Some pretty tame Coues Whitetail deer - almost looks like three different ages. Perhaps a doe with her yearling and her fawn.
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Went to the border at Sasabe. Visited the little store and fell in love with an old wood burning stove that was way out of my budget. It was interesting as we hadn't been there since it was a barbed wire fence prior to 2011. At the end of the tall fence, the vehicle blockade fence began. It had multiple foot trails under it. The make shift ladder for scaling the fence can be seen in one photo. As my husband points out, a man in his prime can easily scale the fence as it stands.     Another Queen Rearing Graft yesterday, grafted more Buckfast. Next graft will be all Italians. Fed the cell builders some honey and my yummy homemade protein patties. We currently have 12 mated Buckfast queens available. No news on nuc release dates yet...........some nasty weather in our valley, high winds, and some freezing temps.  Just a few pics of some gorgeous golden pollen being collected off of a Jojoba bush.
First Queen Rearing Graft of 2017 was February 20th. We grafted Buckfast & Maine Italians. After we cut off cells and are able to confirm mated, laying queens, the Spring Nucs will start becoming available. Those who placed orders will be contacted as their nucs become ready. Nuc orders are filled on a first placed, first served basis.
  Some blossoms in the garden...........the top photo is wild mustard in bloom. We never pull out this "weed" as not only does it provide pollen for the bees, when the leaves are young they are also edible for us humans. The second photo is the girls working poppies that we planted in our Asparagus bed.
 After a long 13 days set up at the Arizona Mineral & Fossil Show, I am happy to be back to the quiet life at our little ranch. The bees have been checked and we have drone brood. Finally Mother Nature is saying it is time to start raising queens, our first graft will be within the next couple of weeks. Our first tree in the orchard has started to bloom, a Dorsett Apple. I have not been in the garden for over a month so it is dreary.......though the weeds give us some pleasure, wild mustard and dandelion also blooming. We don't pull these as they too give needed nourishment to our bees and when they are prolific us humans also consume them (free greens!)  |
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