Seed starting at home is a great way to save money whether you are planting a few container gardens for fresh eating or a large family garden dedicated to food preservation. Over the years, we have tried a lot of different seed-starting methods. Disposable plastic cups, peat pellet seed trays, dissolvable peat pots, natural luffa…
A healthy hive typically has between 60,000 and 80,000 honeybees. While a hive has a few hundred drones and thousands of worker bees, the hive will contain a single queen bee. Queen bees are undoubtedly the most important bee in the colony since the survival of the colony is dependent on the production of brood….
As the days grow warmer, honey bee swarm season is approaching! Honey bees reproduce in two ways. The first is normal reproduction through egg-laying and rearing new worker bees. The second way honeybees reproduce is to create new bee colonies. Attracting the swarm scouts, this natural process is a great way for beekeepers to grow…
For years, I have dreaded the late summer months on the homestead because turkey mites would inevitably ravage my legs. This almost invisible villain is the larval form of the Lone Star Tick. The intense itching for weeks was too much! I began searching for the ultimate defense to protect myself from turkey mite bites….
When it comes to beekeeping tools, a smoker is one of the must-have tools of every beekeeper! This simple tool makes the bees more manageable, protects the bees and also protects the beekeeper. What’s so magical about the effect of smoke on honey bees? Let’s explore why beekeepers use smoke to manage their bees. Historical…
Almost three years ago we jumped feet-first into beekeeping when Philip did a tree job and discovered a beehive inside the tree. While he had spent a lot of time studying beekeeping before we got our first colony, we both have learned so much in the last few years. Bees are fascinating! If you’ve been…
Our trips to the homestead can be brutal in the late summer months. It never fails that I get eaten up by what I have called chiggers for many years. However the locals, all say the same thing, likely I was bitten by turkey mites. In all the places I have lived, I had never…
More than a year ago, I learned that natural luffa sponges are harvested from a plant! Maybe you believed a long time like I did that luffa sponges came from the ocean. I was absolutely floored that I could grow luffa gourds right at home! Right away I ordered enough seeds for myself and both…
Philip and I traveled to Kowalski Mountain for the Spring Workcation just in time for Easter. While it would only be the two of us for dinner, I still wanted to make something special. We raise or hunt almost all our meat, so I rarely purchase meat at the grocery store. However, a few times…
Part of a homesteading lifestyle is working towards a more self-sufficient lifestyle. Harvesting and raising our own food is a part of that process. While we are living in a temporary living situation in the RV, our ability to produce a significant amount of food is limited, however, raising Cornish Cross Broilers for meat chicken…
