tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-650517659905468372024-03-12T23:55:37.208-07:00Ron's Farmer BlogWhat happens when a City Boy buys some land and moves to the Country.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger144125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-38565251161731812152013-11-16T16:34:00.001-08:002013-11-16T16:34:22.932-08:00Busy as a Bee
Hey everyone -
So I've been super busy on a new project that will probably be of interest to a lot of you.
It's a new website called BeeHelp.com
We just launched it a few weeks ago.
It's a web based beekeeping educational site that is month to month.
We (me and my biz partner Sean) have been developing it for over a year.
Check it out and let me know what you think.
Ron
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-27955480276757519052013-05-26T12:40:00.000-07:002013-05-26T12:40:17.341-07:00Hello Again...
So I've got some good news and some bad news.
Good News: I finally put up a new blog post.
Bad News: We sold the farm.
Let's start with the bad news first. When we bought the acreage out in the country, our big goal was to build the house of our dreams and ride off into the sunset on that property. Unfortunately, things didn't work out that way.
Like many of you, we were punchedUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-82778826702727164242011-04-19T10:12:00.000-07:002011-04-19T10:12:24.192-07:00Bee Installation - Success So FarI got two new hives this year, and did the installation on Saturday.
Trees N Bees - Auburn, WA - Package Bee Delivery
I ordered my packages of bees from my friends at Trees N Bees in Auburn, WA. They had between 4 and 5 million bees in this delivery, and there were a lot of folks excited to pick up their bees.
I helped out a bit, and then headed back to the ranch for the install. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-58056570990385056692011-04-15T10:34:00.000-07:002011-04-15T10:34:50.040-07:00The Jimi Yard, finished in the nick of time...I'm cutting it close, but nothing like a deadline to get you moving.
Finished up the Jimi Bee Yard this morning.
Got a little carried away with the decorations, but I think it turned out pretty cool. I'm sure the bees will appreciate it.
Here's how it all turned out.
Bees come in the morning.
RonUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-5278887635646200422011-04-14T21:55:00.000-07:002011-04-14T21:56:48.991-07:00Countdown to new bees... 2 Days To Go.
Dan dumping gravel in the new bee yard.
I'm adding two new hives this year, my packages of bees will be here on Saturday. So I've been busting my butt to get everything ready. I'm sure most beekeepers are doing the same thing right about now.
I learned my lesson when I placed my first hive... choose the location carefully. My first hive location was awesome in May, but in theUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-1605641351778435422011-04-05T20:32:00.000-07:002011-04-05T20:32:31.287-07:00The Jimi Hive...So I was listening to a Commercial Beekeeping Old Timer and he was talking about how he paints a contrasting stripe on the front of his hive to help foraging bees find their hive when they return. The contrasting stripe is used by the bees as a "landmark". The Old Timer I was listening says he's been doing it for years.
I figured I'd do something similar, and pay tribute to one of my favorite Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-30695240757917538792011-03-27T21:04:00.000-07:002011-03-27T21:08:24.188-07:00Bee Class...I took an interesting beekeeping class this weekend through the Washington State Beekeepers Association. It's part of the Master Beekeeping Certification Program. I'd taken a similar class before but didn't bother to take the test last time. This time I took the test to get the Apprentice status. And no, Donald Trump wasn't there to say, "You're Fired!"
Shout out to the Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-42246915615901259222011-03-21T09:45:00.000-07:002011-03-21T09:45:17.352-07:00Bee Up My Sleeve...
I got this illustration done for $5 on www.fiverr.com
But I didn't get stung.
I'm glad to announce that both my hives made it thru the winter. My first year I didn't insulate the hive, and it died when a brutal storm came through late in the year. After that, I've been insulating the hives every winter and have had more success.
This year, I saw that one hive was not doing Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-83093935109536318392011-03-15T17:01:00.000-07:002011-03-21T13:19:37.088-07:00Help JapanIf you haven't done it yet, consider a $10 donation with your cell phone to help the People of Japan.
Text to 90999 and enter the word "REDCROSS" for $10 to the Red Cross.
Text to 80888 and enter the word "JAPAN" for $10 to the Salvation Army.
As someone who lived thru Katrina,
Thanks!
Ron
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-10719619578416057122011-03-13T22:16:00.000-07:002011-03-13T22:16:04.041-07:00Organic or Not Organic - that is the question...I've been doing a lot of reading & studying this winter about organic beekeeping, or managing a hive with as few chemicals (or no chemicals) as possible. I realize it's along the same lines being a vegetarian or buying "organic" at the grocery store, but a few thing really resonated with me.
1) Beekeeping was the last agricultural endeavor that adopted chemical pest control.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-41497394887961096602011-03-13T11:38:00.000-07:002011-03-13T11:38:54.681-07:00Curiosity Killed the Bee?
So I'm super curious to see what's going on inside my beehives, especially during the winter.
And being a tech nerd, I bought a USB mini camera. Kinda like this one, but the camera part is a bit smaller. Then I went all McGyver on it and rubber banded a small flashlight to the side, and took it and my laptop out to the hives.
I was thinking I could just feed it into the Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-86478559848373250402011-03-12T20:34:00.000-08:002011-03-12T20:42:43.767-08:00Frogger! Who turned on the frog switch?So I got home tonight and was feeding the dogs when I noticed a very loud drone of frogs. I don't remember them last night. It's almost like someone flipped the "frog" switch for them to all turn on tonight.Here's where I need your help. How does one get a good look at some of these frogs? I pulled this picture from wikipedia - supposedly the North American Bull Frog should be in my area, butUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-41839705819397885742011-03-06T08:07:00.000-08:002011-03-06T08:16:54.259-08:00My Nieces started some blogs...So I was visiting my sister this weekend and my two nieces started blogs.The first one is Hannah... she's quite the crafty person. She shows kids how to make things.Her blog is here.Very cool stuff. I already bought a bracelet.My other niece is Mackenzie. She has a blog about living her life with Crohn's. You can check out her blog here.See you next time..RonUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-64600465537809177532011-02-22T14:19:00.000-08:002011-02-22T14:28:35.739-08:00Long time - no posts...Hey everybody.It's been forever since I've posted on the blog.But it's actually for a good reason. My beekeeping website it really taking off.It's www.worldofbeekeeping.com - a website for beginning beekeepers. We have almost 700 people that have joined the forum.We've sold hundreds of my Basic Beekeeping DVDs. So, that's been taking up most of my free time.And speaking of bees, I'm going to Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-43397569985441474012010-07-20T20:23:00.000-07:002010-07-20T20:46:35.299-07:00Swisher Predator Update... FAILSo I may have spoken too soon about the ol' Swisher a few posts ago. Everything was working great, then...I've had several maintenance issues since then. First off, the blade would not engage every time. My buddy Dan and I figured it was probably a worn belt or that little spring thing that pulls the switch that engages the blade.PROBLEM #1: Swisher Parts Line.I called the Swisher parts Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-56313424132330505052010-06-13T20:20:00.000-07:002011-03-13T09:59:28.610-07:00Finally Got My Beekeeping DVD Finished...
For over a year I've been working on a DVD for beginning beekeepers. When I started Beekeeping, it was hard to find a DVD that just covered the basics... so I decided to make my own.
You can check out some previews (and buy it if you want) at www.beehelp.com
I've also got it on Amazon for purchase or you can stream it for $1.99.
I just figured out how to place an ad on Google, and so far Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-81243095625703571632010-05-02T10:20:00.000-07:002010-05-02T10:30:38.303-07:00Review: Swisher Predator 24 - 11hp Brush MowerWell, I got a new piece of gear for the ranch. A Swisher Predator 24 - 11 hp brush mower. I needed something to handle the tall grass in the fields and small saplings around the property. In a perfect world, I'd have a big 5 foot brush hog and a tractor big enough to pull it for the main part of the field, and this brush mower for the areas where the brush hog doesn't fit. But until I can Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-69544500127453415312010-05-02T10:14:00.000-07:002010-05-02T10:20:39.738-07:00Coyote on the loose.We've got a couple of coyotes on the loose out on the ranch. I was startled by one in the back of our property when I was doing some work...I caught it on video the other day when the dogs were going nuts.Coyote on the Loose. from R. Upshaw on Vimeo.They were coming in so close to the house that I went and got a pellet gun to try and scare the coyotes off.I haven't had the chance to get a shot Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-69473420240832268042010-05-02T10:08:00.001-07:002010-05-02T10:14:21.910-07:00Why did you not use the birdhouse?So last year I made a few birdhouses for the property. So obviously, the birds this year make their nest inside the barn resting on the plastic vapor barrier. Oh, and thanks for ripping the screen that's suppose to keep birds out of the barn.What Bird House? from R. Upshaw on Vimeo.So I guess I'll wait till they are gone, and repair that screen. I wish they would have used the birdhouse...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-78664042029234132352010-04-04T08:20:00.000-07:002010-04-04T08:23:06.826-07:00Very Sad Day...I want to dedicate today's blog to a good man who died suddenly last week. His name was Loren Elliott. He mentored me as a beginning bee keeper, and then became my friend. Loren was always there to help you when you needed it. He was kind, honest, and decent. He always knew more about most things than I did, but always approached with humility. Loren served in the Air Force, and was given a Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-27499062148533510662010-02-20T11:03:00.001-08:002010-02-20T11:14:34.207-08:00Hello World, I'm LuLu...So do you want the good news, or the bad news? I guess we'll start things out with the bad news first. We had to put Frank the Dog down right before Christmas. Franky was a lucky dog. The Cowgirl found him abandoned in Mississippi right before Hurricane Katrina. He was starving, had about 40 giant ticks, lime disease, heart worms, and the vet down there told her to put him down immediately.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-63151175607073335982009-12-05T20:14:00.000-08:002009-12-05T20:17:55.572-08:00Can't see the forest - cause we cut down the trees...When our house was built, there must have been a sale on every ugly plant. We have systematically been taking out old, fugly plants and trees and re-landscaping the ranch.Here's the latest step - taking out a row of totally overgrown trees along our access road.Taking out the trees... from Upshaw Ron on Vimeo.It makes such a huge difference already.See you next time...From City Boy Starts Farmin'Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-49227016266231175112009-12-05T11:54:00.000-08:002009-12-05T11:57:09.093-08:00World's Easiest Cherry Jam RecipeSo, you've got a cherry tree too. Or you drive by that stand on the side of the road selling cherries and want to make some Cherry Jam.Now in my second year with two cherry trees, I think this is about as easy as you can get to have some delicious cherry jam.... enjoy!Cherry Jam... from Upshaw Ron on Vimeo.Good Luck, let me know how it turns out!From City Boy Starts Farmin'Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-21294810350183094682009-12-05T11:38:00.001-08:002009-12-05T11:51:34.059-08:00Where's that tool again?I'm sure this has never happened to you...A pair of needle nose pliers is needed to complete the job you're working on. You know that you own a pair of said pliers. One problem - your garage looks like my barn.I finally decided to do something about the hornets nest that was my barn. I scored a great deal on some drawers and wall cabinets from Second Use. If you're in the Puget Sound Area, Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65051765990546837.post-8459588629597501712009-10-18T21:56:00.000-07:002009-10-18T22:30:57.859-07:00Rancher Ron 1, Blackberry Bush 0It's been a while since I've blogged, but not because I haven't been busy.We wanted to get one more big project before the rain starts, and that big project was a permanent fence along our stream. This jumped to the head of the list because of a program we are part of with the King County Conservation District. Since we attended their Farm Plan classes and then got a Farm Plan, we are eligible Unknownnoreply@blogger.com