Monster Mead

09/01/2024

6 Types of Pollinators and Their ImportanceSeveral different types of insects and animals are responsible for moving pollen between plants to facilitate fertilization. Below are common types of pollinators.

Bats

This may not be one of the first pollinators to come to mind, but bats are responsible for pollinating more than 500 plant species. While plants with bright flowers attract bees and butterflies, bats tend to pollinate those with more pale-colored flowers, such as agave, banana, eucalyptus, guava, and mango plants.

Bees

The first species that typically comes to mind when thinking about pollinators is bees. Many types of bees act as pollinators, including bumble bees, honey bees, squash bees, and sweat bees.

Butterflies

While butterflies are less efficient at moving pollen compared to bees, they can reach deep pollen levels in flowers that other pollinators cannot. Butterflies are especially helpful in fertilizing cotton plants.

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds can visit thousands of flowers a day, making them one of the most prolific pollinators. Plus, they’re a fun visitor to watch in your garden.

Insects

Although wasps and hornets can be bothersome pests at a picnic, these insects act as important pollinators. Some flies also act as pollinators, although others are destructive to crops and plants.

Moths

Moths also play a valuable role as pollinators. Moths are nocturnal butterflies that pollinate flowers and plants at night. They’re often attracted to white plants that reflect the moonlight, such as morning glories.

08/25/2024

What a gorgeous sunset….

08/24/2024

So awesome!

08/23/2024

Honeybees working chive flowers.

08/17/2024

Someone’s gotta do all the work while someone takes pictures!

08/10/2024

If you’re in the area or want to try something new(Mead) stop by and check out a new release from our brothers at Four Brothers!

Exclusive Available TODAY!! The most popular mead club exclusive now available to the public for the first time!
🥃🎉 Stop by the meadery or at Hahn Martial Arts and Fitness Center- Festus for the ST. Louis Legion of Honor Summer Brawl Event to take home a bottle of one of the most requested meads!
Let us know what you think? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

08/09/2024

I feel attacked… kinda … stings a little. Can’t stop won’t stop! 😉

08/06/2024

Took a trip to the wonderful state of Colorado. Made some beekeeping buddys @ PLAN BEE - Beekeeping Supplies, Hives, and Nucs and purchased some honey to bring back to missouri to make some Honeywine Mead.

Basic ingredients you'll need regardless of what mead you're making:

Grade-A honey

Water (spring water is highly recommended)

Wine yeast(lalvin D47 in video).

Nutrients(optional, but helpful)

Sanitize everything.
Add desired amount of honey usually(2-3.5lbs per gallon).
Fill remainder of fermenter with water leaving a couple inches for headspace.
Add nutrients.
Mix "must"(honey, water ,nutrients),no yeast yet.
Take original gravity reading with hydrometer.
Add reactivated yeast.
Fill and place airlock.
Label, date, yeast type, original gravity reading/ABV and desired name!
Research nutrient schedule and 1/3 sugar breaks.
Add nutrients over the next couple days during sugar breaks.
Have patience.
Wait 30 days and rack.
Age 6 months or longer for improved taste, clarity and enjoyment
P**f!!!
store quality wine or better, from home using these directions. Thanks for the honey beekeeper

08/02/2024

Bee Battle!

“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die” The Princess Bride

08/01/2024

The bees naturally benefit from the abundance of pollen and nectar the massive flower heads produce

07/29/2024

The castor oil plant is native to tropical Africa, but has become naturalized in warm areas around the world. It is mainly cultivated in India, China, and Brazil for its oil, which has many pharmaceutical and industrial uses…. These are in my backyard from the previous owner.

07/29/2024

Got the Laboratory all organized! Time to make some over due mead making videos.

07/25/2024

Draw your best Bee face! Winner will get stung!🙂 🐝

07/18/2024

🐝🏪: Bee Motel, worth a try to support native pollinators!

A pollinator house is a home for solitary-nesting bees.

Did you know that different species of bees have different nesting behaviours?

Some bees live cooperatively in colonies similar to those of the European honey bee, while many work and live a solitary life.

There are 4,000 or so species of native bees in the US– 90 percent of which are solitary-nesters. These (often overlooked) garden allies, require and seek out a cosy home to nest in.

07/15/2024

Let’s Go! You can help support honey bees in Missouri by just sharing for free. These will not BEE produced until the 200 mark is met! mobees.org/beefriendly

Update...as of now we are at 82/200 to the first printing. If you haven't registered, now is the time to be among the first with the coolest plate in the state! Go to mobees.org/beefriendly to register.

07/13/2024

How awesome. Who wants a brand tat?! 😉

07/12/2024

A beginner’s guide to making mead 🍯

Mead is a complex beverage made from simple ingredients: honey + water + yeast.

Step 1: Make the Must

Combine honey, water & yeast in the fermenter. This is called “must” (aka unfermented wine).

Step 2: Ferment

Yeast convert sugars into alcohol over the next 30 days with the help of added nutrients.

Step 3: Stabilize & Backsweeten

Mead is naturally dry after fermentation. You can stabilize it & add more honey to your mead before bottling for a sweeter finished product.

Step 4: Bottle & Age

Transfer into bottles for long term aging & storage. Time helps mead flavors mature & refine.

Step 5: Enjoy!

After weeks, months or years, pop open a bottle and be sure to keep tasting notes! 🙂

07/12/2024

The story of Thor drinking mead from a horn is found in Norse mythology, particularly in the tale of Thor’s visit to the giant Útgarða-Loki.

In the story, Thor, along with Loki and the servant Þjálfi, travels to the land of the giants, Jötunheimr. They come to the hall of Útgarða-Loki, who challenges them to a series of seemingly impossible tasks. One of these challenges is for Thor to drink from a large horn, which Útgarða-Loki claims his warriors can empty in one or two gulps.

Thor drinks deeply from the horn three times but is unable to empty it. Despite his efforts, the level of the liquid barely seems to go down. Thor feels humiliated by his apparent failure. However, later, Útgarða-Loki reveals the truth: the other end of the horn was connected to the sea, and Thor’s drinking had actually lowered the sea level, creating the tides.

This story highlights Thor’s incredible strength and endurance, as even the seemingly impossible task set by the trickster giant was a testament to Thor’s might. It also emphasizes the theme of deception and the limitations of even the gods in the face of cunning and illusion.

07/10/2024

Ebony Jewelwing

This and other damselflies prey upon both the aquatic larval and winged adult stages of mosquitoes, making them true friends to humanity. They also help control several other kinds of insects and thus serve an important role in the balance of nature. Damselflies consume a wide variety of insects and other invertebrates, providing a check on their populations. In turn, they are consumed by a similar array of predators, both as aquatic nymphs and winged adults. As nymphs, they are eaten by fish, turtles, ducks, and larger aquatic invertebrates. As adults, they are captured by birds such as flycatchers, red-winged blackbirds, and swallows, and by bats, dragonflies, and more.

07/10/2024

Jaxxy boi and I watching some orientation flights!

07/07/2024

The sun is setting on the Honeybees. This one loves dirty cooler water… lol

07/02/2024

Jade and her adventures with the honeybees. I’m not sure who is more intrigued with each other.

06/29/2024

Prickly Pear Watermelon mead slushee!! If you’re ever in Denver and want to cool off stop by! Thanks again to our new friend Deborah “Queen Bee” for sharing her knowledge and experiences with beekeeping and mead making!