Blog Posts - Monica King

Propolised Packrat Shed Floor Bee Removal

1/1/2023

A feral bee removal that Ashley and I did on February 7th, 2022. The location was under a shed floor of a house that was for sale right next to Reid Park Zoo. The comb was very dark and we figured it had been there awhile. There was a live packrat running around causing us to gasp and screech every now and then but the dead propolised one really had us making weird and unusual noises. lol. Actually, I wish I would have saved it! I did not and when I see another I will save it to put under a glass display for educational purposes. Don't gross out! it is an oddity! People love seeing oddities! The bees were their normal grouchy selves for Africanized Hybrid girls, Ashley got stung a few times. She was a great sport though and stuck it out till the very end. Note that on February 7th these girls had capped drone brood.

The house was lovely, the grounds were well kept and beautiful. A guy that had inherited it and put it on the market after his mom's passing, noted that she loved all living things and she coexisted with the bees, literally never using the shed nor that side of the house! There are better ways. Save the bees, call a beekeeper!

Hyacinth

1/1/2023

In February of 2022, I was walking through a big box store's nursery. I heard the hum of honeybees and there they were all over the Hyacinth's they were selling in 4" pots. I took one home for my girls and it did not disappoint. Well, maybe a little........I tried saving the bulb for this year. Stored it in the refrigerator, but it dried out to nothing. I'm not sure exactly what I did wrong, but will research it and try again! Love the intoxicating smell of hyacinths!

Desert Millipede

1/1/2023

Millipedes have long bodies with 2 pairs of legs on each segment. New segments and pairs of legs are added each time the millipede sheds. Since it continues to grow and shed throughout its lifetime it is difficult to say how many legs an individual has without counting! The common millipede in southern Arizona is a dark reddish brown. Normally reaching around 5" long. They like to forage for decaying material and are mostly nocturnal but love moving around after a nice summer thunderstorm. They spend most of their time underground. If disturbed, they roll into a coil. If threatened, they can ward off potential predators with a nasty tasting chemical from openings along the sides of its body. They don't bite. Eggs are laid in concealed or underground areas. Millipedes can live over 10 years!!

Photo taken 12/10/2020

Basil Jelly

1/1/2023

4 cups water
2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves, finely chopped, secured in a cheesecloth "bag"
1 package (1-3/4 ounces) powdered fruit pectin
4 drops green food coloring, optional
5 cups sugar

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring water and basil "bag" to a boil. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for around 15 minutes. Remove and discard basil "bag". Stir in pectin and food coloring (optional). Return to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in sugar. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, skim off any foam.
Ladle into hot pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Wipe rims. Add lids and bands.
Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 15 minutes. Remove jars and cool. Ping!

Basil jelly over cream cheese and ritz crackers make a wonderful appetizer.

Gifts For the Homesteader....

10/28/2022

I LOVE magazines! Who doesn't? But sometimes some articles just make you go, huh? A recent popular blogger turned TV personality that has her own magazine just put out (or her team did) a "gifts for the homestead" part of a Holiday Guide. I was just shocked. Nothing homestead about it. To me, "for the homestead", whether it be rural or urban, is not a $80 rainbow shaped bowl, a $20 toothpick holder, a $50 pillow cover, or a $60 vegan leather basket sold by crate and barrel. AND what is up with that? A cattle rancher's wife promoting vegan leather instead of the byproduct of the industry she is surrounded by. huh?

My "gifts for the homestead" list is more for the real homesteader. To me, that's garden and orchard, chickens, bees, maybe some goats. After all, the definition of homestead in the U.S. is "a lot of land adequate for the maintenance of a family". None of the above gifts are for that. There are some people that are just dreaming of homesteading, some that are new to the homestead life, and some people are veterans of self-sufficiency.......yet always learning. It does take a village to supply everything you need in today's world to live comfortably, but here are some ideas to give those friends and family that are working toward this lifestyle.

For gardener:

As a gardener, I can absolutely guarantee you we love seeds, literally can't get enough. A great gift that keeps giving is seed lots. The above affiliate links are some ideas. Once I was gifted a can of "survival seeds", it was so awesome! The best gift ever, literally the gift that keeps giving. To make the gift even more unique, you can specialize the seeds so that the plants serve a certain purpose....like a tea garden, or medicinal garden. Have fun with it and create your own theme. To promote pollinators in gardens add wildflowers under fruit trees (they get watered already), for Southern Arizona gardeners the Drought Tolerant seeds are recommended and you can get them from local suppliers such as Borderlands or the Native Seed Search as well. The Pollinator's Delight link above just tickled me! I love the can.

Around the "farm":

I have everything above in one from or another and find these are must haves for the homestead. "Where There is no Animal Doctor" is a great reference for having around the farm. I included affiliate links to medical tool kit and an otoscope / ophthalmoscope, many "newbies" in homesteading don't have these and will find them handy. Although these items do not take the place of a veterinarian, I find that I can do many "doctoring" of small issues myself thus saving money and helping my fur or feather baby by administering care immediately. A vet is an hour drive away for me, if they are even available. The spiral egg countertop egg holder is amazing, I first seen this at my parents house, it keeps the eggs fresh in rotation. Also, I have a mealworm kit that helps supplement my flocks protein needs, especially during these trying times as feed costs continue to rise. Lastly, for continued homestead education there are a few authors that are standing out above the rest for me, these are not all inclusive and I will add others to my next blog gift post, but first.........Brad Lancaster. Both his books are fantastic for the desert dwelling homestead. BOTH! Rainwater Harvesting Volumes 1 & 2. Then someone that will inspire your foraging imagination is Pascal Baudar. This guy can make any foraged weed dish look like it came from a five star restaurant. He has three books: Wildcrafted Fermentation, Wildcrafted Vinegars, and the New Wildcrafted Cuisine. All three are fabulous editions to any homestead library. Though Pascal is based out of California, many of the foraged vittles can be found in Southern Arizona, or substitutions are easily available. If someone is new to foraging all together... John Slatterly's Southwest Foraging and Southwest Medicinal Plants are well done books with terrific identification and photos.

"We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites."

Mutant White-Eyed Drone Bee

10/23/2022

Check out this drone with a white-eyed mutation. This is due to recessive genes. This poor guy will never go out and mate. He is blind. All honeybee drones develop from unfertilized eggs. Because of this, he has only one set of chromosomes. A Chromosome is a threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying the genetic information in the form of genes. With this one set, recessive genes can be expressed more readily without being overridden by a corresponding dominant gene.

Click on the images to enlarge

A.I. Pol-line V.P. Queen Bees (2018)

9/6/2022

"Venado" - A Horse named "Deer"

9/6/2022

"Quartz" the special Kitty.

9/5/2022

Back in 2018, B.B. had kittens before we could get her fixed. The little black one is Onyx. We took in one from a friend that had health issues, we named her Quartz. She fit right in, and B.B. even adopted her. Unfortunately, her health issues were not curable and she passed in a few months. She was such a beautiful and spunky little kitty.

A neighbor dropped by....

9/5/2022