• Home
  • Bees
  • About
  • News
  • Contact

More bees, Less Disease–splits might be the way to go

Posted July 19, 2016 by Peter Brezny

A concise and informative article from Bee Culture magazine on using splits to help manage varroa:
http://www.beeculture.com/splits-varroa-more-colonies-fewer-mites-new-queens-what-could-be-better/

 

PCEF News Categories…

Latest Instagram Images

poulet_derange
Hurricane Helene Survival Tips: WASHING This side Hurricane Helene Survival Tips: WASHING This side loading washer uses 12 gallons of water per load. You don't have to have a tote (but it's handy). Here are the parts we used (connected in this order): 1. clean 1000L water tote with this 3/4" hose reducer (https://tinyurl.com/3rurm6ap) NOTE: totes commonly have two types of thread, course and fine. This one is for the course thread tote fitting 2. Short garden hose between tank and pump. 3. Diaphragm pump kit from amazon (https://tinyurl.com/bdd59rzt), includes hose connections and filter. You can gravity feed the water, it's just slower to fill. 4. secondary filter (not necessary if water source clean) we use one like this: https://tinyurl.com/yv8buzue 5. Water efficient washing machine 6. 55 gallon barrel to collect waste water (which our neighbors use for flushing indoor toilets). Other photos: 2. detail of pump connections 3. pump spray bottles (you'll be amazed at how much water you save washing hands/showering with these!) 4. gravity fed siphon for dish washing with clamp to slow the flow (too fast even with just the 1/4" diameter hose) 5. mini green house for our outdoor shower. We get nearly 100 degree water after a sunny day. Again, just a 1/4" diameter hose siphon down below the deck to shower. We get 4 showers out of one 5 gallon bucket! When you're shell shocked and in panic mode witnessing all the devastation all around us, it's easy to forget that yeah, you know how to setup a siphon, you have a spare black bucket in the yard and 10 square feet of clear plastic, and oh, that plant sprayer sure is nice with a little soapy water in it when your faucet isn't going to turn on again any time in the next two months. Hope this helps someone spend less time with daily living so we can all spend more time on community recovery. If you're walking distance from Highland Street 28801, come do some laundry! If you're farther away, please find a washing location closer to you. Let's keep the fossil fuel burning that caused this hurricane to a minimum! Stay strong 828. Share the love.
Helene Survivors tip. COMPOST! Tired of playing S Helene Survivors tip. COMPOST! Tired of playing Sisyphus, carrying water in buckets up from the creek only to flush it back down into the river? It's amazing how much more time we have to support others by simply not carrying water and reverting to a composting toilet (also keeping fertility here in WNC, rather than the problematic flushing of it into the ocean). It's easy to get a little 'ooh, ick' talking about poo, but this is something we've been doing for eons. It's safe, clean, and one day I'll build a a little outhouse to go with it. Still not sure? See the "Humanure Handbook" for all the details: https://humanurehandbook.com/
Early Spring, NoTill, covercrop seeding with a gan Early Spring, NoTill, covercrop seeding with a gang of Chinese 'duck bill' seeders. For all you notill, feet-on-the-ground farmers out there wanting to seed larger areas in the spring without all the diesel, compaction, and weather timing issues, this might be a good choice. The boards that clamp the seeders together works surprisingly well. We'll see how well seeding directly into the existing feral spring grasses and asters goes. Fingers crossed the cover crop will take over! Yep, that's a couple handfuls of #Johnson-Su #compost thrown into my seeding mix (didn't have time to properly inoculate with a compost slurry and wait for the seeds to dry this time around). For a short video of the thing in operation: https://youtu.be/8T3T3hR4S7Q #regenag #wncfarm #notill #humanscalefarming #humanscale #covercrop #smallfarm
Happy (almost) spring everybody! Best wishes on y Happy (almost) spring everybody! Best wishes on your early season prep! #farm #828isgreat #wncfarms #regenerativeagriculture #localfood
In case you missed my presentation at the 2023 CFS In case you missed my presentation at the 2023 CFSA Conference... https://www.instagram.com/p/C3BXQevPfJw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Join in the fun with the @cngfarming compost class Join in the fun with the @cngfarming compost class tomorrow! https://www.instagram.com/p/C3fWScQuCRi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Load More... Follow on Instagram

RSS Psycho Chicken Eco Farm

  • CFSA on Farm Intensive November 3, 2024
  • Guest on Kara Kroeger’s Land Food Life Podcast February 19, 2024
  • Presenting at the 2023 CFSA Sustainability Conference November 12, 2023
  • Staying Current August 15, 2022
  • Encourage the NC Cooperative Extension April 22, 2022
  • Why All the Pushback on Regenerative Agriculture? December 30, 2021
  • Compost December 15, 2021
  • Agroecology. Full Stop! October 8, 2021
  • Multiple Pesticides, Synergistic Impact August 7, 2021
  • Pesticide impact study on soil biology–no surprises… May 7, 2021

Archives

  • November 2024
  • February 2024
  • November 2023
  • August 2022
  • April 2022
  • December 2021
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • January 2020
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • June 2019
  • January 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • April 2018
  • January 2018
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • March 2016
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015

Responsible farming in Asheville, NC | write to us

© 2024 Psycho Chicken Eco Farm

Stay in the loop on our low volume mail list.

Locally hosted by Asheville's own: Purplecat Networks, Inc. (Solar Powered!)