Rise and Shine Sleepy Heads!

[irhunter]

Been up since 3am. Coffee, yogurt, Baclofen, Mayzent, Olmesartan, and now Amoxicillin (for sinusitis… ugh) all on board. Now it’s out to the apiary, before the honey bees start flying, to weed eat the dreaded Bedstraw vine!

Bedstraw is a weed that is covered in Velcro like cilia. The bane of ranchers with foot drop! A pretty little purple flower that turns into satanic dried burs that’s stick to the sheep, livestock guardian dogs, barn cats and clothes. Only the pigs eat it, but they aren’t allowed in the apiary!

Ok I’m stalling… Have a great day everyone!

[Fancy59 CommunityAmbassador]

Watch who you are calling a sleepy head! I've been up since 3:45, right behind you. I have to honestly admit that getting up that early is because I don't sleep very well lately. I would like to have slept into 6 but the powers to be woke me up a couple hours early. You're vine sounds awful and I'm glad I don't have to deal with it here in Kentucky. I hope you had quit stalling and have the vine weed eated by now. Yuck......Have fun, not! Fancy59.

[NorasMom]

lol. I got up at 7:30, and that's early for me these days. I did the 3 am thing for 30 years, and I refuse to even try it now. Of course, half the time I don't fall asleep in the first place until then...

I think I'm going to attempt mowing the grass today, but I also forgot to ask my son to get gas, so it might turn out to be a very short workday.

[jimeka]

The beestraw sounds very similar to what we call Cleavers, or sticky buds, if not treated it spreads on top of the wheat then at harvest it can wrap the drum of the combine, so I hear what you are saying a real pest, but what does the honey taste like from the flowers?

[irhunter in reply to jimeka]

I’m not sure. We have so many different pollen sources that pinning one source would be impossible

[goatgal]

Good luck weed eating. Want me to send you a couple of goats? They might eat that vine...but I'm warning you, they are creative troublemakers. Mine have apparently been taking Limbo lessons in Jamaica. They can get into the chicken coop and investigate the nest boxes. The hens are very unhappy.

[irhunter in reply to goatgal]

Thank you but no. I leave goats to the goat professionals. 44 hungry sheep are enough! We also have Idaho Pasture Pigs and they love the stuff. Unfortunately, they love honey much more and can’t be in the apiary. The adult hair sheep leave the hives alone. Issues appear with the juvenile delinquent lambs. Like goats, they aim for high ground, including apiary benches. Roughhousing lambs always knock stuff over.

So, I thought I’d share a YouTube video I made on this. It’s 2 years old. Ugh pre SPMS dx. I could stand without a cane. Also, sitting down towards the end, my right knee dives in… now it’s much worse. Even back then, I didn’t video me walking. I could, unassisted, but wasn’t pretty! So “Hi Everyone!”

youtu.be/Y5JAr9qWMjI(Not working as expected?)

.

[goatgal in reply to irhunter]

Thank you for sharing this. Why didn't I take W.C.Fields' advice to heart? It would have saved me so much trouble! Your working ranch amazes and inspires me. Be well, stay safe, and keep on keeping on for as long as you desire.

[irhunter in reply to goatgal]

I did a part 2, which shows the Bedstraw. The sheep, like most things, they will eat when it’s small, avoid it as it matures. Thank you!

[NorasMom in reply to irhunter]

Thank you for the video! I've added it to my growing collection. I've never raised bees, but my grandfather did, and I had the opportunity recently to watch a number of webinars hosted by my state's agricultural college regarding beekeeping around the world. It's all very fascinating to me, particularly at seeing how each beekeeper has to adapt to their different surroundings. You could try it the Kenyan way! They hang their hives from trees to keep the animals out of them.