Deerhorn Friends and neighbors . . . show and tell us what you're up to around the home. I have met many DVers who have skill and experience that would fill this page. Tell us (with a photo, too) of your enjoyable home activities. – woodworking, writing, stained glass, fishing, astronomy, art, quilting, scrapbooking, antiquing, cars, beekeeping, amateur radio? Let us know. Include a note on how long you've been doing it and what is it about your activity that is particularly satisfying. If you want to seek others to share with – send us a note. We'll post it here.

NEW> BEEKEEPING . . . What a joy! The flowers are beginning to bloom and it looks like a fantastic year for beekeepers!

by Rob D

HONEY SPRINGS ROAD, Bee Valley, Bee Canyon are not miss-named DV landmarks. We have some of the finest honey in the US. These are names that go back to our early days when this part of the San Diego backcountry produced some of the best honey known. The old Walker Ranch in the south east shadow of Mt. Elena had a separate building for processing its yearly production. Presently it is a beautiful living space that the owners still call the Honey House. For many years a beekeeper kept hives on the Jacob's property and sold every drop to demanding buyers in Europe.

Kim and I have been "hobby" (as opposed to commercial) bee keepers more than 20 years and find a real joy in it. We kept bees at our homes in San Diego and when we bought our property here we moved in lock, stock, barrel, cat, and hives.

We've always had a hive here on DV Road and Elena Lane, and we're anxiously waiting spring . . . with all the rain and the impending bloom it's going to be a great year. Already our bees are bringing in pollen and nector from the first blooms around. We estimate our single hive will produce at least three gallons of honey by summer's end – yes . . . gallons! And DV honey is delicious. When Christmas rolls around, all our families anxiously await their jar with our home-printed label.

It was a long, dry, bloomless summer and we're lucky our bees made it through. We had to feed them sugar water to supplement. Right now, flowers are starting to bloom, and our bees are happy campers, bringing in pollen (their protein-rich staple), and nectar, which when evaporated to 1/10 it's moisture, is the honey.

HERE: Kim is giving our hive a pre-spring inspection. She smokes the hive to center the bee's attention to the smoke problem and not her. She removes one of ten wooden frames contained in each hive box. Each frame is pre-fixed with a beeswax base on which the bees will build and fill thousands of cells. And it adds up – when filled, this single frame will yield a little more than one quart of beautiful (light amber), delicious honey. Bees produce ten times the honey reserves that they need to survive a cold, flowerless winter. In our "mild" weather, we can harvest the majority, but only of their excess.

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In hobby beekeeping, the keeper is always aware of their sympathetic [intelligent – balanced] relationship with their bees. The bees are aware too, with an occasional, painful reminder.

Don't think our handling the hive barehanded is bravado. Thick sting-proof gloves are awkward and this takes a delicate touch. We always wear a suit and veil, though; a sting in the face – and you're through for the day. We seldom get stung, maybe once a year. Even when opening the hive and removing the frames for a harvest, we seldom get stung.

Once in a while I NEED to get a sting to check if my reaction has become any more severe – it can change over time. So far, so good, a little pain, a day of local swelling (big time) and three days of itching. If you have an allergy to beestings, you HAVE to wear fully-protective clothing. I know you'll be nervous as a cat with a long tail in a room full of rocking chairs, but it shouldn't take away too much of the joy of working with them. My son has an extreme reaction to stings [1 sting = 1 hospital], so I understand.

Bringing Back a Deerhorn Valley Tradition. Want to get started in beekeeping? Kim and I are forming a group of brand new, and or experienced beekeepers to help bring back our bee population. We have five DVers and two Lyons Valleyers who are interested, and we're ordering hives and packaged bees now. If you're interested (or just curious and want to join us when we set up our hives or open them at harvest time [we pay minimum wage, one quart of honey]) – give Kim or me, Rob, a call at 468-3218. We live on the corner of Deerhorn Valley Rd, and Elena Lane. And, bring your kids along, there is something magic about kids and bees and honey. Back in the city, the neighbor kids would always drop by to see how our bees were doing. The hive was right next to a playhouse with a glass window so we could sit and watch the hive's opening and all the goings on without worry of an overzealous guard bee's natural reaction to our being so close.

By the way, beekeeping takes very little time. Bees know what they're doing and they work best when left alone. In the peak of spring when there is a "honey flow on" (local flowers are blooming everywhere), their population and stored honey will quadruple (at least) and we have to add a box or two to the hive – like adding floors to a hotel. Adding a box takes about a half hour and that's about all the work the hive will take until summer. Of course, beekeepers can't turn down a chance to peek inside to see how everyone's doing. Beekeeping is engaging, and the little insects are such absolute marvels of function and organization . . . like looking at the stars . . . they are awe-inspiring.

The most fun is one long day at harvest time for a joyful, messy, day of filtering and bottling and licking fingers coated from jarring gallons of honey . . . a wonderful family activity. When we harvest, the music and coffee are always on, and, honey on clothes, hands, kitchen floors, tables, and kids, cleans up with water in no time.

–Rob D

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