roof vents, chimneys, and roof edges. Once inside, they will build nests, create messes, make a lot of noise, and even chew on electrical wires. We at Freedom Pest Control can help you ensure that your home is protected against squirrels and we are experts at squirrel removal. Please contact us today at 1-877-PESTS-55 for more information! At the start of the new year, we shared some of the most commonly believed pest control myths. However, there are plenty of myths about pests in your home and, with the new school year beginning and colder weather on the horizon, we’d like to share a few more with you. Read on to find our whether your ideas about pests and pest control are valid or not. Then, give us a call to schedule your free in-home estimate. You Only Need Bug Spray in the Evening Even though fall is approaching, there is still plenty of time to spend outdoors. Most people believe that bugs and mosquitoes are worse at night and will apply bug spray as the sun starts to set. In fact, insects can be bothersome any time of day so bug spray is often necessary while the sun is still high in the sky. Those in areas where bugs are particularly virulent and who are in dire need of some new bug spray or repellant may want to check out and try this from Quantum Health to help ensure that they are not swarmed by the unpleasant little critters. Cockroaches are Only Found in Dirty Homes It’s true that cockroaches are typically found in dirty and unkempt homes. However, they are very resilient and may take up residence in a clean home as long as they have access to food and water. Rats are Filthy Though they are gross looking and undesirable house guest, rats are actually very concerned with cleanliness. In fact, they spend more than half of the day cleaning their nests, themselves, and their living quarters. Also, they have separate areas for sleeping and for going to the bathroom. Fleas Only Live on Pets Fleas are often found in the fur of dogs and cats. However, they can live for a long time without a host animal. Only People with Pests Need Pest Control The most effective form of pest control is preventative! Even if you don’t currently have a pest infestation, your home may not be completely protected against one. A pest control professional can help you pinpoint areas of the home that may be vulnerable to a pest infestation. Call Freedom Pest Control at 877-PESTS-55 today to schedule your free in-home evaluation! It’s September and schools everywhere are back in session! Moms and dads are rejoicing, teachers are prepping for a new school year, and kids are thrilled to see their friends and show off their new clothes. However, for a school that has become infested with pests, the start of the beginning of the school year might not be so exciting or seamless. Schools provide pests with many nooks and crannies in which to hide and also offer a safe and warm place to live during the upcoming colder months. School administrators should especially be on the lookout for the following pests: - Flies buzzing around a classroom are distracting but, more importantly, flies are notorious for contaminating food. - Cockroaches are not only creepy, but they can also trigger allergic reactions and asthma attacks in children. They also spread many different kinds of bacteria including E. coli and Salmonella. - Spiders are typically harmless but they can be bothersome, scream inducing, and can also be a sign of other pest infestations. - Rodents can fit through very small spaces, sometimes as small as a dime, and can often times carry serious diseases. They can also leave behind gross droppings, make distracting noises, and emit terrible odors. - Stinging Insects are very active in the early fall and their stings not only hurt small children, but can also cause allergic reactions. The aforementioned pests don’t just target schools. They are also commonly found in office buildings, hotels, nursing homes, apartments, and a variety of other commercial businesses. Luckily, Freedom Pest Control offers commercial pest control services in addition to residential. If your school or place of business has been infested, please call us today at 1-877-PESTS-55 for more information! If you’ve been outside late at night this summer, it’s likely that you’ve seen a bat or two flying overheard. Bats have gotten a bad reputation for being spooky, but they’re actually very interesting little creatures. Read on for fun five facts about bats: Bats are Fast Bats can fly up to sixty miles per hour! Bats Live a Long Time Some live for more than thirty years! Bats Aren’t Afraid of the Dark In fact, they can locate food in the pitch black! They let off high pitched sounds and find their way with echolocation. Bats are Cheap Pest Control Some bats can eat their weight in insects every single night! Some bat species migrate south, just like birds! …and Some Hibernate Other bat species hibernate during the winter and often prefer to sleep it off in caves! Bats can Identify Their Young Even in a crowd of bats, mothers can identify their babies by their scent and sounds! Bats can Fly Duh! But what’s more interesting about this is that they’re the only mammals that can fly. Bats Come In Many Sizes The largest bats have a wingspan of up to six feet while the smallest weigh less than a penny! Bats Don’t Want to Suck Your Blood Contrary to popular belief, only three species of bats feed on blood – and they lap it up rather than suck it up! Regardless of their interesting traits and characteristics, nobody wants bats to take up residence in their attic where they are known to hide and reproduce. Their noises may keep you up night, their droppings carry fungus that can cause lung infections, they are known for carrying rabies, and they can potentially contaminate your water. If you suspect a bat infestation, please call Freedom Pest Control at 1-877-PESTS-55. Our experts can help identify and seal entry points and permanently rid your home of bats! Late August into early September is one of the busiest times of year for moving. Students are returning to their college apartments and rentals are changing tenants. And, in recent years, the number of people renting an apartment is rising. However, with the convenience of renting come the cons, one of which is the possibility of a pest infestation. Shared walls, close living quarters, and connected utilities make it easy for pests to move from one apartment to another and also make it difficult to find the source of the infestation. Common pests that plague apartment buildings and townhouse units include bed bugs, cockroaches, flies, and rodents. If you’re moving into a rental unit in the coming weeks, follow these simple tips to keep those unwanted houseguests away: Proof Against Apartment Pests - Vacuum regularly - Dispose of garbage on a daily basis in covered receptacles located outdoors - Keep your kitchen tidy. Sweep on a daily basis, wash dishes after use, wipe up crumbs and spills on the counters and floors. - Store food in airtight containers and keep them on high shelves. - Notify your landlord of any leaky pipes or areas of moisture and insist that they get fixed quickly. - Pests, like bed bugs, often hide in furniture so be very cautious when accepting or buying used pieces. Be sure to give them a good inspection and cleaning before bringing them into your home. - Keep clutter to a minimum – pests love to hide in piles of clothes and in boxes. - Seal entry points. We at Freedom Pest Control are experienced in exterminating pests from multi-unit apartments. Please call us today at 1-877-PESTS-55 for more information! Remember running around your backyard in the summer as a kid and trying to catch fireflies in a jar? This nostalgic summertime activity is still just as much fun and the little ones in your life will appreciate making these memories with you. Before heading out on your next firefly hunt, read on to learn some interesting facts about these magical little lightning bugs. Fireflies Aren’t Flies Fireflies are actually beetles and there are over 2,000 species of them. Only some firefly species will produce light and most of them are winged. Fireflies can produce green, yellow, or orange light. In order to produce their light, a certain chemical reaction must take place. This reaction generates light with very little heat and almost one hundred percent of the chemical reaction’s energy becomes light. Firefly Light Serves a Purpose Some firefly species use their light as a way to attract a mate. Male fireflies will emit a flashing pattern that is specific to its species and an interested female will respond with a single flash. As part of their defense system, fireflies don’t taste very good to their predators. Therefore, predators will avoid fireflies after an initial taste. The Firefly Population is Declining Fireflies are not be as populous as they once were. This is due mainly to light pollution and commercial development. Fireflies don’t migrate if their habitat is developed and will, in turn, disappear in that particular area. So, if you do go firefly hunting, be sure to catch them in a jar that has holes in the lid and release them after a short time. Fireflies are interesting and fascinating little beetles to witness flying around your backyard. However, a true beetle infestation is not so fun to deal with. We at Freedom Pest Control are here to help if you do find your yard being overtaken with beetles, or any other pest. Please call us at 877-PESTS-55 to schedule your free estimate today! Summertime is prime time for gardening and, these days, more and more Americans are trying their hand at growing their own vegetables. There’s not better feeling than walking into your backyard and picking your own fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini. However, pest infestations and visits from larger animals can cause quite a bit of damage to your garden. Fortunately, preventing pests from overtaking your garden is easier than you think – just follow these five simple steps: To keep pests off your plants, cover them with a floating row cover. Floating row covers rest on top of the plants or on wire hoops and is pinned to the ground. To keep larger animals, like rabbits and deer, at bay, consider building a fence. However, if you do not wish to build a DIY fence, you could search online for the readymade ones. You can find aluminum fencing, wood fencing, and vinyl fencing of good quality from online shops. In case you do not want a fence, chicken wires can also do the job. Rather than planting one type of plant in a long row, intersperse different types of plants and crops with each other. This makes it more difficult for a pest to find its host plant and should prevent it from returning. Some insects, like ladybugs, prey on those unwanted pests. These beneficial insects are attracted to plants that provide nectar, pollen, and shelter so be sure to include flowers that fit the bill. Give Some TLC Plants benefit from some tender loving care! Provide them with their optimum growing conditions, which may include greenhouse plastic for the bigger area of plants with those specific growing conditions. The correct light exposure, amount of water, and soil will create healthy plants. Healthy plants are better able to withstand attacks from pests. Make Smart Choices Choose varieties of plants that are naturally able to hold up to and resist pests. Here is a good list to start with. We wish you luck with your vegetable gardening this summer! But, if you find that your garden or yard has been completely overrun by pests, please give us a call at 877-PESTS-55 to schedule your free estimate. It is officially summer and thoughts of swimming, vacations, and lazy days are on the brain! What you may not be considering is that, as the days are getting longer and hotter, summertime pests are becoming more active. These pests, including ants, flies , wasps, gnats, and rodents, are also looking to escape the sun and heat and often find refuge from it in and around your home. The last thing anybody wants to do during their summer break is deal with a pest infestation. Below are some simple steps you can follow to keep pests from invading this summer. In the kitchen: - Keep kitchen counters clean and free from crumbs - Be sure to store food in airtight containers and on higher shelves - Don’t let dirty dishes pile up in the sink - Take trash out on a regular basis - Don’t leave pet food dishes out all day - Keep fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator whenever possible and throw them away when they become overripe In the basement and/or attic: - Declutter and eliminate any piles of clothing or other items - Keep basements and attics ventilated and dry - Be on the lookout for holes in the walls and for possible hiding places Outside your home: - Maintain your lawn with regular mowing and trimming - Keep firewood far away from your home - Replace weather stripping around windows - Repair any cracks, loose mortar, or openings around the foundation of your home - Divert rainwater, sprinklers, and other sources of moisture away from your home - Eliminate standing water Most importantly, call a pest control expert if you suspect that you have an infestation or need guidance and support in preventing one. We at Freedom Pest Control have the knowledge and expertise to help you stay pest free this summer. Call us at 877-PESTS-55 or live-chat on our website with one of our customer service representatives today! With spring here, and summer right around the corner, it is not unusual to find the occasional fly inside your home. These quick little guys often get into your home through cracks in a screen, open doors or windows, and behind children as they come in from playing outside. However, if you’re finding more than just a few flies in your home during this time of year, you may have a problem with cluster flies. Cluster flies normally live outdoors but, in the late summer, they begin looking for a place to overwinter. They will gather on a sunny side of a house and, as night falls, they may make their way through cracks in windows or gaps in siding. They overwinter between the inside and outside walls of a home until the days get warmer and longer. This is when they may start to appear inside your home. Beyond being annoying, cluster flies are generally harmless because they do not bite and aren’t attracted to garbage. However, if these flies are dead or dying inside your walls, they can attract other pests and lead to a much larger pest infestation problem. Cluster Fly Characteristics - They are sluggish and are often found clustering around windows and light bulbs because they are attracted to the light. - Cluster flies are larger than they typical house fly - Their bodies are a dark, non-metallic gray with a black checkered body - Cluster flies overlap their wings when at rest Cluster Fly Prevention To keep cluster flies at bay, follow some of these simple tips: fill all cracks in and around the home, make sure that your screens don’t have any holes, install special fly lights. It is sometimes advised to use chlordan with house flies and because they are so similar to cluster flies, this may also work. However, studies suggest the house fly has a resistance to chlordan and the same may be said for cluster flies, so it’s probably not worth trying. If you want to read more about this, you can find the articles and other Rare PubMed articles scanned at libraries at eurekamag.com. Because a cluster fly infestation can lead to bigger pest problems, it is important to talk with a pest control expert about how to eliminate this problem. We at Freedom Pest Control can help you create and execute a plan of action. Call us at 877-PESTS-55 to schedule your in-home estimate or live-chat with one of our customer service representatives for an instant quote! A termite infestation is never good news and should be dealt with immediately upon being discovered. Termites cause billions of dollars of damage to homes and business on an annual basis. Nevertheless, termites and termite swarmers are quite interesting. Read on to learn more about these wood-eating menaces: Termites, a relation to the cockroach, have been on earth for over 200 milion years They have a varied palate Some termites will eat just about anything that is made from plants, in addition to wood. Some have even been known to chew on plastic. They shed their wings When they set out to create a new colony, reproductive termites grow wings. Once the new colony is established, they shed their wings. Workers and soldiers are blind Because they spend their lives in dark, damp locations, the worker and soldier termites have no need for sight. Termites never sleep and are constantly eating. This is one major reason why they are so destructive. Even though they never take a break, a colony only eats about a pound or two of wood per day. They like to tunnel Rather than eating large chunks of wood at a time, termites prefer to eat in tunnels. This habit can ruin a structure. Colonies work together A structure with extensive termite damage has likely been caused by multiple colonies. A queen termite lays millions of eggs in one lifetime They’re head bangers When a threat is detected, termites will bang their heads against walls to send warning vibrations to the rest of the colony. We at Freedom Pest Control are experts in termite treatments. Please call us today at 877-55-PESTS to schedule your in-home evaluation today! Or, live-chat with one of our customer service representatives for an instant quote! Spring weather was slow to arrive in New England this year so it’s likely that you’re still working to get your yard in tip-top shape. Before you dive into your spring clean-up and gardening, take a moment to consider how you can also prevent pests from taking up residence in your yard. Keeping your yard pest free will make it a more enjoyable space for you and your family and will also reduce the risk of pests making their way into your home. Here are some precautions you can take today: Pest Free Yard - Treat your yard to prevent against ticks and mosquitos. Our sister company, Mosquito Busters, can help guide you towards a method that is safe and effective. - When considering your landscape design, keep plants and shrubs at least 18 to 24 inches away from the foundation of your house. Also, trim back trees and plants that might be too close to your home. - Note damage that has been made to your lawn, deck, patio, or outdoor furniture over the winter. Damage may be a sign that pests have been present over the winter months. Our experts can help you to determine if you have an infestation problem. - Use pressure treated wood when building raised garden beds, outdoor structures, and playground equipment. Pressure treated wood resists rot and decay, two things which attract pests. - Make sure your mulch and wood chips are no thicker than three inches. - Pests are drawn to piles of wet and rotting yard waste. Clearing your yard of leaves, twigs, and standing water will eliminate this problem. - Remove dead trees, dying trees, and tree stumps before ants and termites find them! - Finally, be sure to clean your gutters out at least twice a year. Freedom Pest Control can help you determine if you have a pest infestation in your yard and can eliminate those pests. Call us at 877-PESTS-55 to schedule your evaluation today! Spring in New England means warmer temperatures, longer days, and the return of carpenter ants! These ants typically remain dormant during the winter months and begin to become more active as the temperature increases. Carpenter ants like to nest in moist or decayed wood and do not eat wood but, instead, chew it and spit it out. They’re name comes from the fact that they are skilled carpenters and make long tunnels in the wood in which they live. Carpenter ants prefer to eat sweet foods and meat scraps which is why we often find them around dishwashers, sinks, and dog bowls. Even though an ant infestation can be incredibly frustrating and downright gross, carpenter ants are fascinating little insects: In fact, they can lift things that are at least seven times their own weight They’re good at finding their way home! These ants leave behind a chemical substance as they travel and use their antennae to find their way back home. They can also recognize their fellow ants by the chemicals on their bodies. Carpenter ants can bite and will inject acid into the skin, making for a very unpleasant experience. As in, clean! Carpenter ants are very hygienic and keep their nests incredibly tidy. They have a sweet tooth! Carpenter ants are attracted to sweet foods like honey, syrup, and jelly. Carpenter ants are one of the biggest types of ants and range from one sixteenth of an inch to three-fourths of an inch long. Queens can sometimes grow even bigger. They can live a long time! The Queens can live up to twenty-five years. Imagine how many millions of babies that an ant with this lifespan can produce! Nonetheless, an ant infestation can cause damage to your home if it is left untreated. Please call Freedom Pest Control at 877-PESTS-55 to schedule your free in-home evaluation!

Well, no actual bees yet, but my order for a nuc (nucleus of bees) has been put in and should be ready for pickup in a few weeks. (A nucleus is a box containing a few frames of worker bees and a queen, kind of like a mini hive.) What I do have is my very first beehive! I’ve wanted to start raising bees ever since I got my own property, and was pleased to note that my city allows up to three hives per urban lot. I’ve been busy for a few years getting the rabbits, chickens and other creatures coming along, and I decided this year it was time to start the bee adventure. I’ve been a member of the local beekeeping club for a couple of years now, and this weekend there was supposed to be a beginner beekeeper’s course hosted by them that I signed up for. Sadly there was not enough interest and the course was cancelled. Since my entry fee was refunded, I decided to use it to buy my first hive. My starter hive is a Langstroth, obtained from Flying Dutchman in Nanaimo. It consists of a slanted bottom board to keep out rain, a deep brood box filled with ten waxed plastic frames, an entry reducer bar, an inner cover, and an outer telescoping cover topped with sheet metal. All the wooden parts have been hot wax dipped at the factory, so no paint or other finish is required. I also picked up a hat with veil (veil not pictured), and some gloves. I already have a hive tool, so I should have everything I need to be ready for my first bees. I will be buying or making another deep brood box and a medium honey super in the next few weeks, so I’ll be prepared if everything proceeds as planned and my bees need more space. I often say I’m excited on this blog but this time I am REALLY excited! Stay tuned for more bee news!

Thirty-eight farmers from Bijeljina signed today contracts for obtaining livelihood packages. The contracts define the content of packages which include greenhouses; supplies for beekeeping, greenhouse production or farming; small agricultural machinery and equipment, as well as expert and technical support to provide beneficiaries with adequate training and mentoring. The support was provided under the 15 million euro Flood Recovery – Housing Interventions Programme, funded by the European Union in cooperation with the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Government of Republika Srpska, UNDP in BiH and local authorities. The Programme is implemented in 44 municipalities and cities in BiH by UNDP, International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB), Hilfswerk International Austria (HWA) and partner municipalities and cities. The contract signing ceremony was attended by Richard Máša, Head of Cooperations in the Delegation of European Union to BiH, Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in BiH and Mićo Mićić, Mayor of the City of Bijeljina. ”Over the years, the European Union has demonstrated its continued commitment and support to Bosnia and Herzegovina. We continue to provide our assistance where it is needed the most. This project is part of the larger programme in the total value of 41 million euro that focuses on construction and reconstruction of housing units, as well as on support to small and medium enterprises“ said Richard Máša. “The Programme will not stop at merely providing roofs overheads of the most vulnerable families in Bijeljina. Through its economic component, we will work to provide a sustainable source of income that matches the needs and available resources of the eligible families“ said Sukhrob Khoshmukhamedov. The delegation also visited families in the Pučile settlement whose homes were destroyed in 2014, and who received new houses under this project. Through the Flood Recovery Programme, new houses will be built for 44 families in Bijeljina, while 120 families will have their homes repaired in order to have appropriate living conditions. Flood Recovery – Housing Interventions Programme represents the continuation of efforts of European Union on alleviating the effects of record breaking 2014 floods. Programme, that started in September 2017, aims to provide safe housing and economic empowerment to the most vulnerable families whose homes were destroyed or badly damaged in 2014 floods and landslides.

METEOSIM SL, is a technological consulting SME that -through highly reliable meteorological forecasts- provides advanced numerical solutions to sectors and industries whose activities are weather-sensitive. Established in 2003 and located at the BarcelonaSciencePark (Barcelona, Spain), METEOSIM SL’s main asset is the application of scientific knowledge, which provides valuable solutions to our clients on the basis of research and development with mesoscale and microscale weather forecast models. Adasa is a specialized engineering company delivering technological solutions for water, and the environment. Since the 1980s, Adasa keeps driving innovation in water & environment technologies. Worldwide successful experiences place Adasa at the forefront of the sector, providing an intense technical specialization and a strong water & environment expertise. Adasa provides a wide range of engineering and consulting services, with special emphasis on sensors manufacturing, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions, installation of automation and control systems, implementation of hydrological management systems, and design, implantation and maintenance of water quality monitoring solutions. More than 20 years of R+D and innovation have lead Adasa to develop 50 worldwide projects and 12 patents, highlighting innovative products for real time water quality monitoring, as well as advanced ICT solutions for water sector, matching R+D and innovation activities with water needs. Adasa is present in Europe, Latin America, Australia, Asia and North Africa. Hispatec provides Software Solutions for the agriculture sector for more than 3 decades. Its central program, ERPagro, provides a wide range of solutions specially developed to facilitate the horticultural sector such process as financial and accounting, supplies and stock control, CRM and trading. Hispatec also provides IT solutions to farmers, wineries, seed companies… Leader in the Agro IT bussiness, its products are located throughout Spain and is now embarked in a successful international expasion. Aquagri provides equipments and advice to irrigators to optimise their water use planning and daily implementation of irrigation management. This results in an increased crop yield and consistency, reduction of production cost (water and energy), and protects the environment. Aquagri ACE is committed to provide the best possible irrigation management advice by integrating the most advanced concepts, instrumentation, software, and research findings. The way we do this is by always aiming to improve the final products and benefit for the client. Aquagri ACE was first founded in the year of 1996. The partners of Aquagri ACE possess more than 20 years of real life working experience in advanced irrigation technologies, irrigation water management consultancy, and instrumentation for agro meteorology and soil moisture measurement. Aquagri ACE founders and collaborators have relevant background experience in Agricultural Engineering, Hydrology and IT. They all have well developed international experience. The National Federation of Irrigators Communities in Spain (FENACORE) is a non-profitable association, founded in 1955, which gathers organizations dedicated to water management for irrigation, both from surface or groundwater, with the aim of combining efforts and willingness to defend their legitimate interests and rights of water use. Nowadays, there are around 2 million hectares of Irrigators Communities, which means more than the 80% of the national irrigated and managed by water users associations. FENACORE works closely with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment. In the international framework, FENACORE is a founding member of the Euro-Mediterranean Irrigators Community (EIC), representing in Brussels to all member countries with irrigation problems and interests. FENAREG is the Portuguese Federation of Irrigation Associations. It was founded in 2005 and aims to promote the development of the irrigation sector providing knowledge and management tools to its associates. FENAREG also represents the irrigation water sector in the national and international institutions concerned with water resources management for irrigation. It includes 24 Irrigation Associations with a total irrigated area of 122.180ha, representing 70% of public owned irrigation associations and 17,7% of all Portuguese irrigation area. Creara Energy Experts was established in 2003 in Spain and has become a national and international household name in the provision of high value-added engineering and consulting services in sustainable energy. Creara operates in Spain, Europe and Latin America under four company divisions: Consulting, Engineering, Energy Management and Training. The Consulting and Energy Management teams are mainly involved in the WEAM4i project working on the tasks concerning energy markets. eleaf is a Netherlands-based high-tech company that supplies reliable, quantitative data on water and vegetation on any land surface to support sustainable water use, increase food production, and protect environmental systems. eleaf’s PiMapping® technology generates weekly updates of pixel-accurate time series of 50+ data components such as crop water requirements, crop water consumption, water productivity, and groundwater abstraction. The LWK Niedersachsen (Chamber of Agriculture of Lower Saxony) is a public corporation, financed by the farmers of Niedersachsen as well as by the Bundesland Niedersachsen. Having around 2000 employees in several regional offices, the chamber covers most aspects of agriculture (crop-farming and husbandry), private forestry, fishing, horticulture, beekeeping. These activities include: testing of new methods and technologies in own demonstration sites, laboratory testing, dissemination of results, training organization, consultancy services and expert reporting for the public administration, including the EC. The Chamber’s Regional Office at Uelzen is specialized on activities concerning agricultural irrigation, due to its strategic location close to the Northern German irrigation region. Founded 1976 in Wrestedt, Germany, and firstly focused on hose reel machines manufacturing, LGRain GmbH is now a company with a wide expertise in irrigation equipment for agriculture and landscape and irrigation systems facility design. Its activities are focused on: engineering, consulting and installing services for water irrigation. LGRain GmbH turnover in 2012 was 5 M€, with 15 employees working on its facilities. UT SEMIDE is an initiative of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. UT SEMIDE provides strategic tool for exchanging information and knowledge in the water sector between and within the 43 Euro Mediterranean countries of the Union for the Mediterranean. The information is made available by “a National Focal Point” (NFP) in each country and by a central “Technical Unit”, operational since November 1999. Today 22 National Focal Points (NFPs) have been nominated by the national water authorities of their country. UT SEMIDE Steering Committee is composed of the water directors from 13 countries. Dissemination of information and results on research activities is among its priorities, together with training, data management, documentation and institutional management. UT SEMIDE works closely with the European Commission and the European Environment Agency in particular for information and data management. It is also a supporting organization for the secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean. The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is the largest public institution dedicated to research in Spain and the third largest in Europe. Its main objective is to develop and promote research that will help bring about scientific and technological progress. CSIC plays an important role in scientific and technological policy, since it encompasses an area that takes in everything from basic research to the transfer of knowledge to the productive sector. Its research is driven by its centres and institutes, which are spread across all the autonomous regions of Spain. The Soil Sciences and applied biology (CEBAS) centre located in Murcia and devoted to soil and water conservation research is the CSIC institute involved in the WEAM4i project. ECLAREON is a consulting firm focusing on the new energy industries: renewable energy, energy efficiency and smart grids. Its services particularly focus on the European Union and the Americas. The ECLAREON client base comprises energy agencies, ministries, industry associations, manufacturers, wholesalers & system integrators, project developers & installers, private equity firms, utilities and banks. Main business areas are: research & consulting: policy & legal framework analysis, market & industry analyses, strategic analysis and financial services: mergers & acquisitions, investment support services, financial analysis. The purpose of the General Irrigators Community Bardenas Canal is the water use from Aragón river, regulated by Yesa dam and its distribution among users through the hydraulics channel network of Yesa-Bardenas , consisting of Bardenas Canal and Main Ditches. The scope includes two Spanish provinces (Navarra and Zaragoza), co-managing with Ebro River Basin Water Authority water distribution among different users: 24 Irrigators Communities (81,107 hectares), 41 towns (54,777 inhabitants with a project for water supply to Zaragoza – 800,000 inhabitants), as well as farms and industries of the irrigation area and a system of mini hydroelectric power stations. HydroLogic Research (HR) is a hydro-informatics company, specialized in providing innovative water management solutions and services in the Dutch and European markets (www.hydrologic.com). The activities are focused on the major processes and components of the water environment, such as: rainfall information, regional water management, irrigation, water safety, fluvial and pluvial flood simulation, forecasting, warning and real-time control. The applications and services it develops use advances in hydro-informatics such as simulation models, data modeling, remote sensing, GIS-based modeling, risk and uncertainty analysis, artificial intelligence, decision-support systems, web services and mobile information and communication technologies. ZIM Plant Technology GMBH has developed a robust, field-suitable, user-friendly, versatile applicable probe system which allows highly precise measurements of the hydration status (turgor pressure) of leafy plants (crop, fruit trees etc.) over an entire vegetation period in real time. The probe system has been invented by Prof. Zimmermann, former head of the Department of Biotechnology of the University Würzburg and at the present CSO of ZIM Plant Technology. The internet based ZIM-technology has been applied successfully to many plant species in South America, USA, South Africa, Australia and Europe. The results have been published in peer-reviewed journals (i.e. Bramley et al., 2012, Ehrenberger et al. 2012, Fernandez et al. 2011; Rüger et al. 2010; Zimmermann et al. 2010). Use of the probes have resulted in significant water saving and in an increase of productivity, and will thus opening new opportunities for irrigation strategies beyond the current state of art. The engineering office Schulz + von der Ohe is mainly dealing with projects of hydraulic and civil engineering. The topic agricultural irrigation and water supply has been dealt with for longer than 40 years. During the last 5 years, the complete first planning and supervision of newly founded irrigation boards was carried out. Besides the “classical” development of water access through wells in combination with pipe network, the enterprise also managed constructions for water extraction out of major shipping canals. Finally, parallel to this, during the last years our mandates often implied the optimization and extension of existing pipe networks, often involving improvement of technical equipment and electronic control engineering.

Мany people ask us: "Why are young people like you - smart, talented, educated, who have arranged their life well in the city, - suddenly left to live in a small hopeless village?" As a rule, bold assumptions are put forward: about a sudden onset of depression, a crisis of personality, or belonging to some kind of spiritual organization. As you know, public opinion in our world is driven by stereotypes, and therefore it is difficult for people to comprehend that there may be very rational prerequisites for such a risky step. How many people living in cities today live the life they dreamed of, and who out of the countless mass of working 45 hours a week has found a job that would fully reveal his creative potential? Self-realization is the main key for a person to take place as a person. Of course, in the metropolis there are a lot of opportunities for self-realization and, probably, the vast majority of people will find their place there.We turned out to be the few whose creative interests lie within the framework of the living nature around us. Animal husbandry, gardening, floristry, beekeeping, organic farming and nature-friendly nutrition, winter swimming and cold hardening - this is not a complete list of interests that cannot be fully realized while living in a city apartment. And when these hobbies expand to such limits that they capture the whole person, then there is no longer any chance, except to find a place for their realization. Living far from the seething life of cities, a person receives inexhaustible opportunities to do those things that reveal him as a person, he begins to push the conventionally erected boundaries that separate a person and the world around him and, in the end, discovers a new one, not previously revealed, potential of a person-creator. Many familiar phenomena unfold from a completely different perspective. This is incredibly interesting and causes a storm of emotions. And it doesn't matter what a person does, it matters HOW he does it. We came here to carry out our experiments with enthusiasm and to live the daily routine that sets our own creative imagination. Without violence against ourselves and fanaticism, we have learned to get up early, we are happy to lead an active lifestyle and go about our daily activities, we eat the food we want, and not what we are offered in the supermarket. And most importantly, we now have plenty of time to rethink our aspirations and analyze our actions. Moving away from stereotypes and looking at the world with fresh eyes is incredibly interesting. Eco-settlement is a unique platform for training the mind, patience, resourcefulness, imagination, and self-confidence. Life constantly brings surprises, one year is not like another. What seemed like a victory last year is actually just a lucky coincidence. And this piques interest even more strongly. A person should always be in search of the best solutions to a problem, and not be satisfied with an ordinary result. We do not deny the achievements of civilization. On the contrary, we actively use them. Anything that helps us to optimize our life and make it easier and more rational is actively welcomed. We are researchers, and therefore, the more harmoniously all the processes in our environment work, the deeper we will be able to do what we really like. Our children are young self-sufficient individuals. We try not to impose our views on the world on them, giving them the right to choose their own way of life. We encourage in them independence, fearlessness, curiosity, inquisitiveness of the mind, because we believe that these qualities more than others help, without getting entangled in the web of many life's paths, to feel their only one and, without turning off it, boldly follow their destiny. Our future is a mystery. We don't think about it because we live in the present. What will remain after us? We hope that there will be knowledge that will be useful for our children to open the doors to even more extraordinary opportunities and discoveries.

Argentine Beekeeping Strategies for Disease Control without Residues in Honey (2010) Prof. Norberto García Girou M. Sc. NEXCO S.A. and Universitad Nacional del sur Argentina Ever since nitrofurans were discovered in 2003, Argentine beekeeping has experienced a critical challenge: solving the problem of residues in honey. A lot has been learned from the best practices in beekeeping in the past seven years, and traceability has been imposed. Meanwhile, beekeepers have to deal with three main diseases that affect bees: Varroa mites, American Foulbrood (AFB), and Nosema. Through this presentation, I put forth a strategy for dealing with each of these diseases and addressing the problem of residues in honey. First, the control strategy for Varroa should be based on the adequate rotation of drugs (spring and fall), avoiding consecutive treatments with the same drug. An appropriate diagnosis of Varroa mites before and after the treatments is a valuable tool to make subsequent decisions about how to control this disease. With an accurate initial diagnosis, unnecessary treatments can be avoided (thus mitigating the residue problem) and the development of drug-resistance by the mites can be delayed. Second, the use of antibiotics for control and prevention of American Foulbrood should always be avoided. Antibiotics do not kill AFB spores and contaminate honey. Additionally, its residues are not tolerated in many honey-importing countries. Thus, AFB must only be controlled through management practices. Finally, the main strategy for the control of Nosema disease should be its prevention through the appropriate handling of factors that predispose the appearance of this disease. For other diseases, such as European Foulbrood, chalkbrood disease and wax moths, only appropriate management practices are suggested. Quality requisites for food products have steeply grown during the last few years. This is particularly true for honey. Consumers are prone to pay much more for honey than any other sweetener because they consider it a natural product free of contaminants. During the last years, however, we have learned that many contaminants of different nature and origin may be present in honey. We have all witnessed a constantly growing sensibility of detection techniques and the frequent introduction of new quality parameters in routine protocols of honey analysis. This has gradually transformed the production and commercialization of honey into a more complex and professionalized activity. In this context, there is a growing need for effective channels of communication between beekeepers and honey dealers. Argentine beekeeping, traditionally focused on the international honey market, has faced many challenges during the last two decades in order to satisfy the quality requirements of the strictest honey importing countries. Recently, the Argentine Institute of Agronomic Technology (INTA) and Nexco S.A. signed a strategic agreement for the production and commercialization of large volumes of high-quality honey. The Argentine National Institute of Agronomic Technology (INTA), through its National Beekeeping Program, has also been developing and transferring beekeeping technologies for the production of high quality honey during the last few years. Sound generation of beekeeping technologies and their transference using associative models have been at the core of INTA’s main efforts. NEXCO, the main Argentine honey exporting company, has also been working to improve the quality of Argentine honey through the application of high quality standards for the analysis (ISO 17025) and processing of honey (ISO 22000). They also aim to offer technical assistance to beekeepers in order to improve different aspects of their operations. In order to comply with the increasing standards of the world honey market, INTA and NEXCO are now working together in a five-year program to: - develop a quality system “from the hive to the drum”, including Good Beekeeping and Manufacturing Practices programs with technical assistance to beekeepers; - study the dynamics of contaminant molecules in the hive (antibiotics, pesticides, and more recently pirrolizindine alkaloids); - characterize different types of Argentine honeys according to their floral and geographical origin, also considering potential sources of pirrolizidine alkaloids in honey. This article briefly describes beekeeping practices suggested to beekeepers who sell their honey to the company in order to avoid residue problems. Location of the Apiaries In order to prevent the outbreak of bee diseases - and subsequently avoid the eventual use of chemical treatments - and to minimize the risk of contaminants of external origin, the following are a few recommendations for choosing an adequate site for the location of an apiary: - The hives should be located at a distance that should not be less than two kilometers away from populated areas where there is a proven increase in the probability of contagion of American foulbrood through used beekeeping materials being stored in sheds and warehouses. - The same distance must be taken into account in the case of opencast rubbish dumps and industrial settlements. - The location of apiaries near neglected apiaries and beeswax rendering factories should be avoided. - In big cities with a significant degree of environmental pollution, the minimum distance required for the location of the apiaries is five kilometers. - For cereal storage plants, the applicable distance is of at least a thousand meters due to possible contamination of the surroundings with chemicals used for curing grains. - Always abide by local, provincial and national legislations. These are some of the beekeeping practices recommended for application throughout the year in order to improve bee health, reduce the use of drugs and avoid honey contamination with bee feeds. - With the last harvest round or the formation of late summer nuclei, the space of the hive should be reduced to a single brood chamber. For that reason at the time of the autumn Varroa control and artificial feeding all the honey supers should be in store to avoid their eventual contamination. - Simultaneous curing processes and artificial feeding should be avoided. These tasks should be carried separately during different work cycles. - Artificial feeding of colonies for wintering should be over by the autumn, and should preferably be complete by April or May. - Supers should be stored in a roofed and ventilated warehouse, ensuring the correct control of rodents (traps, cats, or, in case of need, products containing warfarin). At the time of stacking the supers, the honeycombs should be classified, carefully discarding the black ones. - During the first check ups in spring it is recommendable to take advantage of the existence of black empty combs in the brood chambers for their replacement. - Artificial feeding should be suspended after supering, avoid the use of syrup when a nectar flow is suspected. Neither should syrup be fed if there is an interruption during a nectar flow. - Only cane sugar (sucrose) or high fructose corn syrup for human use should be used for the artificial feeding of bees. - In the preparation of syrup, adding any other substance but sucrose and drinkable water is NOT allowed. To ensure the quality of the water used, the field preparation of syrup with water of unknown quality is forbidden. - For sanitary reasons, it is not allowed to use honey or any of the products that contain it to feed bees. - For sanitary reasons, the use pollen for the preparation of protein complements is not allowed, and neither is the use vitamin and/or protein concentrates developed for other types of animal exploitation. - The combs from the brood chamber should not be moved up onto the supers. - The foundation wax should be free from residues that can result as risky (acaricides). - In case of use of foundation wax of an unknown source, its purity should be checked with an appropriate analysis. - The combustion material of the smoker should be of vegetable origin, such as dry grass, pine needles and dry leaves of Eucalyptus. The use of timber shavings treated with preserves is not allowed. Only shavings from natural timber are allowed. To make it easier to light the smoker, ethyl alcohol can be used, avoiding the use of hydrocarbons. - During the harvest, the smoker should never be placed over the frames with honey in order to avoid possible contact of the honey with the dripping of combustion products that in some cases are produced by the smoker. The smoker should be frequently cleaned to minimize dripping. - Honeycombs containing brood should not be harvested. Only properly ripened honey should be collected. As a general guide, the honey is considered ripe when 60 % or more of the comb is sealed. It is recommendable to harvest in the morning to minimize the collection of honeycombs with significant quantities of nectar newly gathered that spills after being shaken by the beekeeper. - Honeycombs from the brood chamber should not be harvested nor put up on the supers due to their higher contamination with acaricides. - The use of chemical bee repellents is NOT allowed. - Under no circumstance should the supers containing honey be placed directly on the ground. - All the new material that is added to the exploitation should be preserved by immersion in hot microcrystalline wax or paraffin wax with a melting point no less than 60 degrees centigrade. Bottom boards, supers, and covers are included. The use of lead containing paints and/or burnt oil, kerosene or toxic preservatives are not allowed. All the material should be made of timber and of standard sizes. - The supers full of honey should be placed on trays on the vehicle to be transported to the extraction plant. It is recommended to place a lid, together with a canvas cover, over each pile of full honey supers to prevent dust and rainwater from going into the combs during the transportation to the extraction plant. The transportation of full honey supers together with any other kind of load should be avoided. - The vehicles and trailers used for the transportation of honey supers should be adequate so as to ensure a perfect seal, avoiding therefore the contact of honey with dust or rainwater. - After each journey the vehicles should be washed carefully, together with the canvas covers, trays and beekeeping clothing. The Honey Extracting Plant In all cases, honey extraction must be carried out in authorized plants and in compliance with the resolution by SENASA number 353/02. SENASA is the Argentine Animal Health Authority. Good manufacturing practices, appropriate honey extracting facilities, and traceability are the principal aims of the resolution. All the staff should be constantly informed and trained on the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of bee diseases. All hive treatments should be recorded and the personnel should have a thorough understanding of the potential hazards of pesticides to human health. The main strategy for the control of Nosema disease should be its prevention through the appropriate handling of factors that predispose the appearance of this disease. - Early formation of late summer splits composed of at least five frames of sealed brood and an abundant population of adult bees is recommended so as to ensure strong colonies capable of collecting sufficient pollen during the autumn. Winter bees with a high-body protein are the basis for effective Nosema control. - Abundant artificial feeding in autumn that is enough to cover the requirements both in the fall and winter without the need from undergoing stress of winter feeding. Artificial feeding should be completed during the first part of autumn. - The apiaries should be located in sunny spots in order to facilitate frequent cleansing flights to the bees and avoid the evacuation of the bees’ feces inside the hive with the consequent dissemination of Nosema spores. - Replacement of old combs from the brood chambers and honey supers is recommended since these old combs may hold a reservoir of Nosema spores. - If an attack of Nosema has taken place, the only authorized drug for its control is Fumagilin with a withholding period of at least 90 days. The management unit should be the apiary, so the cure should be only done in the affected apiary. The use of antibiotics for control and prevention of American Foulbrood should always be avoided. Antibiotics do not kill AFB spores and contaminate the honey. Its residues are not tolerated in many honey-importing countries. Recuperation of hive material If the number of infected hives is low and the time and effort needed to recuperate the bee colony is not profitable, the colony should be killed and the wooden material recovered. In this case, the procedure should be as follows: - The bees should be killed with a pyrethroid based insecticide when they are not flying. - The hive must be removed from the apiary. - The frames with brood and bees should be burned in a pit large enough to contain the honey and wax and the remains buried, in order not to leave honey exposed to robbing. - The rest of the wooden parts of the hive should be sterilized by immersion in hot paraffin wax at 150-160 degrees centigrade for 10 minutes. - Scorching the inside of hive parts is another possible sterilization method. Recovery of the bee colony The recovery of the colony of bees is only advisable at the early stages of the disease and when the population of adult bees is big enough to justify the required work. This recovery is possible if it is carried out in springtime or summertime when the bees are still able to build new comb. One method of saving bees from an infected colony consists of making a package of bees, leaving it for 48 hours in the dark so that the bees consume the contaminated honey from their honey stomachs and then transfer it to a decontaminated hive with frames containing foundation wax and a feeder. Another procedure, perhaps less effective but still viable, consists of transferring the bees form the infected colony directly into a new hive with frames containing new foundation wax and feeder. If the number of affected hives is worthwhile, a quarantine apiary near the residence of the beekeeper can be established. In this quarantine apiary all hives with symptoms of American Foulbrood can be grouped in order to keep track of the handling to eradicate the disease. Although no strain of bees is immune to American Foulbrood, there are lines of bees with different degrees of resistance. The importance of hygienic behavior in the resistance of the bees to this brood disease has been proved. That is why the introduction of highly hygienic queens is strongly recommended. Some useful hints for the prevention and control of the disease are: - Develop the ability to detect the disease early on. - Monitor the brood chambers periodically. Specially inspect weak or non-performing hives. - Autumn time monitoring is essential to avoid death and eventual robbing of infected hives during the winter. - A pre-harvest check decreases the possibility of dissemination of the disease due to the exchange of wet supers with remains of honey. - Avoid transferring frames of brood or honey between hives without checking brood for American Foulbrood symptoms. - In case of a serious disease problem, return wet supers to the same apiary. - Remove all dead hives from the apiaries and store them in bee proof conditions. - Avoid feeding hives with honey and/or pollen, resorting to the use of substitutes if necessary. - Sterilize the contaminated beekeeping material adequately. - Incorporate queen bees with high hygienic behavior. - If the percentage of affected hives is low, normally it is recommendable to directly eliminate them. - The recovery of affected bee colonies should follow the procedure of shaking or packaging (described above). The effectiveness of the different acaricides used for the control of the Varroa mites vary mainly due to the development of drug resistance by the mite. For that reason, it is essential that the beekeeper be constantly informed in order to achieve an effective control for this disease. The control strategy should be based on the adequate rotation of drugs avoiding consecutive treatments (spring and fall) using the same drug. If an additional treatment is needed in the springtime, only organic acaricides should be used. An appropriate diagnosis of Varroa mites before and after the treatments is an irreplaceable tool to make decisions about how to control this disease. With an accurate diagnosis, unnecessary cures can be avoided and the appearance of drug-resistant mites can be delayed. The most practical method for quantitative diagnosis of mite infestation rates is bee sampling to estimate the level of infestation on the adult bees. In this method, between 300 and 400 worker bees are collected from the brood area of a colony (preferably from different brood frames) into a jar. They are then covered with 95% ethylic alcohol. The sample must be shaken vigorously to achieve the detachment of the parasites. The separation of mites and bees is achieved by using a tray and screen. The sample is poured into the screen so that the bees remain in the basket, while the mites fall to the bottom of the tray. It is important that the level of alcohol in the tray and the sieve is high enough so as to allow the bees to float and disperse. The bees must be shaken in the basket to free any mites that may be entangled with the bees. Finally, a quantitative estimate of the infestation rate can be obtained by counting the mites and the bees and expressing the result in terms of the number of mites per 100 adult bees. To estimate the sanitary state of an apiary in relation to Varroa disease, a random sample of 5- 10% of the hives should be performed, considering that the infestation levels may greatly vary within the apiary and between apiaries. The following control strategy is described in terms of active ingredients in order to avoid a direct mention of commercial products. Each beekeeper may choose between the available authorized products in order to find one that contains the chosen active ingredient. Apiaries in which the resistance to the drug Amitraz has not been observed or apiaries in which this drug has not been used repeatedly for the last treatments Once the honey harvest is over, apply Amitraz based strips. After a fortnight, a quantitative estimate of mite infestation rate should be made by sampling adult bees. a) If the prevailing infestation rate is under 0.5%, no additional autumn treatment is necessary. In that case, by the end of winter a second treatment with Flumethrin based strips is recommended. Strips should not be left in the hive for more than 42 days. Again, after 15-21 days of this second treatment the mite infestation rate should be measured: a.1) If the prevailing infestation rate is less than 0.5%, no more treatments should be carried out until the end of the harvest. a.2) If the prevailing infestation rate is more than 0.5%, a springtime control based on oxalic acid should be carried out. - b) If the prevailing infestation rate after the autumn treatment based on Amitraz turns out to be over 0.5%, a second control will be carried out in autumn with Coumaphos based strips. In this case, during springtime a control based on oxalic acid is recommended, respecting a withholding period of 60 days. Apiaries in which the resistance of the drug Amitraz has been observed or apiaries in which this drug has been used repeatedly for the last treatments Once the harvest is over, apply Coumaphos based strips. After fifteen days, the mite infestation rate should be estimated. a) If the prevailing infestation rate is less than 0.5%, no additional autumn treatment should be done. In this case, the beekeeper should wait until the end of winter to carry out a second treatment with Flumethrin based strips. After 15-21 days of this second treatment, the prevailing mite infestation rate should be measured: a1) If the prevailing infestation rate is less than 0.5%, no more treatments should be done until the end of the harvest. a2) If the prevailing infestation rate is more than 0.5%, a springtime treatment based on oxalic acid should be carried out. b) If the prevailing number after the autumn treatment based on Coumaphos turns out to be over 0,5% a second control will be carried out in autumn based on Flumethrin based strips. In this case, a springtime treatment based on oxalic acid is recommended, always respecting a withholding period of 60 days. For other diseases, such as European Foulbrood and Chalkbrood disease applying any kind of treatment with drugs to the bee colony or for the disinfection of the beekeeping material is NOT allowed. They should only be treated with appropriate management practices. Young vigorous queens and large populations of worker bees are the basis for minimizing losses due to European Foulbrood. Avoiding sudden temperature changes inside the hive, ensuring well populated colonies, and introducing highly hygienic queens are the best strategies to avoid an outbreak of Chalkbrood disease. Prof. Norberto García Girou (M. Sc.) NEXCO S.A. & Universidad Nacional del sur Argentina

There are many options for purchasing bees and beekeeping equipment. The big national retailers offer most anything you'd ever need. Small local suppliers are best for obtaining local honey, nucs, and package bees, but many also offer full lines of beekeeping equipment. Apex Bee Company A family owned and operated apicultural business based in Central Maryland specializing in local chemical free beekeeping. They sell locally harvested raw honey, 5-frame nucs, and specialty beekeeping products. Provide local raw honey , general beekeeping information, and swarm removal needs. P.O. Box 7463 Baltimore, MD 21227 Bowie Bee Farm - AABA Members A small honey bee operation that produces nucleus colonies (deeps). Nucs currently available for early April and May. Gina Jones and Lee Travis Bowie, MD 20715 Dave Clark - AABA Member Mr. Clark sells nucs (deep). Dunkirk, MD 20754 Free State Bees Free State Bees, co-located with Crownsville Gardens, offers local honey, a full line of beekeeping equipment (Mann Lake) and package bees in the spring. We sell 3lb bee packages as well as 5 deep frame Nuc's raised in Maryland. Taking orders now for April delivery. 1241 Generals Hwy Crownsville, MD 21401 Visit them on Facebook. HoneySmith Bees - AABA Member HoneySmith Bees sells Nucs, VSH Queens, Raw honey, bulk honey, and is Distributor for Apimaye Beekeeping Equipment. 1182 Patuxent Rd. Odenton, MD 21113 McDaniel Honey Farm Provide pure, natural, raw and unprocessed honey as well as quality products made from beeswax. PO Box 709 Manchester, MD 21102 Kim and Mike Mehalick - AABA Members Miller Bee Supply Provide a full line of honey bee equipment, including package bees. 12920 Eastern Ave. Baltimore, MD 21220 Rupp's Harwood Honey - AABA Member Larry Rupp sells nucs and queen bees. West River, MD Vasquez Family Apiary - AABA Member Kevin Vasquez is a hobby beekeeper that shares his love of bees and beekeeping with others at every opportunity. He sells honey, bees (5 frame medium/deep nucs), does swarm recoveries (free), and "cut outs" (reasonable rates), and offers a novel 5-month "Rent-A-Hive" experience for those interested in getting started in beekeeping and learning the ropes by an experienced beekeeper. Lake Shore, MD Western Maryland Apiaries Western Maryland Apiaries is a fully operational bees and bee supplies store located in Frederick, MD. Our specialty is queen production and nucleus colony production. Beekeeper, John Klapac, has been a beekeeper for over 45 years. He has experience breeding queen bees in Russia and the United States. John is a bee equipment retailer for MannLake LTD , Southeastern Bee Supply, Martin Bee Supplies and Propolis Canada. At our beekeeping supplies store in Frederick, MD there is a variety of mite treatments available including Apistan, HopGuard 2, Mite-Away Quick Strips and other treatment methods. Call 301-639-1894 before coming and to ask about nucs and queens. Woodcamp Farm has been keeping bees since 1991. Their goal is to provide a reliable source of localized honey bees to Mid-Atlantic hobbyist and commercial beekeepers. 17403 Hardy Road Mount Airy, MD 21771

This week, with the August temperatures climbing into the high nineties, our queen harvesters just couldn’t take the heat anymore and took off all of their protective gear! Now, we do not recommend beekeeping without smoke or a veil, but that’s what we did. The smoker was put away because it causes the queens to run too much, making them challenging to catch. The veils came off because of the extreme heat. And the result? The gentle bees took it all in stride. Final tally of the day: No smoke, no veil, no gloves, and . . . no stings!

By Liz Fulghum Liz Fulghum is an entrepreneur and technologist who also has a passion for low-maintenance, productive gardening. Her urban backyard homestead is an oasis from busy days and home to raised vegetable beds, fruit trees and shrubs, bees, and a small flock of chickens. After getting involved with beekeeping several years ago, she launched Beek Supply Co. with her husband, which has t-shirts and accessories designed for the modern beekeeper. You can follow her on Instagram @lizfulghum At GRIT, we have a tradition of respecting the land that sustains rural America. That's why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing to GRIT through our automatic renewal savings plan. By paying now with a credit card, you save an additional $6 and get 6 issues of GRIT for only $16.95 (USA only). Or, Bill Me Later and send me one year of GRIT for just $22.95!

Filter media is sometimes rated in U.S. Mesh instead of microns. This gauge standard is the number of openings per linear inch using standard wire diameters. Wire mesh measures the number of wires (or threads) per linear inch, not the size of the holes between them. As the number of wires per inch goes up, the size of the holes (in microns Stainless Steel Mesh Strainers. Showing 40 of 1945 results that match your query. honey keeper honey strainer double sieve #304 stainless steel beekeeping equipment mesh filter screen. Product Image. Price $ 18. 49. Kitchen Stainless Steel Fine Wire Mesh Strainer Skimmer Ladle 10cm Dia. Product Image. Price $ 7. 34. Most people choose stainless steel for wire cloth, but there are many other options. Two of the most popular of these are nickel alloy and monel. Here are some of the key differences between these two: Nickel Alloy Nickel wire cloth protects itself against corrosion by forming a passive oxide film. This helps it resist […] Government agencies and construction companies rely on stainless steel screen to provide protection to the interior of buildings from broken glass and debris caused by inclement weather. Panic room manufacturers install stainless steel screen and stainless wire mesh inside walls and doors to provide enhanced security from intruders. Stainless Steel wire mesh, cloth NEWEAST WIREMESH CO LTD, as one of the leading manufacturers in the line of "WIRE MESH", mainly producing as followings : 1. STAINLESS STEEL WIRE MESH : FROM 3X3MESH TO 500X500MESH which materials as SUS-304 NI:8%, SUS-204 NI:4 2. China Crimped Wire Mesh, Filter Screen, Square Mesh, offered by China manufacturer & supplier -Web Wire Mesh Co., Ltd., page1 Stainless steel wire mesh is made in rolls on a loom. It consists of a warp and weft wire and the openings can be made in square or rectangle shapes Wire diameter: 0.23mm, 0.25mm, 0.28mm Thickness: 100mm, 150mm woven wire mesh stainless steel netting for filter, US $ 5.9 - 29 / Square Meter, Hebei, China (Mainland), Stainless Steel Wire, 304, 316, Weave Wire Mesh.Source from Hebei Maishi Wire Mesh Manufacture Co., Ltd. on Alibaba. To insure durability and longevity with our screen panels, Midwestern weaves our own wire cloth to the highest specifications. Offering a large variety of woven wire screen cloth, including high-carbon, oil-tempered, and stainless steel, Midwestern can accommodate your screening application with quality products and on-time deliveries. Wire Cloth Mesh Screen Specification Tables Wire Mesh Screen with openings of less than 1/4″ (designated by the number of wires per lineal inch ) are sometimes called “Mesh Cloth.” Open area percent and weight are important considerations for many wire cloth uses so the tables below contain the open area percent and weight for some common T-304 stainless steel is the most widely available of all stainless steels in the wire mesh industry. Aside from the countless combinations of mesh opening sizes and diameter wire available both from stock and through manufacturing, T-304 SS exhibits many benefits and is largely considered the standard of the industry. Plain steel wire mesh are low-carbon steel mesh they are made by low-carbon wire. It made by plain square weave and twill weave, it suitable for welding, bending, make filter disc in rubber, plastics and grain industry. Plain Steel Wire Mesh sepcifications feature : Wire Diameter: 0.35mm-0.13 mm . Mesh: 12 mesh to 80 mesh 12X64 mesh to 30X150 mesh Maishi Plain Dutch weave stainless steel woven wire mesh / cloth offers more solid than square or rectangular mesh, relative high open area, suitable for all kinds of filtration. Material: AISI304, AISI 304 L, AISI 316, AISI 316L, AISI317, 321 and 430 etc. 12'' x 24'' Stainless Steel 304 Mesh Filter Filtration Woven Wire Cloth Screen 1 of 6 12'' x 24'' Stainless Steel 304 Mesh Filter Filtration Woven Wire Cloth Screen 2 2 of 6 12'' x 24'' Stainless Steel 304 Mesh Filter Filtration Woven Wire Cloth Screen 3 3 of 6 15x15cm Woven Wire Cloth Screen Stainless Steel 304 60 Mesh US$1.54 +1 Add to wishlist Added to wishlist (104) 400 Mesh Stainless Steel Screen Filter Woven Wire Filter Cloth for Water Oil Filtration 30x20cm US$2.78 +1 Add to wishlist Added to wishlist (105) 316 Stainless Steel 25 Mesh Filter Water Oil Industrial Filtration Woven Wire US$14.55 But, it can also be fitted on house vents to allow circulation while ensuring no debris enters. Since the wire grid is welded together at each cross section, the mesh is very durable. Screen mesh, also called mesh screen, often has smaller openings that can be used in windows or patios to keep small bugs and other outdoor elements out. Galvanized Mesh, Filter Mesh, Motor Filter Mesh manufacturer / supplier in China, offering Galvanized Woven Wire Oil Filter Mesh, Stainless Steel Perforated Metal Mesh Pipe for Exhaust System, Stainless Steel Perforated Metal Pipe for Exhaust System with Factory Price and so on. Wire cloth sieves and wire mesh sieves from Grainger come in a variety of mesh sizes and wire diameters to suit your testing, sampling and classification applications in the field, facility or lab. Based on search filters applied, no results found. 304 Stainless Steel (134) Brass (50) Nickel (24) Stainless Steel (640) Frame Material 60 mesh plain weave stainless steel wire mesh including 60 wires and openings of 1 inch Using 0.12-0.23mm diameter wire, by plain weaving, woven 60 mesh opening for 0.1-0.3mm solid particles , it can also be used as a liquid or gas fine filter material.. This wire diameter and mesh with ratio reasonable, therefore weave structure is very strong. 985 results for stainless steel woven wire mesh From United States; 1Pcs 60 Mesh/150 Micron 304 Stainless Steel Filter Filtration Woven Wire Screen. C $3.77; Buy It Now; Free Shipping; From China; Stainless Steel 12*35" inch 100 Mesh Woven Wire Cloth Screen Filter Sheet. C $7.34. Was: Previous Price C $7.73. Filter element micron ratings for stainless steel wire cloth Find the China Ss Mesh 316, Find the best Ss Mesh 316 made in China, China Ss Mesh 316 Shopping Guide. Sourcing the right Ss Mesh 316 supplier can be time-consuming and difficult. Buying Request Hub makes it simple, with just a few steps: post a Buying Request and when it’s approved, suppliers on our site can quote.

You’ve reached the home of Manek Dubash, journalist in a variety of fields but mainly technology, automotive, politics and beekeeping. I’m lucky enough to live in a town that sits in the Sussex Downs – see the main image above – from where a multitude of things becomes possible. However, if you’re really interested, there’s quite of lot of mind-numbing detail about my professional life here, but my focus right now is more on fun things like beekeeping and messing around with rusty old cars – or rather, as this YouTube video explains, one ROC in particular. I spent the first portion of my working life as a trades union organiser, and the second part – the bulk – as a technology and business journalist. Those career chunks were separated by five years at college, learning about both those areas. So my interests cover a range of topics, mostly science, technology and nature-related, plus politics – a fundamental driving passion. Right now, though, what consumes my time is beekeeping, old cars (new ones leave me cold, mostly), and railways, both modern and new. I edit my local beekeeping association newsletter, which is fun. There’s more about us here. We’re organised and here to help, so if you think beekeeping might be your thing, please get in touch. This beautiful, 1968 British Racing Green MGB Roadster moved in with me in 2012, and since then I’ve enjoyed working on it, from basic maintenance to a major restoration (you can find details of how it was rescued from the ravages of rust here. This section of the site includes graphic images of iron oxide: so if you’re of a nervous disposition, beware!). But just as importantly, I’ve loved driving it, whether locally or down to the south of France, it’s never missed a beat (well, it did once). It turns heads, sounds suitably fruity, and it connects the driver to what’s going on – unlike modern cars which attempt to do the opposite, not always with great outcomes. Here is [er – will be] a series of pictures to give you a flavour of what this little green machine is all about [coming soon]. As well as being a fan of the railways in general, I run the website of the Lambourn Valley Railway, a long-disused Great Western Railway branch line – with lots of lovely pictures of steam engines! Dear Maria I’m compelled to write to you in protest at the appallingly paltry pay rise of just 1% to NHS staff. After all the hard work they’ve been asked to do during the pandemic – which let us note, is not yet over – after all the rhetoric the government has deployed to praise … This story is of its time. In a year, maybe less, events may have passed it by. But it’s important for all our futures, nonetheless. A few days ago, UK prime minister Boris Johnson announced that by mid-June, most restrictions on personal behaviour, imposed to help stem the global pandemic, would be lifted. For people … It’s becoming clearer that the United Kingdom is heading towards failure – if it’s not already there. So it’s time to install institutions that work for most other states with which the UK likes to compare itself, namely, an elected head of state and a written constitution. Were these accompanied by a proportional method of …

Chicago is a kid’s kind of town. Families find plenty of things for kids to do in Chicago year-round including interactive museums, kid-friendly educational tours, lively historical sites, and fun outdoor activities. Best of all, lots of these experiences are free. What to Do in Chicago with Kids Family fun in Chicago is nonstop—just like your children! Discover nine exciting activities to do in Chicago with kids. [viator_tour destination=”673″ type=”3-mod”] As if a 200-foot Ferris wheel, an IMAX theater, live music, boat rides, and an indoor garden of leaping fountains weren’t enough for families to enjoy on Navy Pier, there’s the Chicago Children’s Museum, too. Daily arts programming and more than a dozen exhibits about nature, sports, safety, science, art, and architecture are geared for kids up to 10 years old. At Navy Pier’s internationally acclaimed Chicago Shakespeare Theater and its new 850-seat venue called The Yard, families experience the Bard’s works and other visiting international performances. One of the most fun things to do in Chicago with kids is a Lake Michigan boat ride. Families love the thrilling speedboat Sea Dog and the pirate-themed sails aboard schooner Tall Ship Windy. Spectacular, free fireworks shows at Navy Pier light up the summer skies on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Just 15 minutes from the Loop, 1,208-acre Lincoln Park is one of the most fun places for kids in Chicago. The lakefront park has a huge sandy beach, baseball diamonds, bike paths, a public golf course, a free zoo and two family-friendly museums. The Chicago History Museum introduces visitors to the city’s rich cultural, industrial, political, and sports history. The hands-on “Sensing Chicago” exhibit engages little ones. Daily baby butterfly releases at the butterfly haven in the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum delight kids, as do the interactive exhibits about Illinois’ natural environment. Recently restored and expanded Theater on the Lake stages summer performances while the prairie-style theater building’s restaurant serves upscale Midwest fare year-round. Lincoln Park Zoo More than 1,200 animals live at this 49-acre, free neighborhood zoo opened in 1868. An African penguin colony waddles around the Robert and Mayari Pritzker Penguin Cove. Polar bears swim and lumber about the Walter Family Arctic Tundra. Japanese snow monkeys soak in pools at the Regenstein Macaque Forest. Daily educational programs and special seasonal events, such as ZooLights over the holidays, attract both local and visiting families. Biking and Segway Tours You can cover a lot of ground wheeling around Chicago. Here are two of our favorite rolling tour operators to help you experience Chicago with kids. The two-hour, 4.5-mile Tike Hike from Bobby’s Bike Hike is a bike tour for families with kids age 10 and under. For teens, try the Electric Bikes @ Night Tour or the Southside Old Chicago Gangster Tour, which includes sampling Chicago’s famous Italian beef sandwiches. Absolutely Chicago Segway Tours offers 10 themed itineraries along the lakefront, Michigan Avenue, and Chicago River. Safety-conscious guides instruct riders on how to operate the easy-to-maneuver Segways before leading guests on two-hour tours covering city history, architecture, and culture. Children must be at least 12 years old to ride. Chicago Cultural Center Visitors stand in a kaleidoscope of pastel-colored light beneath the world’s largest Tiffany stained-glass dome at the free Chicago Cultural Center, constructed in 1897 as the city’s first public library. Now it hosts free concerts, lectures, family-friendly films, art exhibits, and theater performances. Take a free guided tour highlighting the landmark’s history, beautiful marble and mosaic interior, Tiffany dome, and ornate Grand Army of the Republic Hall. Maggie Daley Park One of the most fun places for kids in Chicago is Maggie Daley Park in the northeast corner of Grant Park. Open year-round, the park offers 20 acres of trees, gardens, and elevated, landscaped vantage points for stunning views of Lake Michigan and Chicago’s iconic skyscrapers. Kids clamber across massive suspension bridges, climb ropes, and glide down twisting slides. Fees are charged for the 40-foot climbing wall and miniature golf, both open spring through fall. The winter ice skating ribbon is free with skate rentals available. Garfield Park Conservatory Designed by landscape architect Jens Jensen and built in 1908, this 2.8-acre, crystal-roofed greenhouse ranks as one of the world’s largest conservatories. Admission is free for visitors to wander serpentine paths through nearly 10,000 plant varieties. Families dig the Children’s Garden, a greenhouse blooming with child-friendly vegetation and giant sculptural displays showing a plant’s life cycle. Free weekly drop-in programs include mini greenhouse tours, seed planting workshops, storytelling, and concerts. Kids make mud pies and scramble around a tree trunks obstacle course in the Play & Grow Garden, while the Sensory Garden features seasonal beekeeping demonstrations. Chicago Lakefront Beaches A day at the beach is one of the most popular summer activities in Chicago with kids. You can swim, paddle, walk, bike, sail, play volleyball, and build sandcastles at Chicago’s Lake Michigan beaches. Many beaches have lifeguards on duty; more than half are handicap-faccessible; and all are free and open year-round. The best two beaches for families are both within 15 minutes of the Loop. Chill for a day on the sprawling sands of lifeguard-monitored North Avenue Beach, where an open-air sports facility offers roller hockey, dodge ball, and fitness classes. Rent kayaks, paddleboards, wakeboards, Jet-Skis, and lounge chairs at the vintage ocean liner-shaped bathhouse-concessions building. Close to Navy Pier on a protected inlet, quiet Ohio Street Beach is perfect for novice swimmers and sand-digging toddlers. Just 30 minutes west of the city, Brookfield Zoo is a fun place to go in Chicago with kids. You’ll undoubtedly find your favorite animal among the more than 2,000 creatures living on the zoo’s 216 acres—including polar bears, grizzlies, bald eagles, and 2,000-pound bison. Kids can talk with animal trainers, help feed some critters, and check out hands-on exhibits and arts programs. You can also take a quiet, quarter-mile stroll around the lake in the Salt Creek Wilderness area, a perfect place to picnic. More from SmarterTravel: - Chicago Travel Guide - 9 Best Hotels in Chicago - 10 Best Cheap Hotels in Chicago - 9 Stylish Boutique Hotels in Chicago - 9 Must-See Chicago Attractions - 10 Best Day Trips from Chicago - 10 Best Cheap Eats in Chicago - 10 Best Places for Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza - 10 Best Restaurants in Chicago - What to Wear in Chicago - What to Pack for Chicago [viator_tour destination=”673″ type=”3-mod”] —Original reporting by Kit Bernardi We hand-pick everything we recommend and select items through testing and reviews. Some products are sent to us free of charge with no incentive to offer a favorable review. We offer our unbiased opinions and do not accept compensation to review products. All items are in stock and prices are accurate at the time of publication. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

Bletët e Vërtetë/Women’s Beekeeping In Kosovo, Peace Corps education Volunteers James and Rachel Wirt helped form Bletët e Vërtetë, a women’s group focused on economically empowering women through beekeeping. James and Rachel wrote a United States-funded grant to secure supplies and to hire Jehona, a Kosovar woman who manages approximately 700 beehives in western Kosovo. Jehona is currently training nine women on how to properly bee keep, make hive frames, administer medication and diagnose the health of bee hives, and manage a business. In Kosovo, only 11.5 percent of all businesses are owned by women, but this hasn’t stopped Jehona. Through the money she earns by training the women’s group, she is reinvesting in her own business and hopes to be the first-ever bee food producer in the country. The project above was funded through the Small Project Assistance program (SPA). SPA is a joint collaboration between USAID and the Peace Corps which allows Peace Corps Volunteers to participate with USAID in development efforts, helping communities to implement small, self-help activities, in sectors ranging from health to agriculture to small enterprise development. Click here to learn more about SPA.

A few weeks ago, we relayed the call for applications from our partner Village By CA Nord de France. Now that the recruitment campaign is over, it’s time to talk about the winners. Two of the three lucky winners wish to fully participate in the introduction of tomorrow’s transport systems, while the last one puts the IoT and Big Data at the service of beekeepers. The Village By CA Nord de France announced on September 26th the winners of its call for nominations IA and Big Data. Located in Lille, the Village launched this recruitment campaign on 1 June 2018. Village By CA Nord de France welcomes three new startups The theme of this campaign was none other than ” Artificial Intelligence and Big Data at the service of tomorrow’s challenges”.. Supported by its 24 partners, including Microsoft, Village By Ca Nord de France has selected three startups from the eight pre-selected carriers based on two challenges: transport and the city of tomorrow, and connected beekeeping. When we talk about the transport of tomorrowit’s not just about the deployment of the autonomous car. Citymagine and We Breathe are two startups that offer related and complementary solutions to the future of the automobile, while Hostabee is transforming beekeeping through IoT and analytics. Citymagine: intelligent road maintenance at 360 degrees Citymagine is a startup located at Euratechnologies in Lille. It was founded by two serial entrepreneurs, Matthieu Levivier and José Costa. Founder of Giroptic, the latter is one of the first to have developed and focused a 360-degree camera. The meeting of the two men sparked a spark. Together, they used José Costa’s expertise to propose a pragmatic solution to a complex problem for motorway managers. “Road maintenance costs about €15 billion a year. Despite this colossal sum, more than 1,500 people die every year in France because of their poor condition,” says Matthieu Levivier. “We are developing a tool that must change the methods of road infrastructure maintenance. Today, all the companies involved in road maintenance practice curative maintenance. We are committed to a preventive approach.” This tool is based on three technologies designed in collaboration with CEA Tech. First of all, Citymagine installs a 360-degree camera on a standard vehicle. This one acquires data at the speed of the road traffic. A layer of artificial intelligence and more precisely computer vision allows to analyze the video flows looking for objects (road signs, direction signs, road markings, railings, etc.) in post-processing. Finally, the aim is to make “the information readable, intelligible and easy to handle by maintenance operators,” says Matthieu Levivier. By combining these technologies, Citymagine strongly wants to Reduce the number of errors in records from 5-10% to 1. How? By combining the capabilities of its proprietary computer vision algorithm with human verification. With its vehicles, Citymagine has already covered more than 10,110 kilometres on the road networks of France. It has counted more than 5 million objects (equipment, markings, etc.). It works in particular with motorway managers in the Nord Pas de Calais region and has around ten customers who hope to optimise their maintenance expenditure. In the near future, Citymagine intends to facilitate the introduction of autonomous vehicles. “Most autonomous driving systems use road markings to position a vehicle. Without road markings, it will lose its bearings,” says the co-founder of the startup. “There is a real challenge in terms of safety, mobility, ecology and economic development. We want to prepare the roads for the arrival of autonomous vehicles”. Now the question arises: why participate in the Village By Ca’s call for applications? Matthieu Levivier answers: “Crédit Agricole is France’s leading bank, it has a local presence and knows local communities well. It made sense for us to take part in this call for projects around AI in order to benefit from this network. We hope to take advantage of contacts with these players: companies, authorities and elected representatives. The other advantage for Citymagine, the locals. The Village By CA offers “a flexibility of the square meter that allows a startup to recruit quickly, but also to set up wherever the Village is located”. We Breathe: improving passenger comfort with AI Let’s now move on to the second winning startup in the IA and Big Data call for entries, which is striving to modernizing public transport. Founded in April 2018, We Breathe is an offshoot of Wenius, an engineering firm specializing in railway engineering. It helps SNCF Réseaux to modernise its infrastructure, energy management and passenger comfort. It is in the last mentioned theme that We Breathe, a startup involved in the intelligent people flow management. According to Nasrédine Chenoufi, the founder of both companies: “Today, no one is really able to know in real time how many people are in a given place, space or transport.” This is a major problem because it causes huge congestion on public transport and long queues in shops. “We are helping operators and transport companies to manage these flows in order to fluidify the user experience“, says Nasrédine Chenoufi. To do this, Wenius has developed a hardware and software solution that allows to Accurately count incoming and outgoing persons in a given space. The startup uses 3D cameras placed at the doors to locate passers-by. On top of this hardware layer, We Breathe adds a software layer in SaaS mode. This enables applications to be offered for different verticals. In particular, Wenius develops a dashboard that synchronizes the data corresponding to the fill rates of a bus with geolocation elements. “We are capable to indicate very precisely the number of individuals on a bus. We display the filling level of this vehicle and indicate where it is located”, says We Breathe’s CEO. By adding presence sensors in waiting areas, this allows carriers such as Transdev or Keolis to act on the use and loading of their vehicles. A vehicle can speed up the service by communicating with the empty shelters. On the contrary, knowing that a stop is very busy or that a problem has occurred on the line, the carrier can charter an additional vehicle and thus improve user comfort. “Our solution is first and foremost to match supply with demand,” says Nasrédine Chenoufi. In addition, the solution can be adapted to metro lines, trains and shops. Each time, it is a question of finding the best possible solution to make the user experience more fluid: increasing the speed of the metro, adding wagons to the trains, chartering a vehicle or proposing an alternative route in the event of an accident, or opening an additional checkout in a store depending on the number of passengers. WeBreathe advocates the scalability of its solution “We hope to use our technology to become a player in the smart city. Tomorrow, an autonomous bus can be managed automatically with this solution because we will have provided data and decision support,” says We Breathe’s CEO. In the pursuit of its ambitions, We Breathe believes that Village By CA is an ideal ecosystem. “What we are interested in is the mature ecosystem that the village represents in terms of accompanimentin terms of partnership and network. This opens doors that would probably have remained closed if we had not applied for the IA and Big Data call from Village By CA Nord de France. Finally, it makes it easier to do business and support a company’s strategy”. Hostabee: beekeeping in the age of analytics and IoT Settled in the Aisne, Hostabee is the third and final winner… of the Village By CA Nord de France call for candidates. After its three and a half years of existence, two times at the CES, it does not have the same needs as its congeners. The company has developed two connected modules for beekeepers. The first one, B-Keep, can be installed on a frame or between two hive frames and is sold for 96 euros. This sensor collects temperature and humidity data from the hives. The second product is called B Swarm, is equipped with a GPS and is sold for 135 euros. It is designed to fight against hive theft. Hostabee has deployed 1,000 devices in a dozen countries, including Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. B-Keep and B-Swarm connect in sigfox or Lora to an associated web application. It allows to record the history of the hive. With the hive life monitoring tool, the data collected from the frames are linked to the weather records of the nearest station. According to Maxime Mularz, founder of the company, “this allows us to obtain two signatures on the resumption and cessation of the queen’s egg-laying, as well as the colony’s ability to maintain a temperature of 33 degrees in the hive”. These data are visible from a dashboard on the web application on a computer or mobile phone. L’beekeeper can set up alerts there. in the event of a rise or fall in temperature and humidity. That’s just the beginning. “The end is to have a predictive mode in order to be able to know if a colony will spend the winter. In which case the beekeeper can take the decision to divide the swarm in two,” says Maxime Mularz. “It also means getting more out of the data collected through these two sensors. “What we’re looking for are skills. We’ve got a lot of data from hives around the world, now we need integrate the analytical and predictive part of our solution. We need to move from simple graphing to Big Data and AI,” said Hostabee’s CEO. At the moment Hostabee is exploring the possibilities of TensorFlow, exploiting the tools of Craft AI, but needs more experience to industrialize its solution for large bee farms of over 1,000 hives. “Now we have to set everything to music,” says Maxime Mularz. Hostabee hopes to deploy a first basic version of its analytics-driven solution as early as March 2019. It is for this reason that Hostabee has responded to the call for applications from the Village by Ca Nord de France. Thanks to the proximity of Euratechnologies and the Village, the startup will be able to discover the work of startups specialising in AI and Big data which will probably help it to achieve its goal. The second important point for Maxime Mularz, “the network aspect of the Village”. “It’s really about to identify possible partnerships via the startups present in the network that can help us go into production”.

Beads By The Bay When I bought the Best Little Bead store in 2006 and renamed it for the old and much loved Beads by the Bay it was my first venture into the world of owning a retail business. 7 1/2 years later, it has anchored itself (and me!) firmly in the community of Morro Bay. The world literally has come to my doorstep, providing beautiful beads from around the globe. Helen has created a wonderful garden shop with tillandsias, succulents, herbs, and other unique plants. We have also found talented West Coast artists and sell handmade gifts for house and garden. If you are a beader, we have all the supplies you need. We also teach classes, do repairs, and commissions. And we have the prettiest plants around! Come say hello and discover Beads by the Bay and the Garden in historic Old Town Morro Bay! 333 Morro Bay Blvd, Morro Bay, (805) 772-3338. Beauty Secrets of Pismo Beach was Established in 1990.This year is their 25th year anniversary. Beauty Secrets is a full service beauty salon, carrying 31 professional hair care lines and an excellent selection of nail polishes and supplies. They also carry a great selection of flat irons, curling irons and blow dryers. Every month they have a lot of deals on hair products, and they are well know for their liter sales. Beauty Secrets is open 7 days a week and evenings for your convenience. So stop by today! 847 Oak Park Blvd Pismo Beach and see the big beautiful store and salon. or call for an appointment (805) 489-3373 Corona’s Mexican Restaurant As you come in you will always find a clean and awesome environment and the best consistent service. All of our recipes go back to Zacatecas, Mexico with everything “made from scratch” quality products. So, come on by and try one of our delicious Lunch or Dinner Combo’s. We offer: Taco Tuesday $1.50 All Day, No Limit and Enchilada Monday $1.49 All Day, No Limit. We also offer Local Beers on Tap & Try Corona’s very own Victory Golden Ale! 1263 E. Grand Ave. Arroyo Grande (805) 473.9999 Dels Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant Del’s Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant has been serving classic comfort cuisine on the Central Coast since 1973. We are family owned and operated and a must stop dining institution! The dough for our famous New York style pizza, calzones, and bodacious bread rolls is mixed in a circa 1968 Hobart mixer from scratch, the sizzling sauces are slow roasted for hours with only the finest ingredients, and the fresh salads are hand cut from greens grown by local farms. Try our legendary Lasagna, Fettucini Alfredo or Spaghetti and Meat Balls. Vegetarian and gluten free options are also available. We have four frothy craft beers on tap, ten local wines by the glass, and an award winning, modestly priced bottle list. Our historic location just off the 101 freeway features a redwood bar with two screens, romantic ocean view tables for two, and larger seating areas that are perfect for families and large groups. This Valentine’s Day, choose Del’s and savor a heart shaped pizza or lobster ravioli dish, along with drink specials and a red rose to go! Del’s is open for dine in, take out and delivery from 4pm to close Monday-Friday, and for both lunch and dinner from noon to 10 pm on weekends. We are located at 401 Shell Beach Road, Shell Beach, CA. 93449. Give us a call at 805.773.4438. Native Herbs and Honey Co. A locally owned beekeeping business which recently expanded into a new location in Los Osos, CA. The owner, Violet, specialty is native plants, herbs & teas. She has a passion for all things that smell good, are pretty and have exceptional quality. Violet has been busy developing an extensive line of new products like teas, essential oils, herbal remedies. The company has plans to create a health food store and learning center focusing on wellness, creativity and community building. Violet’s lining up a exciting year full of hands on learning and special events at the new location. Look for upcoming announcements about other amazing indigenous women joining the team with Violet to teach hands on classes. The new store is located at 1001 Santa Ynez Ave. Los Osos, CA and is open m-sat 11-6p. sun 11-4p. 805.534.9855. Now enrolling for Thursday night classes. www.nativeherbsandhoney.com The Quarterdeck Restaurant has been locally owned and family ran since June 1995. Known to the locals as the place to go, offering casual, upscale dining where the staff treats you like family and the food is not only delicious but reasonably priced. You can always tell a good restaurant by how it loved by the local community. The Quarterdeck is known for giving back to that very community that has been so faithful. The seafood is always fresh, local when available and delicious. They are renowned for the best seafood platter in the area-bar none. Every piece is tender and moist and melts in your mouth. The rest of the menu items are just as fresh. Did we mention breakfast? You don›t want to miss their several choices of benedicts and pan rolled omelettes just to name a few. Also known for a tropical atmosphere and an award-winning bar, the Quarterdeck Seafood Restaurant is sure to bring you back time and time again. Step into the tropics and enjoy an awesome dining experience. 1500 West Branch St. Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 (805) 481-3474 “Executive Nails” Mani/Pedi for Him The secrets out! Guys, if you’ve thought about getting those hangnails taken care of and the callouses off your feet but were reluctant in the past, those days are over. Julie has an extensive male clientele and has been specializing in manicures and pedicures right here in Arroyo Grande for the past 35 years, since 1980! Recently, Julie has made the smart switch over to disposable pedicure liners. A new plastic liner is used for every client so there is no chance of hidden bacteria lurking in your whirlpool bath like in typical Pedi-Spa chairs. Here’s what a few of Julie’s male clients had to say about her services: “Once I thought pedicures were only for women. Julie proved me wrong. She cured an ingrown nail that plagued me for four years. No more pain. My walks with the dog are pure joy now.” Bob Mack, retired City Manager, Arroyo Grande “I was reluctant to go to a salon that had mostly women customers. However, Julie made me feel very comfortable during the manicure and pedicure process. She does excellent work and is a professional at what she does…” Steve Mintz, Cal Poly Professor 805-441-1964, call or text! Executive Nails, Mani/Pedi for Him, Located at The Beauty Studio: 1248 East Grand Ave. Suite E, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420 The Sewing Café THE SEWING CAFÉ concept evolved from Ellen Hudachek reading about such concept stores such as this in Europe. A gathering place for creativity. It is a gathering place for those seeking to expand or share creativity in sewing and cooking. The Sewing Cafe has been amazingly well received by the community and even draws a large amount of regular coastal visitors to visit, take cooking or sewing classes and purchase their sewing machines locally. THE SEWING CAFÉ is a small sister store of SANTA MARIA SEWING SUPERSTORE (created in 1967). Both stores offer the “unheard of privilege” that upon purchasing a sewing machine, quilting machine or serger you are entitled to “lifetime Master Your Machine” classes meaning you are free to repeat the mastery classes as many times as you need to do so. Warranty service and repair by factory trained technicians is also offered. You will never find this type of Sales, Service, Education and Fun with purchases from the “box” stores or the internet. Machine embroidery, children’s classes, quilting classes, project classes and cooking classes are all offered. All cooking classes are interactive “hands on” demonstrations, take home samples and recipes and enjoy wine pairing for the cuisine style you are learning. The kitchen is also available for private parties. Visit: Facebook.com/SewingCafeOfCA, or Just call them @ 805.295.6585. Pismo Coast Plaza 541 Five Cities Drive Pismo Beach, CA 93449 (805) 295-6585

Simple Tips To Start Your Own Urban Homestead The Urban Homestead is a part of the growing movement of city-folk across North America who are seeking to reconnect with the land, live simply, and eat locally – right where they already live. “Urban homesteading is all about re-learning basic skills that most of us have exchanged for ‘convenience,’ and feeling more connected to the items and processes that sustain us, bringing those things from faraway factories back into our own hands.” Here are some simple ideas to get started, just doing one thing is a step forward to creating your own little piece of heaven. ~ Start gardening and/or plant fruit trees ~ you can do this even if you don’t have a yard, by using planters in windows, on a balcony or rooftop. You have a yard but think it’s too small…Think again, garden boxes, fences (vertical gardening), side yards and front yards are ideal. ~ Start Composting ~ Save your unused produce, egg shells, coffee grinds, leaves etc. as composting is turning waste into something valuable for gardening and is easier then you may think. ~ Reduce, reuse, recycle ~ We already know that recycling is a very important step to reduce household waste, but also think about buying items with less packaging, reuse plastic bags (better yet use canvas bags for shopping) etc. ~ Make, make do and become “reskilled” ~ Start restoring, repurposing, reclaiming, and, most importantly, refraining from being too caught up in consumerism. ~ Eliminate toxic chemicals in your home ~ Upgrade to nontoxic green household cleaning products or if the mood strikes make your own from vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice etc. ~ Reduce Electricity ~ Use energy efficient appliances and unplug when not in use, turn lights off when you leave the room and during the day let the sun shine in for both light and warmth, only use the dishwasher or washing machine when you have a full load. ~ Use less water ~ Collect Rainwater ~ Install a rain barrel collection system, this will also help reduce a higher water bill from your gardening; turn the tap off while brushing your teeth, take shorter showers and only fill your bathtub halfway; hand wash dirty dishes with minimal water use. ~ Start preserving food ~ Kefir, sauerkraut, pickles, kombucha are examples of the many foods you can ferment yourself using the lacto-fermentation method; these foods introduce beneficial bacteria into our digestive systems, and they’re very easy to make at home. ~ Make other homemade goodies ~ Bake your own bread, make your own soup broth, there are many ways to make such goods with minimal time and maximum flavour and nutrition. ~ Source what you can’t grow and buy local ~ Especially at a great farmer’s market – fruits and veggies, eggs, meat, locally roasted fair trade coffee, breads, dairy, clothing, honey, toys, furniture, and so much more. ~ Take part in the 100 mile diet ~ Make connections with local farmers, join a CSA (Community Shared Agriculture), go fishing/hunting (responsibly of course), go foraging for the wild edibles in your area (stinging nettle, wild mint, lambs quarters, chickweed, sow thistle, cattail). ~ Other Urban Homesteading ideas ~ leave your car behind and carpool, walk or ride a bike; hang dry your clothing; adopt a pet instead of buying (look at rescue shelters); have backyard chickens (if you can in your area as Winnipeg city dwellers are sadly prohibited to do so), start beekeeping; involve your children; create your own solar powered energy system. ~ Most Important ~ LOVE what you are doing, start small and know that everything you need is already available to you.

Since its inception, Hilltop Montessori School has emphasized sustainability and global education as it directly relates to our mission. Housed in a LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design)-certified building by the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council) and located on approximately seven acres of wooded area in the Town of Mt Laurel, Hilltop strives to teach global responsibility throughout each child’s day, complementing Maria Montessori’s cosmic curriculum. Some of our current sustainability initiatives and components of our campus include: The Richard Grandey Teaching Kitchen: Modeled after Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard Teaching Kitchen, the Richard Grandey Teaching Kitchen is a multi-use space for our #FarmtoFork lunch program and edible schoolyard lessons. Serving all-natural and locally grown food, the students have the option of a fresh, nutritious (but still kid-friendly) lunch prepared on-site and 1-8th grade can use the kitchen for edible lessons. After hours, the community space accommodates events for our area, after school activities, and extracurricular sports. The teaching kitchen also accommodates students in small groups with hands-on activities, integrating science and math to food preparation in keeping with the Montessori model. Hilltop uses rain barrels among our outdoor classroom areas for rainwater collection, which is then used to nurture the plants in our gardens. Minimal concrete and pervious paving on the property allow for less impact on local sewer systems. Excessive rain run-off from the property is directed to a bio-swale, where it percolates and returns to the water table. Purposeful landscaping that includes an emphasis on native plants, and does not include sod, requires less water and directly highlights to the children the beautiful native plants of Alabama. Natural “butterfly bushes” and other native areas surrounding the school attract local wildlife and encourage an ecosystem on campus that allows the children to interact with nature throughout the day. Courtesy of the Dunbar Family, Hilltop Montessori School students participate in gardening organic and fresh vegetables outside of each classroom, and the harvested produce is integrated into the children’s practical life experiences, food preparation and nutritious snacks. Through this outdoor learning experience, the children are exposed to the benefits of botany, the seed-to-plate relationship and the uniqueness of being able to prepare and eat what they grow. Good nutrition is emphasized, and the students regularly dine on Swiss chard, tomatoes, okra and other foods from their outdoor classroom areas. Hilltop’s program is listed as part of the Edible School Yard Project. Donated by our Parent Teacher Organization, a greenhouse in our garden area helps to facilitate further growth of our vegetation, particularly in the winter months. Light boxes grace our classrooms, where even our smallest students watch plants grow to be large enough to move outdoors. The school also has two tower gardens, which grow edible plants using hydroponics. Hilltop’s beautifully natural surroundings extend throughout the design of the campus. A state of the art HVAC constantly brings in fresh air to the pristine classrooms and great care is taken to ensure that the environment is clean, fresh, and healthy. Studies have shown that occupants of green buildings are sick less often and the school feels this is particularly important for children. Classroom pets enjoy being taken care of by the students but are housed in appropriate “homes” within each learning environment. We have an apiary on site that is tended by several of our staff members who are apprentice bee keepers. The honeybees have been a great addition to campus, and the students have enjoyed learning the benefits of having bees on site. Fresh honey is integrated as part of the children’s snacks as it is available, and learning more about the process of the hives, the life cycle of the bee and the precautions necessary to beekeeping has added excitement to the students’ environmental curriculum. The school’s campus contains a butterfly peace garden, raised garden beds through Whole Kids Foundation grants, a native plant trail through a grant from Legacy and the entire campus is certified as a National Wildlife Habitat. HMS is also part of the Million Pollinator Challenge! Great care is taken on our Mt Laurel property to honor native plants and leave as much wildlife as possible. Bluebird boxes, squirrels, chipmunks, and other wildlife live in harmony with the students. Each classroom also has an outdoor garden and a working space. We are a CoCoRaHS School! We are officially a CoCoRaHS School! CoCoRaHS stands for Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network, and is a citizen science project conducted all over the country. The data collected from the rain gauge each day is entered into a database that can be seen all over the US! Hilltop implements a comprehensive recycling program throughout the school, in every classroom and office space. From paper to aluminum to plastic, bins are placed around the school to encourage participation from all of the building’s occupants, from the 18-month-old students to the adults. Students also regularly participate in composting and other environmental pursuits, such as worm vermiculture. Hilltop Montessori School is located in The Town of Mt Laurel, and we share the town’s green common areas, including but not limited to the athletic field, the basketball courts, the community playground and the library. With the generous commitment to the school, Mt Laurel also permits our older children to hike in the area for studies on ecology, recreation or to simply enjoy the beautiful community surroundings as part of physical education and science studies. The lively and bustling town center boasts local restaurants and stores that our students and their families enjoy before and after school hours. Hilltop Montessori School has received several grants from organizations supporting our environmental education initiative, including the “Whole Kids Foundation” (Whole Foods), two from Legacy, two from the American Montessori Society Ursula Thrush Peace Seed Program and support from private donations. The entire campus is certified with the National Wildlife Federation and houses a native plant trail, raised garden beds, tower gardens and an apiary. Two of our alumni worked on campus for their Eagle Scout badges to make our campus beautiful. Our edible gardens are also registered with the Edible School Yard Project. In keeping with our mission, the school also continues to host community outreach events, including a “Deep Roots Gardening Dinner”, which brings together the school’s stakeholders for a farm table–themed dinner. With Hilltop Montessori School’s emphasis on community, environmental education and healthy living, our students truly live and breathe the school’s mission. Last year’s fundraiser raised over $84,000 for the students, thanks to the generous support of our many stakeholders.

Experience and discover What is there to do? Curious to know where our present-day customs and traditions come from? At Bokrijk’s Open-Air Museum, you will discover how the past inspires our future. Be taken in by four fascinating museum sections, each with their own unique content: Kempen, where you can see craftsmen at work and get creative in one of the two new workshops. You will discover the art of baking bread and all the traditions that go with it. In Haspengouw, actors take you back to 1913. They play the part of villagers and let immerse you in life in the Flemish countryside through Living History. In East and West Flanders, you can enjoy the splendour and silence of the cultural landscape during a quiet walk. And in' The sixties', the life-like decors of a living room, petrol station or café take you back to the turbulent 1960s… The Open-Air Museum is located in 550 hectares of parkland, a dream for hikers and cyclists. Or visit the arboretum with a unique plant and tree collection. Many of these plants are threatened with extinction or worse, have disappeared from their natural habitats. The children or grandchildren can play to their heart's content in the large free outdoor playground with numerous mega-slides, swings, a wire circus, mini-cars, mini-golf and a natural adventure trail. There is an area for all ages and special playground gear for children with disabilities. If you head to the ‘Wijers’ in a group, Bokrijk offers a wide assortment of activities, ranging from horse and cart rides, right through to making your own bread: anything is possible. Even schools are offered educational packs. In Bokrijk, you can fish in the ‘Grote Moffert’ on the edge of the park. You can catch pike, tench, rudd and white roach. You do need a fishing permit (allowance), available from the estate police. Food & Drink In the heart of' De Wijers', this more 300-year old 130 ha area with its pools and ponds gives some idea of the unique fauna and flora that it contains. Here, you will find, among others, a low-waste recycling garden, a beekeeping centre and numerous farm animals. The stately mansion situated in the English garden and coach house are remains of long bygone times. Anyone who wants to discover the rich history of the estate must try to unravel the mystery of Kiewit. A yellow-brick road leads you through the fascinating history of the estate that in the past served as a noble abode, orphanage, shelter and religious refuge. Real outdoor children can follow the fun footpath or indulge in the playground. You can relax during a picnic or a special lunch in tavern ‘Koe-vert’. ‘Kiewit’ Estate is often associated with the petting zoo. It is a fantastic experience for your children. Ducks, geese and swans swim in the pond. In and around the pens, you’ll find goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, peacocks and chickens. In the meadows, horses, donkeys and Galloway cattle graze. The gardens are filled with butterflies, bees and insects and … our pigs roll around in the mud pool. The Mystery of ‘Kiewit’ Estate takes you back to the Second World War and reveals the history of the Estate in an exciting way. Start at the red letterbox in the playground and follow the yellow-brick road. The fun footpath is also an absolute must. Crawl into a bird's nest and try to jump further than a deer: an adventurous trail for the whole family. Start at the main car park and follow the orange-coloured animal feet. In ‘Kiewit’ Estate, you can play in the beautiful playground near the welcoming terrace. If you prefer a game of football, you can use the playground in front of the mansion. In the nearby play forest, children between 6 and 13 reign supreme. It is a place where they can build camps and climb to their heart’s content. If you come to the ‘Wijers’ in group, ‘Kiewit’ Estate offers a wide assortment of activities, ranging from horse and cart rides, right through to making your own bread: anything is possible. Even schools are offered educational packs. Food & Drink Since a large proportion of the hiking trails are paved, they are very suitable for taking the buggy. If you would you like the best of both estates and walk through the water, then choose the orange route. Or go all the way and hike the 76 K of the long distance walk. You can find the trails on www.wandeleninlimburg.be buy the hiking map Hiking areas nearby - De Maten Along one of the ponds in domain Bokrijk or domain Kiewit, you can have fun picnics and enjoy the peace and quiet. Bokrijk and Kiewit Estate are situated on the Limburg cycling route network that connects the entire region. The cycling map is available from the Hasselt tourism office or C-Mine visitors' centre in Genk. If you prefer a signposted cycling loop, then choose one of the themed cycling loops through the 'Wijers' using the Wijers cycling map or ask the tourism office about one of the other cycling routes. Various cycling and hiking maps are also available in the Bokrijk Information centre. The ultimate trail is, of course, 'Cycling through the water' at junction 91. You can also rent a bike here (EUR 10/day). Book in advance via 0800 96 96 96 2 (Choose option 2). Bikes can be rented via firstname.lastname@example.org, vzw Basis on 0800 96 96 7 or www.toerismelimburg.be/nl/fietsservice. buy the cycling map At Belgium’s oldest airport, you can admire private aircraft and gliders from the welcoming tavern. Domein De Borggraaf From Kiewit Estate or Bokrijk, you can easily walk to De Borggraaf Estate, where another playground awaits the children. You can keep an eye on your offspring from the inviting terrace of the snack bar ‘De Kwaakvos’ while enjoying a refreshing drink. A boat trip on the Albert Canal will take you through the 'Wijers' in a different way. Shipping company Limburgia offers various cruise formulas. Accompanied by a qualified instructor, you will experience an exciting day on the ropes course, the death ride, the water course, the climbing wall, the BMX trail, the caving box, the mountain bike trail, the fire service post, the archery stand.... There is no charge to access the BMX trail, mountain bike trail, skate park, beach volleyball court or orientation trail, provided they are not being used at the time. Bring your own equipment. The orientation cards are available from the sports centre.

Fabrice studies the many stressors that bees face in human-dominated landscapes. These include pesticide exposures, lack of flower resources, parasites, pathogens and climate changes. He is particularly interested in the adaptive responses of bees to those stressors. Currently focusing on honeybees, he uses BEEHAVE to predict colony traits such as colony survival rate and honey harvests in a variety of environmental conditions. Through this work his aim is to understand how different stressors act in combination and together to lead to colony failure. Fabrice is involved in many projects that cover the practical applications of BEEHAVE to the technical calibration of BEEHAVE, right through from hive management to landscape management; Calibrate BEEHAVE with empirical data. What: Fabrice worked for two-years as Postdoctoral researcher in France. Here he developed a method to calibrate the BEEHAVE model. He compared model predictions and empirical observations (the ECOBEE monitoring in central-western France) and utilised these data on landscape, weather and beekeeping practices to apply the predictions of BEEHAVE. Simulate multiple stressors in BEEHAVE. What: He also simulated multiple stresses with BEEHAVE in order to identify the combination “at risk” that lead to colony failure. In BEEHAVE, he implement, all the stresses that occur in the bee colony environment (using the example of the ECOBEE monitoring in France), and assessed which combination of stressors threaten the colonies and at which thresholds. A particular application was intended for the risk assessment of a new predator of bees in France, the yellow-legged hornet Vespa velutina. Where: Pollination and Bee Ecology lab (INRA of Avignon, France) in collaboration with the ESI at the University of Exeter. Conduct landscape-scale simulations of BEEHAVE. What: Currently in his new Postdoctoral position in he is managing a volunteer-based survey of honeybee colonies, to enable large-scale recording of bee colony traits, environmental conditions and the occurrence of parasites and pathogens to provide large-scale predictions. Starting this approach in Argentina, he is particularly interested in the national climate gradient to assess the climate dependency of combined stresses effects on bee colony failure. Where: Argentina at IRNAD-UNRN (2016-2018), the “Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Naturales, Agroecología y Desarrollo Rural” and the “Universidad Nacional de Río Negro” (UNRN) Use BEEHAVE to predict crop pollination service. What: Fabrice is also developing a new BEEHAVE application assessing the number of bee colonies to place in crop to insure pollination service. Where: Argentina at IRNAD-UNRN, in collaboration with INRA (France). Running BEEHAVE with R. What: To facilitate the used of BEEHAVE, he is working on a R-package “Beehave” to run BEEHAVE (created with NetLogo) with R, i.e. the more common statistical free open-source software. This R-package “Beehave” will aim to simulate a large number of BEEHAVE simulations, with different functions enable to calibrate the model (input of virtual or real landscape maps, weathers, and beekeeping practices) and to simulate multiple stresses. Dr. Fabrice Requier is an ecologist and works currently in a postdoctoral position in Argentina at IRNAD and UNRN. Using both experimental data and BEEHAVE, his research focuses on the effects of global environmental change on bees. Fabrice has a PhD in Ecology from the Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé – and INRA Le Magneraud (France) and an MSc in Biodiversity, Ecotoxicology and Ecosystems and a BSc in Biology from the University of Metz (France).

Dawa, the de facto national drink of Kenya, is a mixture of honey, lime, sugar, ice, and vodka. It’s popularity is such that virtualy every restaurant and bar in Kenya has it on the menu. The star ingredient is honey, which is fitting for a country with a long history of traditional beekeeping. The Dawa cocktail was first mixed together and served at The Carnivore in Nairobi, back in 1980 when the restaurant first opened its doors. Dawa means “medicine” in Swahili, but Samson Kivelenge (a.k.a. “Dr. Dawa”), who is credited with naming the cocktail, does not claim it possesses healing properties. Still, a Dawa does seem to act as an effective rejuvenating tonic in Kenya’s hot weather. Dawa comes with its own accessory, a chunky wooden (or plastic) Dawa stick. Basically, the Dawa stick is a honey-coated swizzle stick that is occasionally carved at the head, or decorated with famous beadwork of the country’s Maasai people. It comes wrapped in honey. You use it to stir your drink and the honey dissolves with the rest of the ingredients. These days the Dawa is sipped at sunset across East Africa in a time-honored happy-hour tradition. The best way to end a safari day is with a beautiful sunset and drink – an activity that’s known as a sundowner. Make mine a honey drink. 2 teaspoons white sugar or 1 tablespoon brown sugar 2 fluid ounces vodka (1 or 2 shots) crushed ice cube 1 whole lime, quarter with skin on 3/4 cup lime juice 1 Dawa stick*, twisted in creamed honey or 2 tablespoons of honey *You can replace the Dawa stick with a popsicle stick or spoon. Put lime and sugar into a whiskey tumbler. Crush lime slices slightly, add ice and pour in the vodka. Add the lime juice. Twist a Dawa stick into some honey and add the stick to the drink. Use the stick to stir the drink. The more you crush the limes into the mixture and stir with the honey stick, the sweeter your Dawa will taste.

For many years now, the thinking is that fat is the ultimate enemy to our body, is obesity. However, the bad truth is that the real danger, the real enemy of our body, is actually sugar, hidden in all the sweets we consume on a daily basis. Is Sugar the bitter truth? The reality about Sugar and the Sweeteners Is sugar a dangerous drug that must be controlled and regulated by the government? Paul van der Velpen, the head of the Health Service in Amsterdam, the capital city of the Dutch state where the sale of cannabis is legal, wants to see sugar under state control and regulation. Just like alcohol and tobacco, sugar is actually a drug. As a result, sugar consumption is, in fact, an addiction pattern. It is equally difficult to get rid of the urge to sweeten, as with smoking. So diets work only temporarily. In addition, it is very harmful to health as it causes disorders in cell function, increases the level of platelets and causes hyperactivity syndrome and lack of attention to children. In addition is responsible for the obesity. (Source Ιatropedia). To find more in how sugar affects our body please read this article —> How does much sugar affect your body. The story behind the sugar the bitter truth Sugar cane, which originated in Southeast Asia, was cultivated 10,000 years ago. Later it found her way west to India, where she has a long history of processing and consumption in the form of confectionery and semi-refined sugar we find today. The Arab merchants took sugar cane to the west, where it became the dominant sweetener in many Muslim sweets. Sugar was not known in Europe until the medieval age and was considered a medicine and spice because of its rare availability. In 1493, Columbus brought sugar cane to the Caribbean. From this point, it began to be misinterpreted globally. Caribbean islands and coastal areas of Brazil had a big variety of Mills. Since the sugar cane and sugar processing work has been so hard and intense for work, Europeans took over the local work. A majority of Europeans lost their lives and slaves from West Africa replaced them. This was the beginning of the triangle of trade around the Atlantic Ocean – work was acquired in Africa, cultivation and basic processing took place in America, final processing and consumption in Europe. This business cycle continued until the 19th century. The historical link between sugar and slavery – and chocolate is also continuing – shockingly until today. There are reports of cane and cocoa workers, especially children, who work for hours or for no pay, live in terrible conditions and are physically and emotionally abused. This is in stark contrast to the pleasures we enjoy every day. (Source Rouxbe ) The role of Sugar the bitter truth In addition to providing the obvious taste and sweetening function, sugar plays other vital roles in the pastry kitchen. It affects the texture and color of baked goods. When cooked products are exposed to heat, brown sugar develops so deep taste and color. Without sugar, cooked products would taste gentle, their texture would be dense and dry and their color would be very soft. “The Glycemic Index (GI) of foods is a number (on a scale of 0-100) that classifies different foods according to how fast they raise blood glucose. Sweeteners of the low glycemic index are good not only for health but can also reduce body weight. (Source: Healthy Living). In general, sweeteners fall into four categories: It is dark brown in color but varies in shapes. Its texture is coarse and has a strong molasses taste. Sweet medium level. The best-known brands are Sucanat and Rapunzel in North America, North America and Rapadzura Rapunzel in the UK and Europe. Glycemic index: 40-50 Brown sugar comes from the unbleached sugar cane molasses and when the sugar is not faded with animal bone. This gives the pale blonde to the darker blonde color. It has a thin or very fine crystal size. It is closest to the taste of white sugar and has a high level of sweetness. Many times they add colors to white sugar and sell it as brown. You better chose organic as often you can. Glycemic index: 60-65 Fructose or fruit sugar comes from sugar, raisins, and starch after processing. It is a simple ketone monosaccharide that is linked to glucose to form the disaccharide, sucrose. It is the worst of the sweeteners as it is responsible for many diseases and it’s better to avoid it. Glycemic index: 100 Today xylitol is mainly derived from Genetically Modified Organisms and it causes problems in the intestines. Glycemic index: 20-30 Stevia comes from the stevia leaf and is 30 times sweeter than sugar. Many consider this the most concentrated sweetener by volume. It has a slightly green or white powder, depending on the treatment. It has a special flavor that some people find unpleasant. Glycemic Index: 0 A less common sweetener that grows in popularity, coconut sugar comes from citrus juice from coconut palm sugar. It is usually harvested on small farms. Coconut sugar is a light brown color with a coarse-grained consistency and is good for melting it in the blender before using it in desserts. It tastes similar to light brown sugar with spices and has a medium level of sweetness. Glycemic index: 35 Liquids and Syrups It comes from Genetically Modified Organisms and is the worst of nutritional value. If you notice many products contain this syrup because it is a very economical ingredient. Glycemic index: 60-80 Agave comes from the same juicy plant from which we get tequila. Oh yes!! It is a sweet, viscous but delicate syrup. It has a light color, which can be darker. The darkest, the rawest, the better. The light agave is mild in flavor, while the dark has a stronger flavor. Its sweetness level is high. Glycemic Index: 11-19 This very popular sweetener is made by boiling grape maple juice in a syrup and is available in a number of grades. It takes about 150 kilos of maple to make 3.5 kilos of syrup. Blonde to dark brown color, it has a delicate and sticky consistency and a sweet, light and distinct taste. It has a medium level of sweetness. Glycemic index: 54 A by-product of the refining of sugar cane, sugar beet, and grape. It has a very dark brown color with thick and sticky texture. It has a characteristic strong flavor with some bitterness and a low level of sweetness. Glycemic Index: 55 Sugar-derived starch from brown rice starch is a traditional Asian sweetener and is a popular sweetener in the macrobiotic diet. It has a golden flavor with a very dense and sticky texture. It has a taste similar to caramel and a mild sweetness level. Glycemic index: 25 It comes from the Indian coconut fruit. Medium brown in color, but you can find it even lighter or darker. Thicker than maple syrup or agave, it has a characteristic flavor that some find pleasing, but the taste varies depending on the brand. The sweetness level is low. Glycemic index: 35 We understand that using or not honey is a controversial question inside and outside the Vegan community. Vegans do not eat animal products and by definition, honey is an animal by-product. Here, it focuses on the exploitation of bees in the production of honey. The process of extracting honey from hives is a violent activity in bees. In fact, they die in the mass production of honey. The largest beekeeping companies are involved in what some would call harsh cultivation practices – bee smoking, honeybee shake etc. From personal experience, as my father is Bee-keeper, I can confirm all of the above. Honey also includes sugar in its ingredients in addition to amino acids and antimicrobials. In order bees to survive during winter, owners feed them sugar. Even those who claim that their honey is homemade and organic, the feed their bees sugar. Glycemic index: 50 Juices & Concentrates: Fresh fruit juices, carrot juice, coconut water, fruit syrups. Fruit juices and fruit do not raise sugar level as many believe and are considered excellent for detoxification. Whole Food Sweeteners: Berries, raisins, apricots, figs, pineapples, mangoes and more are great ways to add natural sweetness to a dish. Do not forget the dates! My first contact with Dates was during my work in Qatar. There you can find that a variety of dates be at very cheap prices (4-5 euros/kilo). Please make sure that dates are sugar-free. They are moderate in sweetness and have many nutrients. Fruit pastes are from dried fruits in water, often flavored with seasonings or citrus, then mixed into a paste. Usually made from dried apricots, dill, figs, mango or raisins, fruit pastes are essential ingredients for a herbal diet. Detoxification – Sugat the bitter truth The ideal for detoxification and for better results would be to consume only natural fruits. But in the beginning, it’s quite difficult…You can consume stevia, agave, molasses and maple syrup (max 1 teaspoon/day). Whoever wants to join the sugar – free February, join the Sugar-free Challenge group, with lots of tips, recipes, instructions etc. You can start any day you want, we already started dynamically on February 1st.

I’m into my fourth year of beekeeping and while I still consider myself a newbie, I do feel I’ve come a long way. For one—and an important one at that—I can now find the queen. Finding the queen—or queenspotting, as they say—is huge in beekeeping. There are books on the subject, like this cool Where’s […] Need help with your communications in 2016? Adunate believes in pro-bono for the good of all. It’s been a full month, but I’m still sighing with warm reminiscings of our Octoberfest Brewery Tour. The culmination of this glorious trip was Fermentation Fest in Reedsburg, Wis. We couldn’t have had a more flavorful or beautiful encore to our week than this. In case you’ve missed my incessant promotions—deservedly so—Fermentation Fest is an annual, 10-day blending of agriculture, arts, […] Not like I’ve ever mentioned it before, but my work gets me out of the office in so many interesting ways. Like this past weekend when my husband and I roamed the countryside in search of the perfect “weathered, red barn” to illustrate an author’s article (more in the upcoming Fermentation Fest event guide). In the meantime, here are some of the glorious […] Two weeks ago I went with friends to the Christkindlmarket in Milwaukee. It was a super fun time. Just so you know, the market pictured in the link is from Nuremberg, Germany, not Milwaukee—our Milwaukee market was at the former Pabst Brewery, a community of 25 well-worn corporate and manufacturing structures like the one pictured above. Even though our market […]