Home Sweet Home

A bazillion bees and their Queen were moved into their new home this weekend.  Their hive sits on the southwest corner of our property.  Literally below the hive, a spring trickles by.  The hive looks south to the neighbor's property complete with a pond and wet lands.  If I were a bee, I would want to live here. 

The package of bees opened fairly easily and I dumped the bees into their new home.  Turning over the bee package, I gave it a hard shake.  A mass buzz occurred as the cluster fell to the bottom of the hive.  None got too upset.  I listen closely to the bees.  They have a sound when they are chill and a sound when they are not chill.  Chill is good with bees!  The queen came packaged in her own little container.  I pried the cork out of her little screened box and shoved a mini marshmallow into the hole.  This would give time for everyone to get used to each other before the sugary cork got eaten and she walks out of her tiny home and into her new giant home of vertical hanging frames. 

These bees are golden.  Much lighter colored than the 2018 colony.  Their queen is an Italian queen whom I have named Fiona, in honor of Janet's grandmother.  I hear that Italian bees are very good foragers.  We will see!

As this is in such a remote spot, Mike helped me get an electrical fence up around the hive.  The mules graze on the other side.  I can imagine them leaning over the fence, smelling the sweet smell of honey, and tipping the whole thing over.  There are most likely, bears up the hill to the west.  A field of some sort of agricultural crop is above our land (we are waiting to see what this will be) and then the land turns to heavy forest.  Of course the curious and hungry skunk or raccoon should be shocked (!) to find the encircled hive.  I have seen the picture of hives torn up by bears.  It is a very sad picture indeed.

More bees this weekend.  This will come in the form of a nuc.  Essentially, a small box with frames, bees, and a queen.  You take the frames out of the nuc and put them in your hive and just like that, your bees are in their new home.  A nuc costs a bit more but the bees are way ahead of where a package of bees are when they arrive. 

Yesterday was lovely.  Temperatures got into the 70s.  Mike and I got a ton of work done; seeds planted in gardens, brush hauled off to burn pile, grass cut, screens put into windows, trailers returned, trailers picked up to be delivered.  Summer is here.  We are busier than bees!!  Have a great week!

May 9, 2019

A picture and a video for your amusement.  Our back yard this morning.

I really hope the video works for you - it is a slow mo of some very cold hummers this morning! 

  

Slow Mo Bees

Check this out!  Watched the girls working for quite awhile this weekend.  Filmed this slow motion video for your enjoyment.  It cracks me up how some miss the opening and bounce off the door to try it again!  Check out the pods of yellow pollen on some of these girls' legs!  Things are finally starting to bloom!!   You will have to push the play key twice to make it go....

I will receive a package of bees next weekend and get them set up in a hive down in the corner of the field.  That hive will have an electric fence in an effort to shock off any sniffing bears!

The following week, a nuc (a package of bees with frames, brood, bees, and queen) arrives and it will go to Hoback.  The timing seems good.  Things are starting to turn.  Hummingbirds spotted in Freedom and in Hoback.

Big Week!

I think I will survive this week, but it has been a doozey! 

Monday wasn't bad.  I started duty on Tuesday and we had a structure fire at 8:30am.  Check out this amazing video to see how a single fire sprinkler head totally put out an unattended grease fire!!
 

On Tuesday, April 30, a young man walked away from his cooking. 

The event occurred in a two story, wood stick, mixed use structure 14,570 square feet.  Smith’s Liquor store on the grade level and housing for Smith’s employees above.  The housing is set up with rooms on one side of the corridor and shared kitchens and bathrooms on the other.  The value of the building is estimated to be $5-7 million dollars (this is, Jackson Hole!). 

The building is sprinklered per NFPA 13 and has a protected attic space.

Because this is a shared area, Smith’s installed surveillance cameras in the three shared kitchens.  Unfortunately, the camera time is not correct, however, it captured the event as it unfolded.

In approximately three minutes, the pan began to flame.  The fire became developed and deployed the 155 degree sprinkler head.  There was some good fire activity when the water hit the fire, but this video certainly dispels the concern of water and grease and fire.  The flowing sprinkler head completely suppressed the fire. 

Our crews arrived and stopped the water flow.  By 2pm that afternoon, I was informed the water was cleaned up, the life safety systems all restored, and operations were back to normal.

In a town suffering from a significant housing crisis, a town where property values are extremely high – this one sprinkler head saved lives, conserved valuable property, prevented firefighter injuries, and maintained some very valuable employee housing. 

We have it posted on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JHFireEMS/ and I have attached the video for your use and review. 

PS  Jackson Hole and Teton County have had a fire sprinkler ordinance since 1998 for structures over 5000 square feet, residential and commercial!!  

So, big deal, right?  Pretty cool story.  I was flying high. 

And then the newspaper called.  Always a frightening thing to be interviewed by the paper.  Will they get my statements right?  Will they get the story right?  Here is the article for the paper.  Allie did a good job.  My stress level has dropped.  

A full, long weekend ahead in Freedom!  Phew.  Here are some spring images to enjoy.