Carniolan Queens are usually black and all of their offspring are darker making the whole colony look dark.
NEW BEESWAX TEA LITE & VOTIVE CANDLE WICKS
Things are always changing in the candle business. We are constantly experimenting and trying new things.
A few years ago we reduced the size of the wicks in our tea lites to make them burn longer. A side effect of this appears to be a slight increase in "mushrooming", the cap that sometimes ends up at the top of the wick. Usually it burns off but sometimes it is larger.
We found that increasing the size of the wick slightly allows it to burn away quickly and we will continue to make tea lites in the same wick size as the votives.
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KEEPING BIRDS OUT OF THE VINEYARD
August-September 2016
Pat feeds the birds up at our house - we even have some nice new hummingbird feeders.
We love to see birds, BUT NOT IN THE VINEYARD!
The month before harvest starts is when we work on a lot of bird damage control endeavors. The birds like to peck on the grape clusters, and then wasps like to suck the juice out - or the robins completely disappear the berries. You may see clusters with no grapes on them.
With birds, it is not even a case of "planting a few extra for them." They can come in and destroy 100% of some varieties.
We use many different things to keep the birds away. We use many different deterrents such as bird alarms, bird balloons, bird netting and reflective streamers and sometimes just go out and yell at the birds (probably doesn't do much - but we feel better). No one thing works by itself - you need to use a combination of things to make the birds uncomfortable and want to go visit your neighbor rather than feed at your place.
- Bird Gard System - This is a battery operated electronic bird repeller. It has 4 speakers and emits 6 to 8 different sounds of birds in distress. We have 2 of them in operation.
- Bird netting - We put netting on top of some of the rows (The Reliance and Canadice Seedless). These seem to be the most attractive variety to the birds - so we cover the most sensitive with netting. REMEMBER - THE NETTING IS TO KEEP THE BIRDS OUT NOT YOU! Please just lift the netting up and pull out a staple if necessary and climb under or lift it up to pick your grapes.
- Reflective tape & Bird Eye Balloons - The ballooon and reflective tape are all over the vineyard - it will be hard to miss them.
(Turn your audio up to hear the bird alarms - it sounds like a jungle)
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"Bird Scare Eye" balloons. |
Click here for latest Newletter with prices and info...
U-Pick Grape Prices for Fall 2016
We have a large crop this year and want to pass some of Natures Bounty on to our customers.
Over 20% discounts on large volumes on last year's prices.
Click here for Newsletter with Prices...
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Our grape prices are designed for winemakers. Just a few more bushels at every level can increase your discount. Friends can join together to get a better rate. Every visit to the vineyard this year will decrease your cost. We open in September - make sure you are on our mailing list.
| 1 to 20 lb | Table Grapes | .95 |
| 20 to 60 lb | 2-5 gallons wine | .90 |
| 60lb - 1.5 bushel | 4-5 gallons wine | .85 |
| 120lb - 3 bushel | 8-10 gallons wine | .80 |
| 200lb - 5 bushel | 13-20 gal wine | .75 |
| 300lb - 7-8 bu | 19-25 gal wine | .70 |
| 400lb - 10 bu | 25-35 gal wine | .65 |
| 500lb - 13 bu | 30-45 gal wine | .60 |
| 600lb - 15 bu | 40-50 gal wine | .55 |
| 1000lb - 25 bu | 65-90 gal wine | .50 |
The above gallon rates are based on 12lb/gallon of wine.
For white wine you may need about 14 -16 lb/gallon.
Niagara vines loaded with unripend grapes in July - by mid-September these will be golden yellow.
Frontenac vines loaded with grapes in July - By mid-September these grapes will be dark blue-black.
PRICES FOR 2016 - AT OUR VINEYARD LOCATION
ANNUAL FALL HONEY SALE STARTS SEPTEMBER 2
BUY DIRECT FROM THE BEEKEEPER FOR BEST PRICE!
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NEW! 5% Wholesale Discount from last year on Quarts-Gallons-Pails. Pick up Only - Stock up for the year! |
| Size | Normal Price (last year) |
Sale Price | Customers Effective Honey Price |
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| 1-3 (3lb) Quarts | $16.00 ea | $15.00 ea | $5.00/lb | ||
| 4-11 (3lb) Quarts | $14.60 ea | $13.80 ea | $4.60/lb | ||
| 12 or more (3lb) Quarts | $13.80 ea | $13.20 ea | $4.40lb | ||
| 1-3 Gallon Jugs (12lb) | $54.75 ea |
$52.00 ea |
$4.33/lb | ||
| 4 or more Gallon Jugs (12lb) | $54.25 ea | $51.50 ea | $4.30/lb | ||
| 5 Gallon Pail (60lb) | $270.00 ea | $255.00 ea | $4.25/lb |
Please Forward this to all your Friends who are looking for good prices on honey!
CLICK HERE FOR U-PICK GRAPE PRICES FOR 2016
The above Quarts are only available for pickup at our Sales Stand and cannot be purchased on line. However the Gallon Jugs are on Sale On Line for $52 until Mid October when the Vineyard closes for the season.
If it's May, it must be Swarm Season
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Yesterday (5-21-16) a swarm of bees decided to take up residence in a stack of stored honeybee supers. The bees swarm if the hive becomes too strong and crowded. I think these guys were from a tree in the area. We will leave them alone for a few weeks until the queen starts laying eggs and larvae has hatched, then we will move them to a more permanent location.
Below is a closer view of the swarm entering the boxes. You can see some of the bees "fanning" their wings, it is their way a saying "the queen is here, come on in".
Honeybees like Grapes Also!
The Honeybees like grapes too!! This happened a few years ago. A swarm flew over my barn into the vineyard. The air was alive with honeybees looking for a new home. I followed them, hoping they would land soon -- and they did, on a Delaware grape vine.
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