글

No Radiators, No Vents: Seeing the Secret of 'Ondol' with a Thermal Camera

이미지
 Looking beneath the floor of my apartment and planning for my apiary. In the Korean winter, there is a reason why homes feel uniquely cozy. It’s not because of the warm air—it’s because the floor itself is warm. We take this for granted in Korea, but I know that globally, our heating system, called 'Ondol,' is quite unique. Today, I decided to use a thermal imaging camera to look beneath the surface of my apartment floor. I also want to share how this technology is influencing my plans for a future resting hut at my apiary. 1. The Anatomy of Warmth: How Ondol Works When you step onto a warm Korean floor, you are standing on top of a sophisticated engineering system. This AI-generated image illustrates exactly what is happening beneath our feet. Unlike Western homes that often use radiators to heat the air, our system starts with a boiler. It heats water and pumps it through a complex network of pipes—known as "XL pipes" —embedded in the concrete floor. Think of it...
댓글 쓰기
자세한 내용 보기

A Beekeeper's Journal (Part 2): Our War Against the "Murder Hornet"

이미지
Hello everyone, and welcome back to the second entry in A Beekeeper's Journal . In Part 1, we talked about waking the bees up in late winter. But even if we succeed, a new war begins as the weather warms. This is our fight against the Asian Giant Hornet, known in the West as the "Murder Hornet." This is not an exaggeration. For us beekeepers in Korea, this is an annual battle for survival that defines our autumn. 1. The Problem: Meet the Attackers Before we show you our defenses, you need to understand who we're fighting. It's not just one type of hornet; it's a two-front war. The Main Villain: The Asian Giant Hornet.  This is the one you've heard of—the 'Murder Hornet.' It's a monster. Its only goal is to slaughter the entire hive, chop up the bees and their brood, and feed them to its young. A few of these can destroy an entire colony in hours. The Relentless Nuisance: The Yellow-legged Hornet.  This one is smaller, but just as terrible. It ...
댓글 쓰기
자세한 내용 보기

A Beekeeper's Journal (Part 1): How We Start the Season in Late Winter

이미지
 Hello everyone, and welcome to a brand-new feature on the blog! In my last post, I shared that we just finished getting the bees ready for winter. Now that the 'off-season' is here, I want to share some special pages from 'A Beekeeper's Journal'  that I've kept since starting this journey. This series isn't a complete month-by-month calendar. Instead, it’s a look at the key challenges and milestones that define our year—from waking the bees up, to fighting off pests. Our first entry begins in late February . This is about 20-30 days after their very first wake-up, and it's a critical time when the queen begins to lay eggs again and the colony must build its strength for spring. The Goal: Building a Strong Colony in the Cold In late winter, the nights are still freezing in Korea. The colony is small and weak. Our single most important job is to help them grow into a strong, packed hive as safely and quickly as possible. Every apiary has its own style,...
댓글 쓰기
자세한 내용 보기

Our "Gravity-Fed" Winter Feeding System (And How We'll Make It Better)

이미지
Hello again from Gokseong. The most critical job of autumn, the final winter feeding, is complete. My husband uses a wonderfully clever, 'low-tech' solution.  When people hear 'automatic feeder', they imagine electric motors. But this system is different. It's non-powered The secret is gravity . The main tank is placed at the highest point in the apiary.      From the tank, a network of pipes simply flows downhill. No gasoline engines, no electric pumps. It's eco-friendly and extremely low-cost. And here is the final, crucial part. Each hive gets its food delivered directly inside. This has two massive benefits. First, labor savings. My husband doesn't have to open hundreds of heavy hive lids, one by one, just to pour in syrup. The system does the delivery for him. Second, and more importantly, it prevents 'robbing' This feeding happens before it gets too cold (bees can't store syrup if it's freezing). But during this period, if you manually ...
댓글 쓰기
자세한 내용 보기