LESSONS LEARNED FROM GEORGE'S TEMPER...

We are still learning about all of the little Georges and their hive. As we have new experiences and learn new things, we'll be glad to share.



LESSON #1: GEORGE DOES NOT LIKE DARK COLORS. -- When working around the bees, always try to wear a white shirt or light colors. Dark colors irritate bees, and they are more likely to sting dark clothing.


LESSON #2: TRY TO KEEP HANDS FROM GETTING STUNG AT ALL COSTS! -- Benny's right hand was injured back in the fall of 2010. He keeps aggrivating it, and it still hasn't healed. We decided to use two of his intentional stings last week to see if the bee venom would help in case he had developed arthritis. It swelled to almost twice the size of his other hand, and got so tight he couldn't bend his fingers. That's when he called calfrope and decided to get it elevated. It took a good three days for the swelling to go down, and his hand to look somewhat normal. The picture to the left was actually a different sting. He got stung on his middle finger and top of hand by thumb. This is the beginning of the swelling process. Notice how only 1/2 of his hand is swelling. Good thing he thought to take his ring off, we would have had to cut it off otherwise! Because the whole darn thing is swollen now.

LESSON #3: GEORGE DOES NOT LIKE FRAGRANCES, SCENTS, OR BRAGGERTS!! -- Benny was bragging to his parents how gentle our bees are. He mowed around the hive, and they continued with business as usual. They seemed pretty normal as they approached Sunday morning before church. But a whiff of deodorant or cologne blew through the hive, and a ball of bees came out the front swarming. Benny got stung on his leg, but no one else was hurt. Bees do not like to "smell good."

LESSON #4: GEORGE IS AN EXCELLENT WEATHERMAN...AND THEY HATE STORMS. -- In the books and internet articles Benny has read, bees are credited with good weather skills. Benny went out a few nights ago, and there wasn't a single bee outside of the hive . The hive guards had even gone into hiding. That night we had a terrible storm that layed our corn stalks flat. And I bet George just watched and laughed at our ignorance and we waited on a sprinkle.




LESSON #5: GEORGE HAS A TEMPER!! -- After giving the hive all day to calm down, Benny went out to check the new level for signs of adapting to the third story he added last week. The bees were not out and about. Against gut feelings, Benny decided to press on. As soon as he got the ceiling off the top and started smoking the bees, it started to sprinkle...then rain. And George went from allowing to agitated, and he was furious! Benny got stung twice on his left hand before he could get the frames back in and shut up the hive. Needless to say, Benny's got stung three times on Sunday. And his little hand looks like the hospital balloons we blow up to throw at each other. So this week, he's had to deal with both hands swelling to twice their size, and wondering if they might pop!

Here's a picture of Benny's hand after he had in his pocket for a little bit. The swelling all moved up, and it almost looks broken. He didn't appreciate me calling him "strange," though...Go figure!

Well, tomorrow we start our big adventure with Red Wattle hogs. Benny and the boys are going to East Texas to pick the gals up! Better get some rest before the next great adventure!

Honey bees...all named George

We had a hive of honey bees move into our barn this spring. Benny has wanted to keep bees for as long as we've had kiddos. His great-granddad was a beekeeper, and I guess it's in his blood. We bought a beehive kit and read everything he could get his hands on about beekeeping.

On the set morning, Benny, me, and our two boys went out to begin the adventure. Benny cut a huge square out of the wall inside the barn. The bees had no idea what they were in for, but neither did we. Below is a picture of the natural hive. The sounds of the saws all, and vaccuum and cutting the honey combs riled up the bees. Benny made a bee vaccuum from a five gallon bucket,plastic tubing, and a shop vac. It worked beautifully. He vaccuumed up alot of the bees, and left those who clung to the comb as he cut and rubberbanded them to the frames. To the left shows the vent in his bee vaccuum. It was completely covered! In all, it took a couple of hours to move the natural hive to the boxes. Our bees have a docile nature. Our boys watched from about 4 foot away. I had to step close to Benny and the hive to take pictures. Benny ended getting stung three times and I got stung twice. I was wearing a dark t-shirt, and didn't know that bees hate dark colors. We have to live to learn, right?

Benny was excited to get out of the coveralls. He was completely shut up, and almost passed out because of the heat. His boots were duct taped to his boots, and he had a bee mask and special bee gloves on. There wasn't any part of his body exposed, so you can imagine how hot he got!

Benny, Xavier, and Noah built a little corner wall to keep the bees from the wind. We live in West Texas and wind is more common than the air we breathe. The walls protect the hive from the north and west winds. We've had 70 mph hour winds, and the box is still intact. He also weighted it down with a cinder block, and tied it down with a rachet strap. All has seems to work well.

UPDATE: Since our hive was a rather large one to start with, two weeks later Benny had to add another box. He made it from scrap wood, and did a great job. The bees have now adapted and have started building in it, too. This year, we probably will not get honey for us, because the hive will need at least two boxes for the nursery and honey for them to eat throughout the winter. We have both started bee-sting-therapy...but more about that in another post.

Introducing the Funny Farm

Let me introduce ourselves. Our names are Benny and Chris Baker. Benny is a pastor of a small country church, and a Lieutenant on the fire department in Lubbock, TX. We have three healthy, beautiful, and energetic kiddos. Our family lives on ten acres. We have tried many new things, and usually have to learn from the school of hard knocks! Our little piece of heaven has chickens, barbadoes, a llama, a wild rabbit who wears a flea coller, three dogs, a cat, honey bee hive, and a barbado who thinks she's a chicken. We have had many different type of animals since we have been here.

We bought ten acres and an old farmhouse for $5,000. We lived in a trailer house beside the farmhouse until we finished rebuilding it from the inside out. It took us five years to complete the house. With Benny's schedule at the fire department and my being pregnant or nursing, we thought we would never finish! But God kept us going, and we finally finished.

The following blogs will be about day-to-day activities on our hobby farm. Our goal is for the land to be self-sufficient in a couple of years. Thanks for joining on our adventure. Hope you enjoy the ride!