Jennifer Sartell

The phrase stealing honey from the bees could not be more accurate. In addition to bees, at Iron Oak Farm we also raise chickens for eggs, and goats for dairy and fiber. With the other animals on our farm, I feel as though the relationship is a bit more balanced. We provide food, shelter and […]

Sometimes I feel as though I live in a museum, or a nature center, or petting farm. More often than not, our weekends are filled with friends and family stopping by to check out the new baby chicks, or to see the fiber goats be shorn, or to give milking a try. And to be […]

Zach uses a lot of beeswax in his metal work. We had been purchasing our wax from a local supplier, but it can be rather expensive and with good reason!

Beeswax is an amazing product. It lends substance to homemade beauty products like deodorant, lotions and lip balm; it provides a protective layer against chapped skin, can restore and protect wood and makes amazing, long, even burning candles.

About a month and a half ago we split our hive. After an inspection, we noticed that the bees had almost filled the original hive with honey and brood. We decided that it might be a good time to split the hive so that the bees wouldn’t split themselves and take off in a swarm […]

The Mother Earth News Fair returns to West Bend, Wisconsin July 9-10, 2016! See the speakers’ schedule and buy your tickets here. Attending the Mother Earth News Fair was an experience like none I’ve ever had. If you love to learn about homesteading, farming, natural healthcare, healthy eating, green living, raising animals, artisan crafts, and […]

What exactly is Bee Bearding? Is it: A. When a bee collects pollen under its chin resembling a human beard? B. When bees gather outside the hive entrance in a shape resembling a beard? C. Bees who are exceptionally fuzzy? D. Hipsters who keep tiny beehives in their beards? If you answered B then you’re […]

Honey comes from bees right? Well, sort of. It could be said that honey actually comes from plants and that bees are the manufacturers that turn pollen and nectar into honey. Behind every drop of honey is the work of many, many bees collecting nectar of a hundred or more flowers. Plants need bees, bees […]

This year, our hive is doing wonderfully! The bees are incredible active and the brood and honey are quickly filling up all the hive space we can give them. A couple weeks ago we checked the bees. At the time our hive only consisted of two large brood boxes. These boxes are meant for the […]

Last night we opened the bee hive for the first inspection in three weeks. Our goal in this inspection was to do some maintenance and to see if our queen was laying brood, and if the hive seemed to be growing. We trimmed some of the overgrown grass around the hive entrance. The weeds have […]

We’ve had our new package of bees for over a month now and they’re doing wonderful! We gave them a headstart by leaving the comb from the old hive in tact on the frames, so all they had to do was clean things up a bit and start capping honey.           […]

We picked up our bees last week. I always get a little rush of adrenaline holding a screened box of 10,000 buzzing bees. It’s not an angry buzz, just a gentle, busy buzz as they work to protect the queen. They surround her by “holding hands”. Each bee connects to the next until there is […]

Last year our colony was doing great! So well infact that we bought another hive thinking that our robust colony might split and swarm. We had an excellent honey crop the year before, and expected things to go just as well last year. Until we did an inspection in late summer.         […]

Elevating a beehive off the ground can be helpful in several ways. 1. It stops the beehive floor from coming in contact with the damp ground. This will prolong the structural life of your hive and cut down on mold and fungi issues. 2. Elevating can also help prevent some predators from attacking your hive. […]

I think spring is finally here to stay. We’re still getting cool weather, but for the most part we’re above freezing. We just had the last maple syrup boil of the season and the insects and spring bulbs are starting to appear. Early spring is a critical time for honey bees. Their honey stores are […]