Face of jiggystick

PRESS RELEASE...

 Glamorous Los Angeles Juris Doctor Candidate Dione becomes the face of jiggystick.

Sporting new lululemon workout gear she is clearly on the edge of fashion

as well as the cutting edge of lip balm products!

I sound so official don't I?

Mad Apiary Skills

Fact...raising chickens is much easier than keeping bees.


Feed the chickens, water the chickens, gather the chicken eggs and clean the coop every now and then. It doesn't take a genius to maintain a flock. It's so easy, even a chicken could do it.

Keeping bees is undoubtedly more intense and complicated and spring is one of the busiest times for a beekeeper.

Frames must be inspected for healthy bees and brood. Brood is the continuation of life in the hive and the honeybee queen's main goal. Although the term "queen bee" is frequently used loosely, she does not directly control the hive. Her sole function is to serve as the reproducer.

This smaller worker bee on the bottom is valiantly trying to drag the larger drone bee out of the hive. He must have done something naughty!


Dean likes to give the honeybees a little dose of antibiotic to maintain good health.


He mixes the antiobiotic with powdered sugar and sprinkles it on top of the frames. The bees quickly gobble up the tasty sugary substance.


Dean has the uncanny ability to pick the single frame from a hive which contains the queen. Scanning literally thousands of bees to spot her.


Just at the tip of the yellow hive tool say hello to Queen Oy Vey...of Hebrew descent.


Again in the first frame he picks up from the next hive, meet Queen Mama Mich in the center of this photo.

Be sure to check back soon for Mama Meesh's amazing story on an upcoming blog post.


Upon close inspection of one of the frames in the third hive, he notices a supersedure (emergency queen) cell. Supersedure is the process by which an old queen bee is replaced by a new queen. It is initiated by the worker bees who suspect an aging, diseased or otherwise failing queen. Being the quick thinking beekeeper that he is, he makes the decision to split the hive immediately.


Dividing one large hive into two is a risky move, not to mention a physically tricky one. The remaining hive still has a failing queen but now they lack a replacement. The new hive has only an unhatched virgin queen. If splitting is done incorrectly, losing both hives might be the tragic result.

Only time will tell if the beekeeper's risk paid off.

Fast forward a couple of weeks. In the center of this photo you will see where a young virgin queen has emerged from her queen cell. Virgin queens will quickly find and kill (by stinging) any other rival virgin queens whether emerged or still in their cells. Basically, first queen out...rules!

Introducing...Queen Amidala! 

She's the beauty just to the left of the yellow hive tool. Her wings are shorter than the other bees and she is much larger. Dean couldn't be more excited with the new "queen right" hive.

But what happened to the existing hive with the old failing queen?

Close examination reveals four new queen cells. Multiple supersedure cells are created to increase the odds of success. Growing a queen is quite simple. As an ordinary egg hatches, worker bees feed the larvae nectar, honey and extra royal jelly, speeding up the queen development. I look forward to capturing the new and improved version of Queen Lady Gaga very soon.

In the meantime, you may think spring is busy for a beekeeper...but you should hear the chorus of bees in this honeylocust tree practically dripping with pollen.

And the raspberries girls, don't forget those!

It's the close of another day of adventurous beekeeping here at The Garlick Press. 

May's Leap Year Nonsense

One photo in the month of May that made my heart leap...

Meet Mr Pheasant and Miss Crow dancing on top of the chicken coop.

Nature...you just never know what is going to happen in our backyard.

Purple at Fifteen

Sometime in the past few years I stopped shopping for him at places like Old Navy and Gap Kids.

It seems just last night that he insisted we only call him "Buzz Lightyear". Because you see...he was Buzz Lightyear, as he wore the Buzz outfit an entire year of his childhood. 

Sometime in the past few years I started buying him razors and stopped cutting his meat! 

And sometime during the past few years The Teenager passed me in height...it happened overnight. Now, he can wear his Dad's shoes, uses cologne, and does pull-ups from a rod in his doorway.

But just last week he let me shop for him. He even liked the purple I picked out...and the vest...he was really excited about the vest! Fifteen looks good on The Teenager as does the purple!

Maybe sometime in the future he'll let me take photos of him for more than 1 minute before he bails on me! Just maybe...

Meat Day Times Five

As Meat Day goes (aka Mother's Day)...this was a great one. Lawyer girl flew in from LA so we could celebrate a half decade of our favorite tradition together. To commemorate the event, I have some Meat Day wisdom for you...because what happens on Meat Day stays on Meat Day.

Obnoxious table manners are not only allowed but appreciated, because plastic spoons make great monocles.

Contrary to what Pink Floyd sang...you CAN eat your pudding even if you don't eat your meat.

Let's just say the proof is in the pudding!

Teeange boys can eat A LOT...be prepared for glossy eyes and Meat Day hangover.

Anything goes as far as Meat Day attire, you can even dress in green plaid just like your Dad. But make sure you have an expandable waistband.  "Eatin' pants" are mandatory!

No one keeps track of how many deserts you have, or that your Nanna gave you a bowl full of sprinkles for desert.

Allow lots of grandbaby snuggle time after dinner. I can only hold 60 pounds of baby for about 2 minutes before my arms go numb.

A nice relaxing stroll through the field after dinner is always nice!

Do make sure you accessorize properly. A vintage blue handbag works perfectly.

Try not to overexert yourself after the big meal...unless you're 15...then go ahead and do whatever you want!

And most of all, surround yourself with great people on Meat Day. The Boy One, the Blond One and the Brown One are not only intelligent, witty, compassionate people...they are my people. And if you look closely you'll see the spirit of The Red One in each of us. Our smiles, our laughter, and our souls sing with her voice! Happy Meat Day to all!