Wow, a dozen queenright hives!

Wow, a dozen queenright hives!

A queenright hive is a hive with a queen, preferably one laying eggs. So, in the subject of this post, I may be using the term loosely, but I'm still a happy beekeeper for the moment. On Friday, I...

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New Packages and Splits

New Packages and Splits

Our 2016 season colonies are off and running! They are not all queen-right yet, but it's something we'll be monitoring when possible as we go along. Here is Aidan helping me prep and level the hive stands near our...

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Over-winter Colony Report

Over-winter Colony Report

It's been a long time since posting. When I'm at home, the kids manage to do a pretty good job of keeping me away from the computer. But it's time to take stock of where things are at with...

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2015 Pecinovsky Christmas Letter

2015 Pecinovsky Christmas Letter

Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and in whose wondrous coming (advent), we celebrate this joyous season! We have not done a Christmas letter for a number of years and it is by no means...

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Preparing the hives for winter

Preparing the hives for winter

We have been taking steps on preparing the 5 hives in our NE Iowa bee yard for winter. The decisions on what exactly to do are not straightforward - I learn new things that some people do each year....

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Monster spuds and a mini-Library

Monster spuds and a mini-Library

It has been a busy fall and have not sat down long enough at the computer to do much in the way of posting. But I found a few photos I'd like to share as we head into Thanksgiving....

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Saying goodbye to “Big Claws”

Saying goodbye to “Big Claws”

Two years ago a salamander wandered into our garage. Little did he know, he would stay in our kitchen for these past two years. The kids were quite fascinated by this worm-gulping creature. Evan thought he had big "claws"...

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Fast-serve ice cream

Fast-serve ice cream

What's not to like about a 'homesteading' ice cream post. We take our ice cream seriously here...sometimes churning it in secret, doling out the coffee-flavored tub after the kids go to bed, and of course, being pleasantly surprised to...

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Pumpkins!

Pumpkins!

The kids were with me outside the other day, so we decided it was time to collect the pumpkins. They were obviously quite orange and we could not tell how many we had because of the weeds and buckwheat...

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Honey Harvest part 5 – final totals

Honey Harvest part 5 – final totals

We thank God for a bountiful honey season. There are always a number of factors and things that can come up out of your control that will reduce or negate the honey that you can spin out. This time...

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