This episode, I discuss goals I set for this year, which ones were achieved and which ones weren’t. I also compare where I am now to where I was in 2019. For a full rundown of my 2019 summary, please check out Episode 8 of the podcast. In the meantime, head over to Podbean (or wherever you get your podcasts and have a listen).
Homestead Updates:
My love affair with rooster, Pepperjack continues! But he is getting a little balshy and actually drew blood the other day. I’ve learned that, first thing in the morning, he feels the need to assert himself as King Rooster. If I happen to turn my back on him, he will run up and chest bump my legs, which is adorable. Lately, though, he started pecking me, and the other day he got me pretty good through my yoga pants; I had a small bruise and a little blood. So I started hand feeding him, make a point not to turn my back, and will stroke his back if he puffs up at me (which he hates!). Today, I almost picked him up, which quickly made him back off and give me the side eye. I don’t mind him being protective as long as he doesn’t become truly aggressive. He does a good job watching his ladies.
Agatha and Squeak seem to be doing well as a flock of two, even in freezing temps. They’re both eating well and out ready for treats each morning. Agatha is still getting her pain meds and isn’t fighting me over it anymore. I think she might have finally made the connection that me picking her up leads to her feeling better. Still helping her with the last of the feathers to grow out. She needs help getting the papery covering off. Side note: Pepperjack hates it when I’m holding Agatha. I think he believes I’m going to eat her! He fusses until I put her down and then chest bumps me and yells. Okay, buddy.
The girls are laying eggs again! I was down to 1 egg every few days and now we’re at 2-3 most days. I’ll take it! I think Cheddar, my Jersey Giant hen, is responsible for some of these. I’ve noticed a smaller, paler egg than I’ve seen before with a more pronounced point and very thick/hard shells (compared to what my old girls produce, bless them). Pretty sure they’re from Cheddar. It’s funny to me that such a large breed produces such a petite egg!
Hive Updates:
Last I saw, all hives were alive
We had 24 hrs of snow with freezing temps. My husband looked at the hives using a thermal camera and noted that the insulation works so well that there was no difference detected between the outside of the hive and the environment. Nice!
I’m considering buying a different style of wrap for next year that is thinner but easier to put on and off. I use the Bee Cozy, which is one piece that slides over your hive and needs to be taken off the same way. It arrives rolled up tight and quite thin but puffs out over time, which gives a snug fit, with the downside being that it becomes harder to get on and off. I’m considering buying one of the Dadant wraps, which appears to be thinner than the Cozy (when fully expanded) but has an easy open and close feature, which would make getting into the hive easier during quick winter checks on mild days. I could also get some thermal images without too much fuss.
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Looking back at 2019, I shared the following on Episode 8 of the podcast:
Goals achieved
bees! (hive stands, preparing area, trail camera, build equipment, nucs, #beedrama, keeping up with schedule, mite treatment, split, raising own queen, etc)
blog and podcast (instagram, facebook, tumblr); submitting to various places
mulch!
weeding
new rose bushes, removal of old/dead ones
bulbs planted (Spring and Fall)
mint everywhere!
coop clean out before cold weather hit
kept up with the mowing of my huge lawn with a push mower!
PTS breeding (all babies sold! website/ads/Facebook; expo info for 2020; new bloodlines)
college/ASL 4 completed by Spring
Boo at the Zoo, 5 out of 6 shifts
Obstacles/time sucks
watering; hate it, mosquitoes, no convenient hose on far side of house or back yard (need to buy additional ones)
various sick chickens needing vet visits/extra care
commute (need 2nd car)
pest control; missed the boat on Japanese beetles so it took a lot longer
weeding (all by hand); always
daily animal care, especially with the babies
Luna flesh wounds x2!!
swimming; self care but big time suck
Unexpected pleasures/positive events:
rescue hens!
foster pup
successful hive split and homegrown queen
Florida vacation; manatees. Real downtime. Saw what life is like without any responsibilities.
socialising more; making consistent time for my friends
dates with my wonderful husband!
I’ll admit that I’m actually impressed by what I achieved in 2019. Aside from finally getting to do hands on beekeeping, I was also maintaining a 4.0 GPA in my classes, driving all over the place, and managing everything at the homestead. When I think of 2019, what I remember most is how tired I was and how bad my depression became in the colder months. Part of me feels like I barely managed anything at all except basic survival. But look! That’s not true at all! I actually juggled a lot of things and did a good job. Nice to be reminded of that!
Goals I set for 2020:
Expand apiary
Start nucleus colonies
Add new genetics: Saskatraz
build raised beds for veg and herbs
weed and reseed side bed
wildflower patch/meadow
milky spore/carnivorous nematodes (Japanese beetles)
chicken tractor
removing gravel path
improve drainage
raccoon latrine!
bedroom rehab/strip and repaint
agility training for Chappie
obedience for Luna
scenting for Kaylee
outside tortoise/reptile sunning enclosure
Goals Achieved
I did increase my apiary from 2 successfully over-wintered colonies to 2 additional full size colonies and 2 nucleus colonies (with 1 packaged purchased; the rest were raised here from current genetic lines)
Add a new genetic line: Saskatraz. Purchased a package and it had incredible build up. As I’ve discussed before, I am ultimately torn about these bees. They have phenomenal build up, fantastic honey production (most of my honey came from these bees), and their temperament is lovely (none of the spiciness I’d heard about). But I also suspect that they are the primary robbers of all my lines, which might also explain why they had the highest mite counts. I am hoping at least one of my Sask colonies survives so I can see how they do next year but I am not buying another Sask package for 2021; I’m going with Carniolan.
Nucs were successful in creation but I had some issues with management. My original goal was to create Spring nucs and build them up to be strong but prevent swarming. My plan was to remove honey and/or brood frames to boost the full size colonies to both decrease the swarming risk while also increasingly the likelihood of a good honey harvest by super-boosting the larger colonies. This might have worked if a/ I had known we were going to have a dearth and/or recognised it sooner, and b/ if I generally had more experience. Instead, I feel like my nucs got a little out of control. One did cast a Fall swarm, which I am still gutted about, while the others struggled to survive the dearth even after my intervention. I wonder if they would have had a better chance if I hadn’t moved around those early frames to keep their size manageable and had instead let them expand into a full size colony. Considering this, I have decided to create Spring nucs again next year but with the intention of transitioning them into full size (10 frame, 2 box) colonies. If I support them through the year, I should be able to get them ready to survive the winter. If they do, the following year, they’ll be a good source of honey having done all their comb building previously. I can also make nucs from them in late summer/early Fall if they’re super-sized, and then over-winter those nucs. Consideration would have to be given on whether I let them raise their own queens or purchase Ohio stock (based on weather, mite count, etc).
Build raised beds for veggies. I did achieve this one, though not as I anticipated. Instead of constructing raised beds from lumbar, I used fallen branches instead, and then filled these makeshift garden beds with topsoil from the leaf/compost pile. I’m happy with how they turned out for the most part but, in hindsight, I needed a lot more soil and will likely buy additional amounts next year since my topsoil supply is getting low.
For actual vegetable growth, I didn’t get much of a harvest but I can see where I went wrong. I had improper support for the tomatoes and planted them too close together. My corn also suffered from lack of room, which I will manage by expanding that bed in the Spring. My bean plants were decimated by some kind of bug so I’ll be looking into safe-for-bees pest treatments. My squash plants ran out of time; need to plant them earlier next year. I would also benefit from testing my soil and working to make it optimal for vegetable plants. I usually never bother and I’ve actually been avoiding the whole thing since it feels a bit daunting and chemistry-heavy. But it’s an essential step at this point and something I’ll be looking into over winter.
Weed and reseed side bed. The big round one? Nope. I continued to neglect it because the weeds and vines have dug in deep and I felt pressed for time. I did start clearing the area in the Fall but my back and the weather stopped me before I made as much progress as I’d hoped for. At least I started it, I guess? The side bed that runs along the house, however, I did wrestle into some semblance of neatness, though it needs more work. I am going to try really, really hard to focus on the neglected bed next Spring. It is going to take HOURS upon hours of hand weeding and then hauling huge quantities of mulch but it really needs to be done. I’ll seed it with wildflower seeds so it hopefully won’t take much work to maintain moving forward.
Wildflower patch/meadow. Nope. I ended up mowing the area I was considering using. However, I did dig up the edges of the drainage ditch out front and seeded those, and flowers did spring forth! I’m going to maintain that going forward as I can’t mow that area and the flowers looked lovely and are a good source of food for the bees.
Milky spore application. Got my Spring treatment down! Missed the Fall dose. I did see an improvement but will definitely be applying again in Spring. If we have a mild day anytime soon, I’ll also throw some out and make sure to get all the beds as well as the lawn.
Chicken tractor. Nope. Instead, I cheated and got my rooster! I’ve realised that I just don’t like to build things. I feel out of my depth, need an endless amount of supplies, usually require help (from my husband who is already overworked), and I am clearly a danger with sharp tools. What really put me off this year was the pandemic. I’ve avoided going anywhere that isn’t essential, and having to go to Home Depot and deal with folks to get the wood cut was too daunting. So I caved and got my rooster, who is doing a great job protecting the main flock. For the special needs girls, I’m going to be lazy and buy a pop up greenhouse or run and then add hardware cloth to strengthen it. It’s a much easier way of getting them into a tractor so they can graze during the day.
Improving drainage. Yes! I dug that huge ditch from the back of the property through to the front. It took up a large amount of time and aggravated my back but was worth it. It’s going to need yearly touch ups but I’m pleased with how it came out. Also, neighbours were impressed! I had neighbours I’d never met before stopping to tell me what a good job I did.
Remove gravel path. Another win! Again, hurt my back and took up so much time but I finally got the gravel shifted and put down mulch. It looked great! Of course, almost 6 ft of it is now all dug up due to my recent water pipe issue but it shouldn’t take me long to get it back in shape when the ground thaws.
Raccoon latrine. This one is a ‘kinda’. I still haven’t found the will to go in and get rid of all the feces (for which I need a respirator and clothes that I can wash in scalding water after) but I did seal up all the holes that were giving the damn things access, and they have since abandoned the barn as their preferred toilet.
Bedroom rehab/repainting. Nope. I didn’t have the time, honestly. My plan, right now, is to price the materials I need to do it myself and then compare that to quotes from professionals. A friend of mine has been using the quarantine shift to working at home as an opportunity to renovate parts of her home, and she told me that the amount of supplies I need to get the job done well (I have to remove painted over wallpaper) might cost nearly as much as hiring out. So! I’ll do some digging and see.
Dog training. Big fat nope on this one. Once the pandemic hit, I stopped doing any activities that made me interact with people in group settings so this prevented a lot of activities. That said, we did get Kaylee in for another much needed dental surgery, which went so much more smoothly than her first one, and she’s been a very happy girl since. I also managed to keep Luna from cutting herself up! Although we did have to take Chappie in for some stitches on his face after he cut it on a branch (we think; we didn’t see it happen but he’s always jumping at the trees and trying to bark the squirrels down). But that’s one visit for stitches compared to the two we had last year!
Building an outdoor enclosure for the reptiles. Another nope on this one. Just like with the chicken tractor, I lost the willingness to go buy the wood. I do feel guilty that this keeps being put off but it’s an added benefit for the babies; not an essential need. Higgins the tortoise gets UV lighting in his enclosure, as well as a very strong heat lamp for basking, and all the other reptiles get the same (as needed; not all our reptiles require UV lighting).
Addressing Obstacles
Last year, my biggest time suck was the commute. Between my ASL classes and driving Henry to and from work, I felt like I was spending half my day in the car. I had to structure my plans around when to leave, and I hated it. We talked seriously about purchasing another car. Turns out, we didn’t need to! Once COVID became a real concern, my husband started working from home so no more commute. This definitely freed up a lot of time for me while also letting me get more sleep. Waking up at 6am everyday was challenging for me so getting back to a later wake up time has been great.
Swimming also was a time suck for me but I considered it essential because it was good for me physically and emotionally. I really miss it. I’ve gained 10lbs this year, which I put down to no more swimming and comfort/stress eating due to the madness of 2020. As soon as it’s safe to do so, I am going to get back to my swimming workouts. For now, I sit on the stationary bike and do yoga.
Weeding and daily animal care are still a time suck but unavoidable. Plus, they don’t feel so insurmountable now that I’m not in the car constantly. In regards to the baby skinks needing a lot of care for the first month or so, I’m going to be investing in a misting system to make sure they’re kept at the right humidity without relying solely on me misting them. Misting them at different times of day seemed to cause an issue and I struggled to get it onto a set schedule. I also suspect some of my losses this year were due to dehydration despite my best efforts. I am optimistic that a misting system will help with all of this.
Watering. I still hate it but I was much more on top of it this year. It helped that summer was dry enough to keep the mosquito population low.
Caring for sick chickens. This is clearly just an inescapable part of life. Chickens are wonderful, silly, delicate little things and prone to a myriad of weird and wonderful diseases. Due to how well they hide their symptoms often means that, by the time I notice anything wrong, I have to act fast. In 2020, I’ve treated for heat stress, worms, respiratory infections, and bumblefoot. I lost 2 hens. This is all part and parcel of flock life. It might suck up a lot of time and occasionally make me cry but I wouldn’t give up any of it. I am a slave to my chickens!
Miscellaneous Accomplishments
Honey harvest! It was great putting my knowledge to practical application. Took me a while to get the hang of a few things (like uncapping frames with a knife and not dripping honey everywhere) but I got there and had a pretty decent harvest all told. It did take a lot longer than I anticipated, especially due to the clean up involved. But it went well overall and I now have lots of my own honey to enjoy. I gifted (and then sold!) some to friends and family, and I even got my husband to cut back on his sugar consumption by using honey instead. I’m currently in the process of preparing a few things so I can sell my honey to locals (using FB marketplace). I have a lock box that I’ll mount out by the front door so that contactless pick up is available. Getting to eat my own honey is one of the great joys of my life, honestly. And all the positive feedback I have received from people is truly heartening. It’s funny how shocked so many people are by the taste! I’ve heard a lot of “I thought I knew what honey tasted like but this is so much better!”. Makes my beekeeper heart glad.
I rendered beeswax! I found an article online on how to use a slow cooker to do this, and I liked how it also drains and filters the beeswax at the same time. I’m really pleased with the results! I bought some supplies so that I can make solid hand lotions with it, and I’m looking into the possibility of making beeswax wraps for covering food. The latter is a little trickier since I need to source fabric and pine resin but I’ll do some pricing and make a decision soon. Fun fact: the brown/black muck left behind is called 'slumgum' and is supposed to make very good smoker fuel! I have saved mine to test out in the Spring.
Helped my bestie move to Canada! We did some packing together and I was always ready to supply food and booze. It was great to quarantine with her, and I miss her a lot. But she’s settling in well at her new place and things look very bright for her, which makes me happy.
Started mentoring people. I still feel like a bit of an imposter on this one but I do love talking about bees so I try to approach this as another opportunity to learn and grow. It’s definitely been fun to get into other peoples’ hives, and I hope I helped some. I’m hoping to have more hands on time with my mentees next year in the Spring. Lots to do!
Getting to interview (and be interviewed by) John from the Hive Jive podcast! This is my favourite beekeeping podcast so I was really chuffed that he suggested we team up for a couple of episodes.
2020 was my best year in terms of the reptile business. I had no problem selling babies and word of mouth has led a lot of customers to me. I also felt more on top of the website and Facebook, although I am planning on switching hosts for the website to make it easier to search for. I’ve just started working on caresheets, a baby setup guide, and a few other things that I can send to people who have questions about the species. My wait list for next season is already growing, which is gratifying. My breeding females are doing very well, and I’m especially pleased with how Pandora is doing on rest for the season. She’s gained weight and looks great! Europa is still big and beautiful as usual, and I am hoping for another healthy litter from her in Spring 2021. Planning on doing some shopping around to look for fresh bloodlines and, once the pandemic is over, I’ll be looking into getting some of the European lines shipped over.
On a personal note, I feel like I’ve done a good job of maintaining relationships during the madness of the pandemic, while following appropriate safety measures. I’ve also taken care of my mental health, including a medication change, and I have seen improvements in this area. Winter is often a struggle for me due to Seasonal Affective Disorder and I’m hoping to have an easier go of it this year with the new meds and new therapist to support me. I still struggle to recognise when I’m slipping back into unhealthy patterns and I don’t always ask for help when I need it. But I’m cautiously optimistic that I’m overcoming some of this with time. It's a journey!
Goals for 2021
Top bar hive! Will be my first time using one and I’m really looking forward to learning new management techniques. I’ll be ordering a package for this, and planning Carniolans in order to add another genetic line.
Nucleus colonies. As I said before, this time I’ll be working on building them up to full size colonies before winter, if possible. I’ll make late summer nucs if the weather/flow allows it.
Mite testing. I let this slide a bit this year due to the bees getting feisty and all the robbing behaviour we had. I’m going to do my best to be more on top of monthly tests next year. That said, I do believe in letting the bees lead me and there were times when opening the hives was just too risky due to robbing so I'm going to brainstorm ways to better manage robbing in future.
I plan on testing out oxalic acid treatments in the Spring and Formic acid strips for the late summer/Fall. Hoping these will work better than what I saw with Apivar and Apiguard this year.
Spend more time with my mentees. I didn’t get as much hands on time in their hives as I had hoped for due to scheduling conflicts and needing to capitilize on good weather to get my own apiary sorted. I’m hoping to manage my time a little better next year so I can do more hands on instruction.
Focus on healthy colonies instead of number of colonies. It was very exciting to create so many new colonies this year but I think it didn’t really work out how I had hoped. In the end, I needed to sacrifice a queen to unite 2 colonies, and I ended up feeling very pressed for time. I’m still not very fast when it comes to inspections so having multiple colonies meant a lot of time out there, which I love! But the dearth made things especially tricky and I think having less hives would have been better. That said, I’m not going to say I’ll never have more than X colonies because so much is dependent on what is going on in each colony and what the weather is doing. We shall see! But I do mean to approach things with a quality over quantity attitude.
In the garden. I’m going to try again with the 3 sisters (corn, beans, squash) and will space everything much further apart this time, and treat for pest insects that might have eaten my beans this past year. I’m also planning on getting just a few tomato plants so they have lots of room. Considering trying my hand at bell peppers as well as additional herbs to add to my current herb garden. Plan is to keep the number of plants smaller and put more time into things like soil quality and keeping them well fed.
Prioritize the big side bed. I have started on getting the weeds cleared and I really need to give it my undivided focus for a while in the Spring. I keep putting it off because it’s so daunting but I also feel very accomplished as I start to clear the bed. I can’t keep letting my neighbour look at that mess so I’m going to make a concerted effort to prioritize it once the ground thaws.
Spend more time volunteering at the zoo. This year, I did very little zoo time due to the pandemic. I helped behind the scenes when I could (stuffing treat bags for Boo, etc) but I just didn’t feel safe being around groups of people even with masks and social distancing. Thankfully, the hourly commitment required for volunteers was waved this year due to the circumstances so I haven’t lost my position. Next year, I’m hoping it will be safer to help out more.
Walk the dogs more. We don’t have sidewalks in our area so load the dogs up in the car and drive out to walking areas. I would like to do more of this next year. It’s good for the dogs and us.
Chickens. I will buy some kind of tractor for Agatha and Squeak so they can enjoy grazing time. I don’t have any firm plans for the big flock beyond seeing how everyone gets along once the rooster is back to full breeding mode. I will add hens if he needs more ladies. I’m thinking more Jersey Giants or some Easter Eggers if I do need more hens.
I’m not sure it is feasible due to my back BUT a drainage ditch down the side of the property would make a big difference. Definitely something to look into.
I don’t know if this will happen in 2021 but, once the pandemic is over, I plan to go visit my bestie in Canada and then fly on to England to see my mum and brother. Similarly, the minute we can, the husbeast and I are going on vacation! It’s been too long and he has been working his butt off to keep up with all the changes the pandemic has thrown at him. It would be lovely to just go somewhere to relax and be a couple.
I’d really love to reach my goal weight next year but I’m not sure I have what it takes! I’ve been feeling so wiped out thanks to 2020 madness that it’s hard to stick to things like calorie counting and heavy workouts. A gal can dream, though!
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I think that’s it for me. How about you? What are your goals for 2021? Leave me a comment or email me at homesteadhensandhoney@gmail.com to let me know what you’re looking forward to. Speaking of email, I just discovered that my forwarding service had stopped so I apologise to those who reached out to me and didn’t hear back for weeks! I should have emailed everyone back at this point but wanted to apologize here as well. Sorry about that!
I really hope 2021 will be better. It’s been a rough year for so many people. Many lives have been taken by COVID, and so many people are barely squeaking by. I truly hope that 2021 lifts us up instead of beating us down.
For now, I'm hunkering down with my little family and waiting for Spring.
