HOUSTON FALL WEATHER AND BEEHIVE UPDATE

This week has been very characteristic of Houston falls. Mostly cloudy, a few showers, and wet soil. This has limited our progress on certain projects due to mud. However, we were able to get a few things done with the tractor including cleaning up after the harvest festival by removing pumpkins and hay bales. We have also continued to harvest sweet potatoes as they fill out.

In two weeks, we will be inviting a new member to the Farm Educator team, Kelly Langston. Kelly is joining us from a production and education farm in central Texas. Stay tuned for opportunities to meet our newest Farm Educator at upcoming events.

This week, a member of the local Beekeeper’s Association came to the farm to help us salvage our distressed beehive. If you recall from last week, the bees have been experiencing some serious stress from robbers. We were able to identify the queen (which is vital to a hive’s survival) and move the bees back into the hive to give them a fighting chance against the cold weather that is approaching. Even though she has not been laying eggs for weeks (meaning she is smaller than usual), you can identify the queen in the picture below by her longer torso. Unfortunately, the hive has decided to swarm and move on. This is not uncommon when a hive undergoes great amounts of stress, and really, not that uncommon in general. We will be preparing the hive body this winter for a new colony when spring rolls around. I will also be a member of the Beekeeper Association next year and look forward to bringing you updates on the bee happenings in Fort Bend.

Come see us and buy some farm fresh produce this Saturday by the Darling Home from 12 - 2 pm!