My oldest daughter spent about two weeks with us during October. She went with me to Montgomery Alabama to attend the Alabama Beekeepers Annual Meeting. The meeting was well done; there was plenty of information for the beginner as well as the experienced hobbyist. Both of the State Bee Hive Inspectors were present and answered many concerns of the more commercial beekeepers. My daughter was pumped about bees; she was ready to get back to the house and help me. Well, that was until the bees got a bit aggressive. She wasn't stung but I had removed one of the frames to go from 10 frames to 9 frames in the hive. I made the mistake of moving the frame into my outside shed. We forgot about it and started to clean out the shed, organizing, getting rid of unneeded items, cleaning. First one bee found the frame, then five bees, and it grew until there were about 30 bees dive-bombing us trying to get to the frame that had their scent on it. I finally broke out the Bee-Go and sprayed the shed. That seemed to stop the frenzy from building any further. Wow, it was very impressive show of how quickly they mass.
We are hearing coyotes at night yipping. I think we have a pack along the bluff, which is good. The wild turkey flock needs thinning. I've seen one coyote along the bluff. I was on the deck and it was down below. It was very large and had a very intense stare as it decided if I was food and worth a run and grab meal or if I could eat it. It finally lopped away. I will never, ever call them dogs - they are predators through and through. Due to hearing the coyotes' yipping at night, I went out to test my solar powered electric fence today. I also cleared the fence line from all debris. The fence will be replaced soon - I bought it from Premier and it has been a very good deterrent. This is its fourth year. Nothing will deter a predator all the time but the electric fence and consistent daily presence of human smells seems to help keep the raccoons, possums, deer, neighbor's dogs and so far (fingers-crossed) the coyotes outside.
My roosters have learned to crow! A full, robust cockle-doodle do crow. I am so proud. Unlike the wild roosters in Hawaii that crow from sundown to sunup, my roosters are crowing at about 7 a.m. each day. Hope it stays that way. The roosters are no longer juveniles. They are swaggering around the chicken yard now. I hope I have raised them so they do not attack me. Hopefully they will have some fear and caution of humans.
Have a glorious weekend!
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