30/07/2024
Another inspection hoping for honey extraction time. Not quite yet! Next weekend should BEE good 🙂.
Welcome to the Barrio! Homesteading in Eastern Ontario, Canada, we have the ABC's of hobby farming - alpacas, bees & chickens!!
The dogs have registered an objection to that! We offer farmgate sales of honey, alpaca fibre and free-range eggs. Ever wonder what it's like to manage a small hobby farm? Check us out here on our page or follow us on instagram .
Another inspection hoping for honey extraction time. Not quite yet! Next weekend should BEE good 🙂.
After a devastating loss of all bees last winter…..the B’s are back in town!!!
We have some early summer honey (basswood, dandelion) and late summer honey (clover, goldenrod) available. Farm to gate sales only. 500ml and 250ml jars.
for the abundance.
So this happened today! From the newly split hive. We are still unsure about the original hive, but we did see the new queen last week, so we are hoping she starts to lay soon. Pics of the queen to follow.
It's been a while since posting. We've been busy, as always, with...stuff. In June we split our hive because it was a full house already. It's called a walkway split, where you take a few brood frames (larvae) to a new hive with some Queen cells and leave the old queen in the other hive.
Perhaps leave your lawns alone for a few weeks....asking for my friends.
Goodness the bees are happy! So much so that we are preparing to split the hive into a second one!
Spring is here and the bees have made it! What a glorious sight.
Bees are nice a cozy on this cold winter day. It's 31.7C in there! Let's hope they keep make it!
Our garden was a bit of a bust this year. Something clearly go through our little fence and pulled out a bunch of veggie plants. No squash, eggplant, broccoli or beets left. There are simply holes where those plants once were. Although it's disappointing, we are extremely 🙏 for what our garden has provided. Lunch today was an easy walk through harvest of what we do have that has managed to produce and remained untouched!
"Some of nature's most exquisite handiwork is on a miniature scale" - R. Carson.
There is something off in this picture....
Happy June! We have a new bee colony at the Barrio!
We are happy to report that the Barrio has not sustained any significant damage from the devastating storm that hit our region last Saturday. A few trees and a tempo were lost but not much else. Yesterday evening our power returned. We are grateful for the hydro workers who worked tirelessly to the power grid up and running. Many of our neighbours, friends and family remain without power and running water even today. We are thinking of them and hope that all is returned to normal soon.
This morning we lost our bees, but this afternoon we start planting our apple and pear trees...long day. Back at it tomorrow.
Sad day at the Barrio as we acknowledge the loss of our bee colony. They were so strong going into winter...anyhow, we will look to start over as soon as we can find a nuc to purchase. This winter was so hard on the bees in Ontario, it's difficult to find some bee nucs for sale at this point.
It's earth day today! How fitting to have received our apple and pear trees on this day!
This winter has been hard on the bees. Ontario beekeepers are reporting a record number of losses. The variations in weather in recent weeks has been very difficult, as during a few days of warmth, the bees decluster inside the hive...then it drops to -15c. However, after anxious moments of wondering, this was today. So happy our girls made it so far.
Still chilly overnight! Bees are anxious to get out - and so are we.
We are ordering our apple and pear trees today!!! Looking forward to creating our orchard for the bees - and bonus, for some tasty fruit in a few years!
While the Barrio bees sleep, it's candle and lip balm making time with the beeswax.
Step 1 of winterizing our hive today. The bees are annoyed with us, although I think they are mostly annoyed with climate change...ongoing blooming flowers in October during the day then sn onset of frost. Only had time to remove the top feeder and wrap the cozy around the hive today. Too many displeased bees. Tomorrow we will go back and finish the job. Top feeder back on with burlap bags inside (to allow humidity to escape), uncover the entrances to ensure air flow and remove the entrance reducer (again air flow). Winters are hard on bees, the humidity deadly.
The gift that keeps on giving. Still harvesting tons of 🍅 today. This is only a sample of what's coming in. Into brown paper bags now to help with the ripening process...or maybe fried green tomatoes?
ABC? D is for dawgs... E for eggs? And F is for fairies!!!
We have sorted out which chicken lays which coloured egg. And then one day, we found a fairy egg!
Ever wonder why pure bees wax is so expensive? This is the amount of wax that comes off 13 capped honey frames. This is the wax that formed a protective cover over the honey that was stored inside the combs on the frames. We left the combs made of wax on the frames for next year (so the bees don't need to build out new ones from scratch!). When we extracted the honey, we put the frames outside for the bees to clean. They clean it all and leave clean wax combs, ready for use in May.
Today we added a top hive feeder for the bees to give them sugar water. Replaced the old DIY feeder we had in there since last week. The bees are now going through 1L of it per day. Also added the mouse guard to keep the rodents from making a home in the hive for the winter. A few more weeks and it will be time to put the winter cover on, and wish them good luck as they move inside for the cold season.
The last few years have been busy! But we are back at the farm and increasing our little hobby farm residents! We're updating our page with posts to bring you up to speed on what we've been doing! Apologies for the many posts! I think we are up to date now!
The Barrio homestead is a family undertaking. Glad to have our adult children helping out! The eldest is an arborist and helps us mill our trees into posts and beams for our new barn addition..
We are ready! Made with love (by the Barrio Bees). Some jars taste like mid summer flowers like clover and blossoms, and some are mixed with late summer goldenrod and sunflower. All delicious! Pure 100%.
Honey extraction day (sept 18)! 60lbs , and left about the same amount in the hive for the bees to eat during the winter months. Beautiful natural bounty!
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Barrio posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Send a message to The Barrio:
This winter has been hard on the bees. Ontario beekeepers are reporting a record number of losses. The variations in weather in recent weeks has been very difficult, as during a few days of warmth, the bees decluster inside the hive...then it drops to -15c. However, after anxious moments of wondering, this was today. So happy our girls made it so far.
Want your business to be the top-listed Pet Store/pet Service?