Bees!

After years of research and putting it off I've finally moved into the world of beekeeping. My bees arrived this past Saturday the 13th. "Hiving" or installing them was a little bumpy. Normally the queen is located in a small cage inside the package. Her small cage's entrance is blocked with a piece of candy and a cork. You pull the cork out of the cage and affix it somewhere inside the hive. Well, I pull the cork out and bees came out of the queen cage. The candy had fallen down out of the hole and she was released at that point. Going forward on future packages I will have a small mini-marshmallow ready to plug the hole should this happen again. After that I had some issues with the feeder. I set it down over on the side of the Top Bar Hive that the bees weren't installed into, but could get over to if they needed to. I set the little quail feeder in there and turned it the wrong way. Its a gravity fed system and since my hive isn't exactly level all of the sugar water poured out. I *think* that has been fixed now and I've added more sugar water.

I've started documenting my beekeeping on my YouTube channel

Installing first package of bees - Top Bar Hive
First beehive inspection
Bees active at 7:30am

Thanks,
Matt

Homesteading "to-do" list

Here is just a quick list of homesteading things I would like to get started in the next year or two. This is pretty much a list for me personally but if you have an interest or would like to make suggestions please do so. (I've set this post to remain at the top of this blog.)

• Get debt free
• Save up cash to cover 3 to 6 months worth of expenses
  
• Increase my garden (and garden knowledge)
• Increase my cheese making knowledge
  
• Setup a place to keep chickens for eggs (and if I ever get that brave, for meat as well)
  
• Setup an apiary (bee hives) and learn about beekeeping
• Find a way to make some of my money off of the homestead
• Raise Goats for milk/cheese and manure
• Solar energy? or other "off grid" energy (Probably not in the next year.)
• Setup a rain barrel/rain collection system to water the garden with
• Plant an orchard
• Plant a vineyard
• Raise Guinea Fowl for insect control in the yard and garden
• Build a mud oven
• Build a block smokehouse (Like this)
• Build a cheese "cave" (Like this)
  
• ...I'm sure there's more.