So much good news.
I was clearing the bees doorway yesterday afternoon. It was above freezing and such a beautiful day without a breath of wind. I put my ear to the beehive and there they were, making their disapproval known with a deep far away baseball cheer of buzzing. Good bees.
Later in the afternoon, I was brushing Daisy and felt her calf kick.
Baby rippled along her belly like a little Loch Nessie. Let me count how many days the little tike has left in there.. 39.
Thirty-Nine days left. See how she is carrying to her left side. (below) Her left not our left. This is very common to have the calf bulge out to one side. Left or right. When baby begins to engage, preparing for birth, her sides will even up and drop. Seeing this bulge out to one side means all is well in that department. Of course not all cows will do this.
Daisy will have a big calf. She is an Ayrshire. Queenie is a Hereford – she will have a much smaller calf. So I did not expect quite such a big belly on her. Though it looks like she is going to give birth to a box.
Also she is not due for another three weeks after Daisy. Maybe she is just full of good hay!
Tilly practicing her smoke rings. Little Slapper. She is the noisiest animal on the property. I opened up the big barn doors to the sun and all the birds tip toed into the warmth. They hate snow so have been inside for ages now and loved having the sun in to visit.
An unusual line-up. Son of Neanderthal Man, Son of Son of Neanderthal Man and Son of Son of Son of Neanderthal Man (also known as Bob). Neanderthal Man was our first rooster, he had very feathery feet. He died years ago. Though I have only been here seven years so it cannot be that many years ago.
And Sheila was so chipper today that we are going to start her procedure next Wednesday with a hormone shot and breed her three to five days later. I very very much hope this works.
Last night I bought three pounds of Russian Bees (read an interesting article here) and a Russian Queen to be delivered in the late spring. Russian bees have a natural resistance to the mites that are plaguing the more common prettier Italian bees. (Varroa Mites have only recently invaded American hives (since the 1980’s) but they have been in Russia for hundreds of years and the bees have developed this resistance over a very long time.) Plus Russians are better in temperature extremes, so my father and our research tell me. They are not as pretty as Italians, but I am going to begin a hive and do a comparison.
I would like to have four hives in the end. Everyone loves honey.
That was a good news post! It is -5F (-20C) this morning .. sounds so commonplace now, doesn’t it, but we have the potential to rise above freezing again today. Delicious.
Good morning. The light is coming – soon it will be dawn.
I hope you all have a lovely day.
your friend on the farm
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
71 responses to “Bees and Bees and Baby Bumps”
wow.
interesting.
last night on my way to work, in my jeep, i heard an interesting NPR segment on the “demise” of bees, but it seems like you have the upper hand!
i’m going to print off that article and make it my bedtime story.
[love the cow photos: daisy with her “house right” bump, queenie with a toolbox.]
You certainly are going to have a lot of baby cuteness on the farmy this spring and I can’t wait to experience that cuteness firsthand 🙂
And did you see the forecast for next week? In the 40’s!!!!! Compared to what we’ve had this winter, It will feel like a day on the beach and may look like that too with all the melting snow.
Oh that forecast is great news.. once all the babies are born and the grass is green you will love the first of hopefully many days on the farm. But you know who our springs are, WINDY!
i hope you get a warmer day today! it is snowing here right now. what will you do with the calves? great photos once again!
If Daisy has a heifer it will be the next milk cow (in three years) , and Daisy will become a breeding Mama. and if Queenie has a heifer she will also be kept for breeding. Any steers will of course go to the fattening paddock.
The previous commenter beat me to it: 40+ degrees next Wednesday!!!! I hope it’s true and not some misguided attempt to give us “feel good news”. The activity in the hive is truly good news! Your precautions last Fall really paid off.
Now, as for your comment about the Italians being “terrible robbers” … 😉
Had to laugh when I wrote it too!! We may have an international incident.. c
Boy, it was fun to read this post. I, too kept bees for a while and unfortunately lost them to a freeze, so I completely understand how hearing them buzz after such a cold snap, really is a wondrous sound.
Now I need to make sure they stay snug an well fed until spring.. I would love some honey this year.. welcome to the lounge of comments trapper gale.. c
Such a upbeat post to read today.. many blessings..
You (and the fellowship) inspire me. New ideas and so much information. Blessings from winter wonderland.
That Tilly, she’s a troublesome teen with all that smoking! What a feel good post, and Queenie does indeed look as if she’s giving birth to a box…too funny.
As I paused during snow shoveling yesterday, I heard the faint trill of birds, a hint of spring.
I am glad you said that Audrey, i though i heard some new birds yesterday afternoon and thought it was wishful thinking! Maybe they are beginning to sing.. c
Ton is such a photo bomber….always in the fold !!
Great post today….always start my day with you and the critters !!
Yes, let’s not put the Italians down, please. And don’t forget Tillie was almost “offed”; she probably figures she has to speak up loud and often.
Poor Tilly, do you think she is paying me back for thinking she was a boy!.. c
I’m afraid I do! She said very clearly, “But I’m a girl, Miss C.”I’m no McMurphy!”
Thank goodness you have such a good memory.. c
How very interesting about the bees! I will following you and much excited to learn how the new bees make it and how the Italian bees like the new immigrants! I, for one, am always interested in new people from foreign lands…as I’m sure you are!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
*♥´¨) ¸.-´¸.-♥´¨) Happy Valentine’s Day¸.-♥¨) (¸.-` ♥♥´¨
Should I send out some African Bees …. ? I hear they are terrible fighters 😦 Love the baby bump pics …. keep Queenie away from Connie :0 🙂 Now it really needs to warm up a whole lot and everything will get even better. Laura
Laura you are brilliant, i shall tell the Postmistress you said that! She could just pop a stamp on her.. and send her out.. c
Bees? Oh my…can’t wait to see the calves!
My attention drifted off as I thought how lovely it would be to brush Daisy, although watchfully, you have warned us about her swinging head 🙂 I used to brush my [somewhat temperamental] horse, and as it he loved it, it was a peaceful way to spend time with him.
As I got up, in the pre-dawn dark, into the warm warm morning, the promise of the overnight start of widely anticipated rain proved to be short-lived… delayed… I thought of you, and the extreme US weather as I had wistful thoughts of Autumn and promised myself that I would enjoy each day for what it brings 🙂