The Bog Hill Blog

The Bog Hill Blog The Bog Hill Blog is the official page of Acorn Farms, a mini farm/homestead in West Gardiner, Maine.

02/14/2026

Yesterday, since the temperature got into the thirties for the first time in recent history, I went out to see how the bees were doing and they're doing great. I went back out today to give them some sugar to tide them over for a while. Well they weren't happy to see me and I collected a sting or two. I managed to get some sugar in with them and buttoned things back up.

I am optimistic; I was worried with this extremely cold Winter, but they appear to be faring very well. I'll be checking in on them again in March (and I will be wearing a veil) Stings are part of the game but I don't like riling them up so much in the cold.

I call this "Will work for food" Using local bees/yellow jackets etc, to clean up wax byproduct of honey extraction proc...
10/06/2025

I call this "Will work for food" Using local bees/yellow jackets etc, to clean up wax byproduct of honey extraction process.

Kris and I did the final extraction. This one was about 27 pounds so the total for the year including the first extracti...
10/05/2025

Kris and I did the final extraction. This one was about 27 pounds so the total for the year including the first extraction is 41 pounds. I'm happy with it.

My daughter, Kristin, thinks the queen needs a name, so here is Freyja, from Norse mythology. I'll try to gather a bett...
08/30/2025

My daughter, Kristin, thinks the queen needs a name, so here is Freyja, from Norse mythology. I'll try to gather a better picture soon, but this is all I have at the moment.

After many hours of building, changing and rebuilding, I have finally come to a point where I can take a break from the ...
08/20/2025

After many hours of building, changing and rebuilding, I have finally come to a point where I can take a break from the truck for a little while. It should meet my day-to-day needs. I added a "job box", which will help de-clutter the cab a bit as well.

Visited the bees yesterday, along with my able assistant; Linnaea. She got a picture of the queen. The circle of bees ar...
08/17/2025

Visited the bees yesterday, along with my able assistant; Linnaea. She got a picture of the queen. The circle of bees around her sometimes makes it easier to spot her, along with the big, blue spot on her back, of course. ;^)

Still improving the truck bed, a little at a time.
08/09/2025

Still improving the truck bed, a little at a time.

Bees are working the goldenrod. These are Bumble Bees but I saw Honey Bees as well.
08/09/2025

Bees are working the goldenrod. These are Bumble Bees but I saw Honey Bees as well.

08/06/2025

I have not seen much evidence of mites but they are a constant concern so Kris and I removed some drone brood to proactively address the issue. I plan on treating for mites using an organic miticide but it is best used in cooler temperatures.
BTW- The mites prefer to infest drone brood so that's why we removed some.

I retrieved the frames I left for the bees to clean up. They did a great job. Now I won't have to start with undrawn com...
08/03/2025

I retrieved the frames I left for the bees to clean up. They did a great job. Now I won't have to start with undrawn comb next year. Drawing out comb from bare foundation is a lot of work for the bees and that effort is better spent on making honey.

08/02/2025

I've been checking on the bees lately and the new queen is busy doing what she supposed to do. The colony is growing again. 👍🐝🐝🐝🐝

Here's the first honey of 2025. Christmas stocking stuffers. I'm hoping for a good harvest in a month or so.
07/24/2025

Here's the first honey of 2025. Christmas stocking stuffers. I'm hoping for a good harvest in a month or so.

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