I'm not sure the temperature has been above freezing at all so far this month. There may have been one day when we hit a scalding 37F, but that's been about it. We've had several days in the teens, and some with wind chills in the single digits (or below zero). We got quite a dumping of snow last weekend (December 12), with a driving wind to make it even more miserable. It hit us so hard and so fast, we were not able to go to Mass (or anywhere else) that Sunday. These rural roads are a pretty low priority for the County snowplows, and our 4x4 truck only holds four people. The Yeoman Farm Family judged it best to lay low and stoke the fire.
We're still below freezing today, but the sun is shining and we're in the upper twenties. I opened the sheep and goats' barn doors for the first time in a long while, to let them have some fresh air and space to roam around. Their coats are plenty warm enough to be out even in much colder weather, but we keep the barn doors closed to keep their water tanks from freezing solid. The downstairs portion of the barn has just a seven foot ceiling, meaning the animal body heat can't easily escape upwards. With the doors closed, we can keep the downstairs portion of the barn in the low thirties even on days and nights when it's much colder outside. Only when we get stiff winds does enough cold air force its way in that the water tanks begin icing over.
We had one type of livestock which unfortunately did not fare as well during last weekend's mini-blizzard: our bees. We got our first "starter" hive this year, and they'd established a strong colony by the fall. We didn't remove any of their honey, choosing to let them have it all to ensure they had enough for the winter. We were looking forward to starting off the spring with a strong and vibrant colony that would split / swarm into a second hive we'd already prepared. Sadly, the blizzard literally swamped them. Wet snow drifted into the hive's main entrance and froze into a nasty ice pack, blocking much of their air flow. Then, when the bees emerged from their smaller upper entrance hole to take cleansing flights, many seem to have gotten disoriented upon returning and finding the main entrance blocked. When I came out to check on them, I discovered dozens of dead bees littered all over the snow in front of the entrance. With their numbers (and body heat) thus decimated, it looks like the rest of the hive froze to death inside.
I feel awful about what happened, and will do a full post-mortem on what was going on inside the hive, but in many ways this is not unlike the mistakes we've made in getting started with other livestock. We lost our first two lambs, for example, because we weren't ready for them and they were born in the pasture on a frigid night. The only real mistake is not learning from this kind of experience. (The rest of the lambs were all born safely, inside a building.)
One huge lesson learned about bees: next fall, I'm putting the hive(s) at least a foot or two off the ground, on pallets or cinder blocks. Another lesson learned: get some insulating foam fitted tightly around the outside of the hive before cold weather sets in. And go out there to check on the colony every day or two when it does get cold.
As for us humans, our family has been enjoying pot after pot of hearty soups and stews, made from the lamb and goat necks in our freezer. When the temperatures get and stay this cold, it's hard to think of a nicer way to warm oneself from the inside out.
I'll close with a lighter anecdote about the cold. If you've been following the NFL at all, you know that the roof of the Metrodome in Minneapolis collapsed from all the snow (same storm system that went on to hit us in Michigan and kill our bees). They haven't been able to repair it, so tonight's game between the Vikings and Bears will be played outdoors at the Golden Gophers' stadium. Upon hearing this news and reflecting on it, Homeschooled Farm Boy's face lit up in a smile. "You know what that means?" he said. "The cheerleaders will have to dress modestly!"
Yes, indeed. There are some good things about the cold.
1 comment:
Ha! I love it! When I was a high school teacher in public school, I set the AC quite low to force the girls to stay covered as administration did nothing to enforce the dress code. So sorry to hear about your bees. We're starting bees in the spring, but thankfully we don't have to worry about snow drifts. We have to raise them above the ground as well but its because of some parasite or something that will kill them instead. The School of Hard Knocks is a hard way to learn, but we've been similarly enrolled for 4 years now. One of these days we'll graduate. Have a very merry Christmas!
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