Day #239 Fun With a Hammer

I spent a fair amount of time yesterday wielding a hammer so that I could from this:

 to this.

I ordered these unassembled honey frames from Mann Lake Ltd., along with skinny nails that were just the right size so I wouldn't split the wood. I have to admit to being somewhat nervous as I tackled the first one, but after that, it was, quite simply, fun. 

Now, whenever the bees are ready, I’ll be able to put the honey supers (the shallow boxes where they store excess honey) on top of the hives. These frames I built will give them a blueprint for where to draw the comb.

Yum, yum!

BEEattitude for Day # 239:

       Blessed are the package deliverers, for they shall spread joy, and it will rebound to them as well.

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The teeny details:

my books:  http://www.franstewart.com

my eBooks on Amazon for Kindle

my eBooks on Smashwords (for all other formats)

Day #103 Ah-ha! A Solution to My Dilemma

All this time I've wasted grumbling about not having a table saw—and yesterday the light dawned. I called H & L Bee Farm, the people I bought my five-frame garden hive from several months ago, and asked if they would be willing to sell me the hive components so that I could put them together and paint them myself.

The answer? Yes!

So, I'll pick up those extras (one cover, one deep hive body, and five honey supers) when I get my bees in eight more weeks or so. By the time my bee colonies are ready to split, I'll have happy new homes ready for them to move into. And I'll be able to use top bars instead of foundation, so I'll be able to harvest delicious comb honey. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, go back to Day #1, where I explain what foundation is.

Now I just have to decide what color to paint the new hive. Any suggestions?

BEEattitude for Day # 103:

       Blessed are those who are open to inspiration, for they shall be pleasantly surprised.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       My old high school buddy, Ellen, who said she’d send me some Macadamia Nut Honey from her sister-in-law in Hawaii.