The FAQ so wack

I live in town or in a suburb. Can I keep bees?
A call to your town, county, and county extension office can confirm if you can. In most places in North Carolina, you can keep hives on your property, although you may be limited in their number, and they cannot be a nuisance. You need to check your neighborhood covenants, if any to see if they're forbidden. Even if they are, a nearby farm or rural landowner may be glad to provide you space and access to keep your bees .

How much honey does a honeybee produce in a year?
Although a colony of honeybees (40,000 or more in the summer) can easily produce over a hundred pounds of honey, a single honeybee produces only about a teaspoonfull in her life. .

Do the honeybees make honey from pollen?
NO! Flowers produce both nectar and pollen to attract pollinating insects. The bees bring nectar back to the hive and concentrate it, sort of in the same fashion that maple syrup is made from dilute maple sap, and turn it into honey. When they visit the flowers, they get pollen all over themselves and pack it into pouches on the sides of their legs, and bring it back to the hive. The pollen is then packed into cells around the brood nest. The honey is the carbohydrate part of their diet, and the pollen is the protein part (think beans).

Do Bumble Bees make honey?
Yes, but only a few pounds. The bumble bee colony will average about 250 bees in the summer (honeybees about 50,000) and produce 1-2 lbs of honey (a honeybee colony will produce 50 - 250 lb). Only the queen will live over the winter. To begin with lets take a look at a bumble bee and her distant cousin the honey bee, with whom she is most often confused. Unlike the honey bee the humble bumble is gentle and slow. As she trundles around the garden collecting pollen and nectar she is quite different to her streamlined relative who dashes about everywhere. Even her body shape is different. The bumble is round and furry and not at all like her more wasp shaped cousin. In fact there are three kinds of bumble bees, the large Queen, the smaller imperfectly formed female worker bee and the tiny male or drone bee. All are seen at different times of year. Only the Queen and the worker bees have a sting.

Why do Honeybees Swarm?
Honeybees usually swarm in the Spring. When the colony gets too crowded and not enough room inside or perhaps the bees decide that the queen is too old and not laying enough eggs, the honeybee colony will make preparations to swarm. The bees will start raising queen cells - many of them - sometimes more than a dozen. A week or so later about half of the bees will leave the hive with the old queen to look for a new location. The rest of the hive will stay behind, one of the queens will hatch out, kill the other queens and the hive will start to build up again. This is natures way of the colony reproducing itself. The beekeeper tries to avoid swarming as it reduces the honey crop. Read the story about a swarm that landed in our vineyard (above picture). MO PIE.

General Questions

Do you have a big farm?
Good Heavens no! Haha! I have just a family homestead and I believe in trying to live "off the grid" as much as possible.

What Happened to Your heart?
Thanks for asking. I developed Cardio-Myopathy heart failure/COPD in 2001. By January 2002, I was so feeling so bad I got hospitalized and found out my condition. I am now being helped by a device implant- A Defibbulator/Pacemaker A life saver. I have been slowed down tremendously, But I haven't given up- I do what I can when I am able to, and Rest when I can't. I also have faith that the Good Lord is going to heal me. I believe so! If You are curious, Please keep checking back in as I update.

When are you going to open your own Dude Ranch?
That sounds neater on paper than it would be in reality.

Are You religious?
I am a Christian, if that's what You are asking. I love Jesus! I honestly Don't know where I would be without him, and haven't a clue how i made it at all before he came crashing into my life- He died for me to save me. It's not religion, It's a relationship.

Should I e-mail you even if I have nothing to say beyond "hey, your Web page is cool; I like Gardens, and dogs too"?
Yes, and you will get extra points for correctly using a semicolon.

Why do you do this?
Because I am an attention SPONGE and this is another way to get more and more attention as I am addicted to it.

Do you have a cat too?
You bet!Meet the Pride.

Why are garden tomatoes tasty?
The answer varies from person to person. Growing tomatoes is a very enjoyable hobby. They are fun, easy, and just a few plants will provide enough fruit for your entire family. Anyone who has bitten into a sun-warmed tomato, fresh from the vine, knows the rewards of tomato plant care.

Will you go out with clever people who send you e-mail admiring your garden, and winemaking obsession?
It's worked before! Heehee! But No, I am a MARRIED MAN!!!!

Do You support any advocasy groups?
There are many, many groups that I support. Here are some of my favorites: