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Solstice Apiaries
Sparland, IL
My Work
A bit About Me and My Bees
My earliest memories are some of favorites. Picking green beans in the garden underneath two enormous white pines, poking a sunflower seed into the firm earth on the corner of the farm house where I grew up using a blunt arrow tip and later harvesting half a coffee can of seeds to feed to the birds, or going up into the haymow at night to try my best to ping a unsuspecting pigeon roosting in the cupola (I was rarely successful). One of the most sombering memories was of catching crayfish down in the creek and hauling them home to put them in a briefcase filled with water. I left the briefcase on the back porch where it baked in the sun. The briefcase didn't last too long and unfortunately neither did the crayfish. All of these memories shaped me and informed me about the natural world. Beekeeping in this sense is just an extension of my childhood. A natural curiosity about nature (coupled with a bit of stubborness) is why I keep bees.
During the summer months, I (Logan) keep bees in the hot sun. I make splits (new colonies), raise queen bees to rejuvenate the apiary, and harvest honey (as long as the weather cooperates). In the winters, I spend my time in college and making new bee equipment. I am always happy to end the bee season and all of the work it entails. By midwinter, I can't wait for the first day of spring weather so I can dig into a beehive.
Check out the tabs under "My Work" to see what I do in a beekeeping season.
Me inspecting a nucleus colony in the spring of 2020 and rearranging my home yard to hold 30 production colonies. This particular colony went on to produce 100+ pounds of honey and many daughter queens. One of the most fascinating aspects of honeybees is their intense prolificness. I am always amazed at their ability to thrive even in poor conditions like we had in spring 2020.
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