WOOSH, and summer was over. Cone flowers and sunflowers slowly faded away as the autumn colors of Chrysanthemums and Golden Rod began to take their place. Daylight itself began to fade away earlier and earlier, the chickens heading for bed at 7:30 instead of nearly 9 p.m. Autumn can sometimes be a season, although can quite often be a blip taking us straight from hot summer-like days to cold winter-like days.
BEES
Hive Beetles-
Hive beetles are at top of the Bane for Beekeepers list. These destructive little critters that originated in Africa were first discovered in the United States in the mid 1990’s and have quickly spread throughout North America (specifically in warmer/humid regions), primarily through the practice of moving large numbers of hives across the country for commercial pollination. There is practically nothing that can be done to prevent hive beetles from getting into a hive. Once there, (which will happen eventually) the job of the beekeeper is to manage the beetle to prevent it from destroying the entire hive. Left alone the beetles can quickly populate causing damage to honey, comb and pollen that is needed food for the hive. The bees themselves do try to manage the beetles by forcing them into corners of the hive where they can no longer eat or breed. For our end, we make sure there are no cracks or holes in the hive while also closing down the size of the entrance to the hive so that it is big enough to let bees come and go, but small enough that the bees can guard the entrance. We also add small beetle traps that are too small for the bees to enter.
USGS Bee Inventory
USGS Bee Inventory
As summer comes to a close, this is the time of year we are setting our bees up as best as we can to make it through the winter months. We have to make sure each hive has plenty of honey. If for some reason their reserves do get too low we will also have to add sugar fondant at the top of the hives to ensure they don’t starve while waiting for spring. Also, it is important to make sure that the hive is properly vented. The bees stay inside of the hive during winter outside of making a few quick bathroom runs during warmer weather. If warm moist air is allowed to collect at the top of the hive, the water will condense and drip back down onto the bees. Once bees get wet, they will die quickly.
CHICKENS
All about Eggs- Over the years I’ve been asked dozens of questions about eggs. I’m no eggspert, but here are a few Q & A’s that might answer your own egg question or at least make you laugh.
Q- Are the little spots in eggs baby chickens?
A. No. The little red spots are tiny blood spots. These are normal, common and have no effect on the egg’s edibility. You can remove them if you want. A small bubble on the yolk is an indication that the egg is fertilized, however a fertilized egg has to reach 99* to begin to form into a chicken. There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating eggs with spots. That said, an egg could get missed and appear to have showed up on one day when in actuality it was hiding in the nest bedding for a day or two. Although it is very rare to get an egg with a developing chick, it technically could happen so go ahead and crack those farm fresh eggs in a bowl before using them.
Q. Do roosters lay eggs?
A. No. There is nothing more to say about this.
Q. Do eggs have to be washed and refrigerated.
A. YES. Eggs are extremely porous and can absorb contaminates that are on the outside of the egg into the white (which we eat). Once eggs are washed they have to be refrigerated, once refrigerated they can’t be left out for very long.
An unwashed, but clean egg can sit on the counter for a few days although not recommended.
Q. Why do farm eggs have a darker yolk color than store eggs?
A. It’s all about the feed. Farm hens, especially free-range hens are able to eat bugs, grasses and other food provided by nature (or the owners garden). The straight-grain diet of commercial chickens contains lighter color pigments, hence the lighter color of the yolk in store eggs.
GROWING
Despite the yearly summer attack of Japanese beetles, the grape vines fared well. They aren’t picture perfect but the grapes taste wonderful! This year we are trying our first batch of wine. Last year we made several batches of mead, all of which are still age. The garden is still producing tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans and Brussel sprouts. The rest is beginning to fade away.
Fall Plantings
Autumn is an excellent time to plant cool crop veggies such as lettuce, spinach and radishes. We were lucky enough to get a patch of lettuce grow voluntarily in one of the garden boxes. I allowed a decent amount of spring lettuce go to seed this summer and it workout out charmingly!
I honestly can’t imagine that winter is actually around the corner, although the calendar states it truly is. Soon we’ll be turning the garden and loading up the front porch with firewood.
Audrey L Elder Fourteen Acre Wood