It was seriously cold this morning as I made my way across the road to the barn. I honestly worried that I was going to freeze my face off (okay so that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much!). It’s a familiar story on any farm across Maine this today. Morning chores in…
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Maine beekeepers State of the State Address
Every year at the annual meeting of the Maine State Beekeepers’ Association our state apiarist, Anthony (Tony) Jadczak talks about the condition of our bees throughout the course of the year. We all laughingly refer to it as Tony’s “State of the State Address”, but it really is important information to relay to the body…
Honeybees and the landscape
Studying under Professor Frank Drummond at the University of Maine, Brianne Du Clos is a PhD candidate studying how bees use the landscape and what types of land offer good forage resources. She also happens to be a beekeeper and a member of the Knox-Lincoln County Beekeepers group, and she presented her research to the…
January hive check
What does a beekeeper do in the deep depths of winter when it’s too cold and snowy for bees and beekeeping? I know you’ve been wondering what I’ve been up to, lol. My season at the orchard is over, my vacation was wonderful but that is now over; and on January 4th I started back…
Winterfest at Runamuk!
Announcing Winterfest! A celebration of the winter season and the joys that can be found even in the depths of winter. I’m excited to host what I hope is the first of many annual winter festivals here at Runamuk. On Saturday, February 20th from 11am to 2pm Runamuk Acres Farm & Apiary in Starks will be…
Honeybee nutrition in pollens & nectar
Megan Leech is a masters’ student studying native bees under Frank Drummond at the University of Maine. She’s looking to see if bees are foraging for flowers that offer good nutrition and pointed out that different flower species provide varying levels of nutrients. The Honeybee Food Pyramid With a graphic that resembles a food pyramid,…
When beekeepers converge
You may or may not recall that back in November I made my annual pilgrimage to the 2015 meeting of the Maine State Beekeepers’ Association. I didn’t have time to write about it then, but I’m here now to tell you what a fabulous time I had that day. And also to announce the start…
Keeping Honeybees in Frozen North America
According to Mike Palmer of French Hill Apiaries in St. Albans Vermont, success in the apiary is dependent upon two things: colonies that can grow large populations, and then─intelligent management of those populations. Mike took the stage at the 2015 annual meeting of the Maine State Beekeepers’ Association and proceeded to tell the audience about…
Saying farewell to North Star Orchards
I never did get around to writing much about my work at the orchard. It’s been a hectic fall season for me; working 5 days a week at the orchard made farming very difficult, especially once I found myself living here alone. It was incredibly challenging to me to find time for everything─for Runamuk or…
Helping hands
I’m feeling so loved and it is a wonderful thing! Not only did some special person go and pay off the balance on my layaway so that I could have my boots, but someone out there sent these one-hundred dollar gift certificates for heating fuel at Bob’s Cash Fuel. There are 2 of them! What…