This Should STOP them, Protecting Our HONEY Bees from the BEARS!

[@SandraCrockett]

I love the way Figaro checks everything out on the farm. Figaro is like the shop foreman of your homestead..........hahahaha

[@Susan.I]

Love your goats and the pigs. Love the way the kids jump ad run! So fun to watch.

[@jackdeangelis6585]

Yes, you do need a charge controller since the voltage from the solar panel will vary and won't charge the battery correctly. Also, you might put the whole rig behind the wire to protect it from the bears as well.

[@wowfiend1605]

Wood chips act as a great cover and retain a lot water. It also keeps the soil temperature hot in winter and cool in summer.

[@joangibson859]

You changed my life. I could no longer garden where my daddy taught me to garden due to deer and woodchucks which were not around when I was a child--they arrived in the late 1990's. I live in northern WV just below the Mason-Dixon Line on 5 acres of an old farm which my parents bought in 1937. It is just off the main street through town, but is an oasis for me (and deer). After seeing your electric poultry netting, I got online to Premier 1 Supplies and ordered the deer fencing kit which includes 100' and the charger which will support 400'. I now have 21 beautiful tomatoes of several varieties, gorgeous cabbages, a nice bean row and okra planted. I plan to order another 100' and enlarge the garden area after a bit of brush cutting and tilling work. BTW--Gina, the birds will also go after your strawberries and blueberries--good luck.

[@ANGEL77762]

Good morning Lumnah family,and critters. Such a joy to watch all of your videos in the morning. It's been such an incredible journey watching you build your farm up. God bless y'all

[@LumnahAcres]

Thanks for coming along on the journey with us!

[@jimh4167]

Yes post the Bear Cub Link

[@hillockfarm8404]

YES, chargecontroller is essential between solar panel and battery. You'll wreck the battery without it. (won't stop charging the battery without it).

[@veragamsky1734]

Never realized that clover had separate blooms that got pollinated. Never looked at them that close. Thanks for showing that. Love your videos and miss my morning visit to your homestead when you don't put one out. You have been a busy person with all you have built in such a short time. Thanks so much for the hard work getting these videos out. 😊

[@garyfeltus9801]

Oh how nice that garden looks. Hope that fence works to detour the bear. It definitely should. Love to watch the bee's work. Thanks for sharing.

[@christinedehn3257]

Al, I know when it is blazing hot, snow is the last thing on your mind. Keep it in mind when you choose a place to mount the solar panel. The sides of the greenhouse will need to be kept clear, out 4 or 5 feet, to accommodate what slides off the top and of course the panel has to be higher than your snow on the ground. Close to a path you normally have clear is good too, so you can easily get to the panel and clear any wet snow that has stuck on the face. You know what I'm talking about. Gina, love the dress. Cute!

[@ginawhisnant9966]

Having worked for the forest service and having had bears destroy equipment more than once, I suggest setting the solar panel and charger inside the fenced area rather than outside it.

[@SMVinzant]

Al, set several buckets near the pile of dirt/mulch/compost/whatever, scoop with you tractor FEL and use it to fill the buckets. It takes just a few minutes to fill a pile of buckets this way. Lift the buckets into the mule for transport, carry the full bucket to the point of use and dump. Load the empties back into the mule for transport back to the pile and repeat. It seems like a time waster to shovel material into buckets from your FEL to carry them a few feet only to dump them out again. We moved 10 CU. YD. of "soil-less mix", via five gallon buckets in no time at all.

[@DrHoyt]

Late night so I watched some of your old videos. Loved Flat Stanley. Then watched you thanking everyone when you got to 1,000 subscribers. Love memories but now is best.

[@LumnahAcres]

I forgot about flat Stanley

[@donmacdonald7758]

Check out his video of , How to do a front end alignment on a car, It might be his first.

[@cycleguy79]

Hi Al I just thought that I would share something with you that I learned about potatoes from MI Gardener ( I believe it was anyway ). There are two types of potatoes, determinate and indeterminate. What that means is that determinate potatoes only produce potatoes at one point on the plant and therefore do NOT need to be hilled. While indeterminate produce potatoes on multiple places on the roots and will produces more potatoes the more times you hill them. So you may want to research your potatoes to find out what types you have. I will look for the video and post a link in another comment for you. BTW I love your channel and you have inspired me to leave the burbs and return to the farm. I too suffer from anxiety and watching you guys along with Weed em and Reap and the Hollar Homestead plus many other help me to unwind after a long day at the hospital. Thank You so much.

[@suesmith5033]

I live in Iowa and it's been extremely warm for this time of year. Mid 90s with heat index of 100 plus. My garden and flowers are loving it as long as I water daily. I've gotten green onions- leaf lettuce- a few cherry tomato s. I started a strawberry patch with 9 plants 3 years ago. It's now 8 x 4 foot and producing berries. Asparagus is done and my first picking of green beans will be in the morning. I really enjoy watching all you are doing and growing. Thank you for teaching and sharing. Stay safe and God Bless!

[@juliahicks9068]

I am most curious of how the electromagnetic field from the electric fence will/ may affect the bees. Loved your video - thank-you, for sharing your journey!

[@ruthdurschinger-mast3017]

Al you might also want to put a electrified fence around the high tunnel to keep the bears away! Hope the pigs, goats and bees will be safe. Be sure to carry pepper spray or other repellent when you're outside! You've worked to hard to make your beautiful homestead! God bless and stay safe and healthy.

[@straubdavid9]

Good Monday mornin New Ham Shire .... at least you don't have to move the fencing for the beez every few days. Turkeys are outgrowing the chicken tractor .... might need a TT (turkey tractor) in the future. It did kinda dawn on me that those turkeys are prolly going to have the CT to themselves soon enough? Heh heh .... Nora doing what Nora does ... just another escape artist. I think she learned all that from the New Yolk City gang ~8^) It is always nice to have an outdoor kitchen of sorts to kkep the heat out of the house .... Love sweet potato fries and burgers. Have a great week AL, Gina & Olivia ... take care.

[@sonnicman]

Figaro doing his inspections lol. I’m thinking you may want to extend that bee fence perimeter to 12 feet away from the hives. Any closer and the electromagnetic field could make them upset.

[@karenk380]

Collect up your leaves (and your friend 's & neighbor's leaves) in the fall. Preferably keep them bagged so in the spring they are nice and dry. Feed them to a chipper/shredder and use them to mound your potatoes, mulch walking paths and as weed suppression under your squash. They are typically organic and weed free. We never have enough, and we live in the woods!

[@siege919]

That's great to hear, I'm urban and have almost no grass, so I picked up everyone's bagged weeds last year and that's what I'm using. And I stored the bags in the garage all winter and parked outside!

[@ralphwood9865]

I was looking at some of your older episodes recently and I see the progress looking and the logical upgrades and expansions I see you today putting up electric fences around your bees and I look into the future and I see AL in his office/Lumnah Control staring at several computer screens,clicking a remote moving the mouse and saying to Olivia how many eggs today? she says 25 and Al says sorry hun its 26 better take two egg buckets when you pick them up..Another click on the remote and up goes the side curtains on greenhouses 1 & 2 another click of the mouse and that's the pigs and all the hens fed ,next its the goats turn to be fed. Figaro have you checked all the trail cams this morning I know you're past doing the patrol yourself,better send Pluto to do a check on the goats. Hey Gina is that Bacon sandwich ready all this clicking is giving me an appetite I could use some breakfast? ...if it is just put it on the conveyor from the kitchen up to Lumnah control in the tower on top of the barn....I like it " Cheers from Canada,looking good Al

[@wayneleamon3186]

It is getting so busy here at our homestead. This morning we went and purchased 16 baby Pearl Guineas for us and 12 for our neighbors. A total of 29 Guineas are in my brooder. When I showed my neighbor our brooder, which is the 4X4 brooder that you built, he liked it so much and wanted to know if we could build him one. He is going to get the materials in the morning. Al, he really likes your brooder design.

[@adventureswithrobinc3262]

I did a three sister's garden in large buckets. I made one for my mother, and one for myself. My mother is older so she has grown a garden in a plot for years. This year I did garden plants in planters for her. She loves it. I am excited to see how your garden grows.

[@lauriesmith7793]

So glad you were able to protect your bees. The garden is flourishing you are certainly work hard on your garden.

[@mikebodamer4864]

Hey Al, Wrap some bacon around one of the wires and when the bear goes for it ... zap! This will train them not to go near it just like the pigs with their fence. Sometimes if the bear doesn't touch the wire with its mouth or other sensitive skin area it will push right through the fence.

[@gungadinn]

Al, you need the specifications for the solar panel. Premier One talks vaguely panel. The closest panel (PRS 200 or 200X) presently on their website shows a 40 watt panel, but you need to know what voltage the panel generates. Some panels are 12v, some 18v, while others can be 24v or 60 volts. If you assume yours generates 12v, then the panel makes 3.3 amps. 3.3 amps shouldn't hurt your deep cycle battery, but you still need to monitor the water level. In any case, I'd still include a charge controller in the system. For the green house, look into the solar powered louvers. Installed in the end wall, they will cool the green house automatically.

[@batpherlangkharkrang7976]

Hi... AL and Gina nice to see you both, thank you for sharing your video homestead chicken farmer garden 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 👨‍👩‍👧🙋👕🐩🐔🐓🐥🐕🐖🐈🌱🐐🏡🎥👍👍👍

[@gmannz1981]

Evening /Morning from New Zealand! ;) Congrats on your 202k subscribers!! Stay safe, thanks for todays video!!

[@TalkingThreadsMedia]

Your high tunnel looks terrific -- the amount of growth in just a few days is remarkable. We are planning to add a greenhouse to our property for 2021, so I am pleased to see yours in action. We don't have issues with bears, but the main problem with our blueberries is the number or birds that devour them. We resorted to protecting the blueberries with PVC cages that are covered by netting. Best wishes from Kate in Olympia, WA -- 6/22/2020.

[@LumnahAcres]

We have been very happy with how much it has helped our garden

[@josephpedone2004]

Good morning Lumnah family ☕️ Al, wishing you a belated Happy Fathers Day... heat and humidity here in Philadelphia, unBEARable... have a blessed day

[@lyndaperky4687]

It is so fun watching your plants grow. Getting in the dirt and seeing the plants shoot up.

[@jeffperry9274]

You need a charge controller or you will boil and overheat and over charge your battery :) we have a 2600 watt solar system to run a lot of the power for our house :)

[@jennifercullison]

One of the best things about planting flowers in your veggie growing area is they look fantastic and attract bees and other pollinators and are beautiful also and provide cut flowers for the house..happy all around..js

[@hollyslaughter5505]

I wonder if your bees would enjoy a special blend of flowers designed to bloom throughout the year. Prairie Nursery in Westfield Wisconsin has phenomenal seeds. several years ago I used in their monarch blend in Wisconsin and had amazing results.

[@LumnahAcres]

I bet the bees would love something like that.

[@cynthiat6505]

With Olivia, that’s typical of an intelligent child. Everything needs to be just right and true, otherwise, somebody’s prevaricating!!! Either tell the truth or don’t speak! Love it!!!

[@nicolem2564]

It’s not like they are lying , it’s a prediction and they can’t always get it right .

[@70acres]

Figaro is the farm boss, he has to supervise all farm activities! Those taters are looking amazing! Blessings to all.

[@bradmiller7001]

Yes, always have a charge controller this will save your battery for undercharging and overcharge and they are cheap. Also you can get two batteries to link in serries and this will help when you have poor weather days.

[@annkastura1849]

Like you suggested, I went back and watched the “bear-cub” videos. Because these were long before I started to following you, I couldn’t help but notice the drastic difference in your property and the progress you have made. Although it may take a whole lot of work, may I suggest that for a future “KZbin-video-project”, maybe an anniversary, that you “compare before and after”. There could even be successive still-shots that remain on the screen for a reasonable amount of seconds to be studied by us viewers. Perhaps this could be a winter project for you. . . . Although, at my age, I personally cannot achieve similar goals, I do admire all that you do. Noticing your posting-pattern and pretty much stuck at home, I know which days I should be looking for your videos and getting my daily-dose of “Lumnah Acres”. I appreciate and respect how neat-, organized-, and professional-looking your property has become. All your “progressive-planning” and “hard work” has paid off. SUPER GREAT, A+ , JOB❗️...same for video quality as well !

[@BroqueCowgirlHomestead]

Solar panel inside the electric fence so the bear doesn't tear it up. Also noticed when Gina drove the tractor close in front of the hives....that can agitate the bees and may cause them to go into defense mode. Certain times of the year we can't mow anywhere near our hives.

[@kathyyoung3484]

We had an old neighbor who kept bees, he'd hang bacon strips on the electric fence to teach the bears a lesson that kept them from coming back. I've been mixing leaves (last years) with dirt to hill my potatoes, it seems to be working.

[@estaisadore6188]

Wow..we here out in the country in good old Pa. Are so so excited how well.EVERYTHING is doing in your growing home stead... And you guys sure do spur us on..we are 64 and 68....and just love you guys....thanks for sharing you amazing journey with us...God bless...

[@steveseiler8782]

i always enjoy your videos they are relaxing love the projects and seeing the farm grow you have an awesome blog cheers guys

[@CoachLexie]

Hey Al why not use that rough native grass that you want to be rid of to cover your potatoes? Just mow it and rake it, let it dry a little and then use as you would use straw - be vigilant about seeds of course! :)

[@VannaWhiteboard]

Get a wood-chipper and make your own wood-chips for ground cover? I bet your forest gives enough fallen branches for this. Thanks for that gorgeous close-up of the bee on clover! I could watch that for hours.

[@dragontrainer2467]

Good Morning From The United Kingdom. My cat is called Pumpkin he is a rescue cat he is very affectionate and likes everybody he meets. Figaro is a awesome cat guys.

[@imari2305]

The garden in the greenhouse is looking amazing. So glad you put up a barrier around the honeybees. The temp today here in NY (The Bronx) high was 90 now at 83. It went from a mild winter straight to summer lol.

[@twistedponies7480]

I used leaves from the many trees in my yard to hill up my potatoes. The surprise benefit was that the potatoes come out of the ground as clean as if they had been washed

[@elizabethmacdonald4605]

Good mauhnin Lumnah Acres! Yes, you may need to keep bears and deer away from the blueberries but also some bird netting over the tops birds love blueberries! Great video today, oh and I was wrong once again on the egg count lol! Take care Lumnahs!

[@littletawelan443]

so pleased your bees are protected, your polly tunnel looks amazing well done to you all x

[@deannaoverstreet4146]

Your farm is beautiful! Your hard work is paying off! So proud for you!

[@kevimc]

my pigs are working the woodline transition between forest and field clearing the briars, I like it that the pigs get the shade, they still manage to sunburn, clearing the new pasture and they go in every night safely away from bears saves a lot on feed

[@aussiegardener1773]

You guys are an inspiration ... my son (30) and I are just about to put up our first greenhouse .... I intently watch you to see how hard is done easily ... 🐝

[@calliesue77]

I think Roots and Refuge uses hay. You might try that. Love your channel. I'm a 54 year old woman and you make me want to build things. Giggles!

[@thomaswhichard4481]

Mow 1/2 of the clover pasture and then mow the other 1/2 when you have new flowers. This keeps the nectar/pollen going; depending on the weather.

[@cristyrhodes4898]

I love the song you play all the time , it makes me smile when I hear it.

[@brendalawrence6732]

Glad you got the bee's protected now, hopefully that will keep the bear away. The vegies in the greenhouse are looking good. I can't wait to see the stuff grow in the other garden now. Y'all got gardens all over and that's a good thing. The animals are all loving happy and contented, another good thing.

[@steveberry7485]

You might be finding you are having hive drift. Both hive are facing the same direction and within 3 feet of each other. Bees sometimes will favour a strong hive and so workers from the weaker hive will move to the stronger hive. If you angle one of the hive so it faces a different direction you might be able to stop hive drift. Worth keeping an eye on bee numbers in each hive. Love the Chanel.

[@cindiberg7718]

Make sure to check your plants for potato bugs, tomato horn worms, cabbage worms etc.. Also watch out for raccoons when your corn develops ears. They will ruin them. You need at least 4 rows of corn to cross pollinate.

[@jamesedwards5498]

I really enjoy the channel! I was looking at your brook and swampy areas in your undeveloped pasture and had a thought: here in SouthEast Georgia when we have land that doesn’t drain, we dig a pond. The pond would allow the land to drain and the reclaimed soil could be used to fill in low areas. You could develop the brook to fill the pond (when it’s flowing) and it would also be an excellent way to store some of your snow melt.

[@jimwilhelmi9932]

Looking great. I agree with the other posters, if the panel doesn't have a mechanism to regulate the charge, the battery may not last as long as you would like. You might also consider putting some kind of non conducive insulation on top of the battery so it doesn't short out of the wind knocks it over. Awesome job though.

[@wendywobbles1]

I love the way hope bobs along when running 🏃😍😁

[@jamesdeffenbaugh5166]

I use a 30 amp PWM solar charge controller, for my fence! You can set it to run the fence to evening hours, fence off during the day, while charging the battery.

[@bluedragontwo]

Everything is looking so great! I like the Ruth Stout Method with potatoes because I'm lazy and dislike having to dig for them come harvest time.

[@kimberlyshalaby1134]

Amazing how tall those potato plants shot up. Adding dirt was great! I never did mine like this, as I covered mine the minute they came up, kept them hilled so no green showed. You are going to show me differently. I'm eager to see how well your method works. It's time for the blooms!

[@brendahage5668]

Pine needles, seaweed, and bark chips would all work for your potatoes, depending on what's available. We use bark chips which break down into humus for our potatoes and they work well.

[@sellC1964]

Given your location in northern NH, you may need a bigger/second panel to run both the fan and fence charger 24x7.

[@davidgambler1591]

You need (2) 4 wheel wheelbarrow for green house, then you can dump soil from Kubota into the two wheelbarrows. :-)

[@sarap8841]

Those goats are having the most beautiful and happy life. Everything is looking great!

[@stanleykeith6969]

Al, can you put that unit behind the fence to keep the bears from getting to the main unit.

[@sheilahauser1234]

UGG yeah we’ve had temperature in the 90s for the last two weeks before it finally rained and cool things off a little bit. Summer hits and it hit hard

[@45Colleen1]

Your greenhouse veggies look amazing. The bees are doing great. We had Italian and they were aggressive. I will have to remember the variety you mentioned. Everything on the acres look great! Thank you for sharing.

[@janetwithers7427]

Great video with lots of lovely outdoor activities. Glad you can protect your things from the bear. Your potatoes look great. 💖😺

[@trentencaskey7641]

I've known people who've mulched their potatoes with newspaper. They don't even bother shredding it either. They'll take half a sheet and lay it on one side of the potato mound, another one for the other side, and yet a third one to go in between the plants. Usually they do 2 or 3 layers like this, to overlap the seams. The main thing that I've always remembered from them is to only use the regular black and white section of the newspaper. Never use any of the inserts (or anything glossy). Something about the colored ink or the coating makes it toxic. But it's a great way to recycle everything else!

[@cricketmcclure3458]

Thanx for the update on the bees protection! and, your greenhouse production is totally awesome! I'll enjoy seeing your future meal creations . . . :)

[@brianwalter2677]

I mentioned about grazor it is called grazon,it will also show up in your garden plant's,the plant look's good but then the leaves begin to show signs of stress.

[@foreverturningpeterkipfer5468]

You may want to put your solar panel inside the wire surrounding the beehives. Speaking from experience, we've had bears knock the panel over, disconnecting it from the wires. It then went on to destroy our hives.

[@MrBigblueford]

Good morning al, have you ever given any thought to acquiring a gravity box now that you have more out building on your property for storage of a gravity box in order to buy feed in bulk from your local coop. No bags required and you can load bucket full at a time comming out of the gravity box. The feed is usally cheaper but its not pellitized.if you aquire a gravity box you can get a cover also for them which would stop Figaro from getting into the gravity box also or in thst case you could leave the gravity box outside. I mention this because you are getting more and more aminals on your farm and its a way to keep feed costs down.

[@cayhaughey1126]

Clover honey has GOT to be my favorite flavor. Hope y'all get a good harvest!

[@robertdonaldson6584]

The Search lite under the wing of the P-3- Charlie was 1-million candle power but we never ever used it in VP-22 back in the day

[@cherylbertolini3140]

I’m local to the area and I grew my potatoes in a tower made of leftover fencing I would add some compost to the bottom put cut potatoes in cover and when they got 6 inches cover again. Grew 60lbs of them this way easier to get when it’s time to harvest.

[@patriciahazeltine9986]

What about cutting some of that native grass and alternating with layers of it and soil? Oh and it was 110 here today in Arizona. Your place is really lovely!

[@jimk4vw138]

Yes you need a charge controller or you may overcharge the expensive battery. You can also get the controller with Load Disconnect and if the battery gets down to 11 or so volts it will disconnect the load and not damage the battery by over discharging. Nice set-up.

[@PaulaJoDavis]

Grass clippings. I use mine to hill things up and mulch. Works great! I guess you'd need a bagger for your tractor, tho. But it is a thought. Shalom and Blessings from Missouri!

[@missdee827]

Good morning. Was all that clover there to start with or did you seed it? We started seeding clover in the bare patches of our yard. It smells so great after a rain. Have a great day everyone.

[@LLjean-qz7sb]

Greenhouse looks great! You were talking about the temperature, I read an article and it said Siberia in northern Russia is having temperatures of 100.4 degrees. They have never had these kind of temperatures in all of history!!! In the coldest months, it goes down to minus 94 degrees. And this heat is supposed to last for a while! Also I was thinking, when you plant your potatoes next year, why not plant them in a hole at least 1ft. deep and just add more soil in the hole as they get taller. Sort of like reverse hilling, putting soil in a hole ,instead of piling soil up around the plant! Either way, the potatoes will be covered! Another thing, Jason at Cog Hill Farm uses pine needles to mulch his plants and he said he does not have any problem using them and they do not make his soil acid! Check out what he has to say about it. Glad to see you are " electrifying" your bees area. That bear will get quite a surprise!! What about netting for your blueberries, is that in your plans?? Birds will have a field day in there. Happy gardening and God Bless.

[@AhuvasarfatiSiberians]

wood chips or grass clippings are good to use as organic mulch, thanks for a great channel and all that i learn from you guys

[@virginiareid5336]

The bear was just checking to see what you have to offer for it's meal. A wonderful vegetable salad now, then berries as they grow, and finally, sweet homey for desert. Nora's name fits her to a tee. Take Care. God Bless

[@gardenwalker7070]

you might consider placing the charging mechanics & solar panel inside the fence, keeps bears from knocking them over, lowers your risk of loss investment (leave the on/off voltage switch outside the fence please (LOL))

[@rebbeccaselves2358]

Everything is looking amazing. Please 🐝 careful. Hope you are safe and healthy.

[@My1Jasper]

I think you should put it inside the electric fence, just where you can reach it to turn on and off, bear gets shocked it might get mad and tear the component apart seeing it's close by

[@heavenscenthomestead4242]

I use organic wheat straw.....the trouble is that it usually grows a nice crop of wheat! My best much is half composted chopped leaves from the fall before.

[@sandragillingham6255]

Yes, it's high 30C+ here too warm for me..haha...Your greenhouse crop are certainly growing.

[@andyteohockguan7243]

Nice and awesome. Happy Father’s Day and God bless

[@debbieellis5074]

Al, will the turkeys be let free range? Looks like they are getting too big for the tractor. I know nothing about this stuff - am sure you know best. And I know y'all take great care of them. Thanks for letting us in on your family's world.

[@teonaeades257]

I really enjoyed the shot of bees on clover . Reminded me of my childhood. I miss bees.

[@joanneganon7157]

Mornin Al , Gina I don't think Willow likes anyone or anything messing with her Teats 😝. I have a Lrg bucket garden on my patio. I never imagine how much soil I keep having to bye. You guys are smart to have so much compost and soil on property. Hopefully next year I won't have to get so much. 14 eggs JO JO IN VT 💕😄

[@CRuf-qw4yv]

I need a therapeutic cat like Figaro. We had a very nice calico once, but wife is on the fence about picking up after a new cat, vet care, and care when we travel. Although the goats are your mainstay, we love to observe the pig and chicken interactions with their keepers and protectors.

[@davidgambler1591]

AL, will bears try to get into greenhouse ? If it is possible, maybe move bees next to greenhouse, so an electric fence can protect both the bees and the greenhouse. 👍

[@CassarolesDad]

Try halfway composted leave around the taters. Mine are loving it

[@danacraig220]

I started using horticultural vinegar for some weeds along the border of our yard. Make sure it isn't windy if you use it. I have chiggers too and it helps with that too (maybe). The vinegar is expensive IMO.