Origin Of The Wagon

As my first beekeeping summer ended I tested for varroa using the powdered sugar test. Fall wound down with the bees feeding on 2:1 syrup. There was one treatment of Fumagillin added to the syrup. Periodically I also included lemongrass and spearmint in the syrup for tracheal mites. The bees liked the addition and it made the hive smell wonderful. I found the recipe here: http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/using-essential-oils-for-honeybees-zbcbz1403.aspx Usually I add oils in the same proportion as the recipe to whichever ratio of sugar water I've made, 1:1 or 2:1. They had plenty of honey for winter. A full deep body!

After reading everything Google had to offer I didn't include a candy board, left the screened bottom open, and didn't wrap the hive. Now to read bee books, order packages in January, and build new hives bodies and frames. Plus spend time wondering if everything is okay inside the hive. Rushing home any days the temp is near 55 degrees to look for activity. Worry if everything is okay in the hive. Read about expensive electronic devices that monitor winter hives and worry more. Not the ideal hobby for a worrier.

Sandwiched in the middle was Christmas. Not only did I get the perfect gift that I needed, it resulted in the brand name for my honey. A gift from my honey named my honey! For five months I trekked to the hive loaded with bags, boxes, and hive parts. A beekeeping pack mule avoiding snakes and walking through way too many spider webs. Now I have a red wagon, with big tires, and plenty of room for tools, parts, propane torch, and smoker.

Retail representation. This is not my official red wagon.
Mine may or may not have streamers and flames painted on it!

Yes a propane torch with easy light trigger. Talk about lighting a smoker! The wagon gets everything thing to the hive safely and organized. Pulling it back up to the house is a workout, and I now follow the less is more theory when packing to head down.

The final cold months I built and painted hives. Assembled frames and experimented with a battery charger to find just the right but easy way to embed wire in foundation. This video is what I followed without the small attachment to hook to the frame wire. https://youtu.be/KhNA8DQYRRc Basically me wielding a charger clamp in each hand and touching to the frame wires on the outside of the frame. Some sparks are normal. This was way faster than an embedding tool alone. I squealed and jumped for several frames until I was used to the sparks.