Update from the farm

Hello and I hope all of you are excited as I am to get out and enjoy the lovely weather we have been having. I’ve been busy picking up sticks around the yard after the ice storm we recently experienced. Please be reminded that even though you want to get that rake out, don’t do that yet. There are lots of pollinators that nest in leaf debris, in mulch, and in tall grasses left over from last fall. Give them a few more weeks to come alive before disturbing them.

I have been planting some seedlings indoors and thinking about which perennials to add to my gardens for the bees. I chose to include a picture at the top of this post of some of my favourite flowers called cornflower or batchelor buttons. They bloom a really long time and look lovely when dried. My honey bees love them and visit them often. I always move and split flowers early in the spring when they get too big for the space they occupy and this year my cornflower will be split into about three patches.

I did a Basic Beekeeping presentation at Carson’s Garden and Market in March and many persons in the sold out group were very interested in becoming beekeepers. I have been invited to do another presentation at the Richmond Senior Retirement Residence in May. It will be warm enough for me to bring my observation hive with live bees to that one. My observation hive is a wonderful teaching tool to include in my presentations. It allows the guests to see some of my bees up close without the worry of getting stung.

I have been busy making some changes to information on our website and will be introducing our Beehive Adoption Programme very soon. Many people are very concerned about the declining population of pollinators in our environment and want to help in any way they can. Our Beehive Adoption Programme will allow people that are too busy, or don’t have the space to dedicate to having their own colonies, still support this amazing species. Keep an eye on our social media for announcements when the programme will become live.

The bees are beginning to access the fondant that we put in our hives. We still have some cool nights ahead of us in the next few weeks and the bees are becoming more active in the daytime. I am hoping they they don’t travel too far from the warmth of their cluster.

We are moving ahead with the discount tour days once per month beginning in June. Watch our social media for those dates and discount codes. You will have to be one of our followers on social media to get those codes.

We are working on the agenda for World Honey Bee Day which will take place the 16th of August 2025. It will be a ticketed event this year with limited spots available. In 2024 we celebrated World “Bee” Day in May, which focused on the importance of all species of bees. This year we will focus on celebrating Apis Mellifera which is the European Honey Bee.

We will be putting out our Self Serve Honey Cupboard again very soon so remember to stop in our little shop for your raw honey as you are driving by. You can bring cash and put it in the little jar inside the cupboard. Our prices will remain at $15 each or 2 for $25 until at least September. We can be open anytime by appointment. Just message me before you leave home to make sure we are here.

Bee Happy

Sincerely

Frances