Preparedness Notes for Friday — June 5, 2020

2

On June 5, 1851, Harriet Beecher Stowe published the first installment of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in The National Era. She was the sister of firebrand abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher.

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A reminder:  The SurvivalRealty Berkey Water Filter Giveaway will end with a drawing on Sunday, June 7th. So get your entries in, soon.  Note that there are ways to qualify for multiple chances to win this great stainless steel water filter.

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SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 89 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Introduction to Beekeeping – Part 3, by K. in Tennessee

6

(Continued from Part 2. This concludes the article.)

V – The Bees

Apis milifera is the Latin name we’ve given the bug we call the “Honeybee”. Not to be confused with the bumble bees, wood bees, sweat bees, and other pollinators we share this planet with. It is a specific breed and different than the other small bees you come across in your environment. It took me several years before I could visually discern the difference, and there are even differences within the types of honeybees. Much like dog breeding, it is becoming a whole additional avenue in the hobby.

All bees produce honey. It is their food store for winter (and what they feed their kids!) Apis milifera has been domesticated because of its willingness to, docile nature, abundant honey production, and ease of management. These bees have been bred and maintained around the world for centuries. As with most domestic animal supply there are concerns about in-breeding. Lately there have been some new varieties introduced, and several other ‘strains’ being monitored and developed. It really is an exciting time to be in the hobby as there is a lot of new research and information coming out. Far beyond the scope of this article, it is one of the things that I find entertaining: there is a lot of new information coming out constantly.

The most affordable way to acquire bees (capturing swarms aside) is to purchase a package. Bees are usually offered as packages or Nucs (short for ‘Nucleus Hive’), with a queen marked or un-marked. The local clubs here do a group-buy of package bees every spring, or you can order them shipped to your door. A package of bees typically includes ~ 3 lbs. of mixed bees (all ages) and a queen in a separate container called a “queen cage”. The ‘package’ is a cage about the size of a shoebox, wood framed with wire mesh or plastic, and buzzing like all get out! If you have them shipped to you, call your local shipper’s office ahead of time to let them know. They will be very appreciative of you picking them up ASAP (and you’ll want to get them quickly too, rather than bouncing around in the back of your local delivery vehicle all afternoon).

Nucleus hives are small little hives (typically 4 frame mediums) where the bees and queen are already mixed and established. With the current precautions due to the Chinese Kung-Flu I would not ship at this time – people are receiving dead packages because the carrier applied disinfectant to the entire container. I’ve only ever purchased packages that were picked up and never once had a problem. I recommend purchasing a package through your local club or find a distributor reasonably close and make a day of going to pick them up! I recently took a 3.5 hr. ride over the mountains to pick mine up, it was a fantastic day trip, gorgeous countryside! The dog and I had a blast!Continue reading“Introduction to Beekeeping – Part 3, by K. in Tennessee”

Economics & Investing For Preppers

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Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at small business owners choosing to not re-open. (See the Economy & Finance section.)

Precious Metals:

We’ll start out wit this news from Zero Hedge:  “The Largest Ever Physical Transfer Of Gold”

o  o  o

Arkadiusz Sieron: Will The Fed Trigger Inflation This Time, Boosting Gold?

o  o  o

Just as I predicted, the silver-to-gold price ratio has recently dropped from 118-to-1 down to around 97-to-1. But I still consider silver a relative bargain. Therefore, I recommend that my readers do some comparison shopping to find a local dealer that sells silver a low premium, over spot. Ideally, find one that is willing to directly ratio trade your physical gold for their physical silver in one transaction. Don’t wait until the ratio drops to 70-to-1, to do this!

Economy & Finance:

NBC Chicago reports: Small Businesses Suffering After Riots, Coronavirus Pandemic. JWR’s Comments: Put yourself in the shoes of a typical “Mom & Pop” small business owner, who is now looking at a fire-damaged store with smashed windows, empty shelves, a huge mess on the floor, and a new, much higher business insurance quote. What is the motivation to rebuild, re-stock, and re-hire?  I suspect that many will just choose to retire early, or switch to Internet-only sales, or simply take up another line of work.

o  o  o

At Zero Hedge:  Bill Dudley: “The Fed Is Basically Creating A Little Bit Of Moral Hazard”

o  o  o

At Forbes: Inside The $2.5 Trillion Debt Binge That Has Taken S&P 500 Titans Including Boeing And AT&T From Blue Chips To Near Junk

o  o  o

At Wolf Street: From Ice-Cold to Hot: Daily Pending Home Sales in May so Far, 15 Cities Around the US

o  o  o

College Enrollment in the Spring Fell for 9th Year in a Row, and Now Comes CovidContinue reading“Economics & Investing For Preppers”

Preparedness Notes for Thursday — June 4, 2020

5

This is the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, in 1989.

Also on this day, June 4th, in 1944 United States Navy Task Group 22.3 captured U-505, a German submarine and with it an intact Enigma cypher machine. This was the first time since the USS Peacock seized HMS Nautilus in 1815 that the USN had captured an enemy vessel at sea. The sub, reunited with its periscope a decade ago, is displayed at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 89 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Introduction to Beekeeping – Part 2, by K. in Tennessee

5

(Continued from Part 1. )

III – The Hive

The Beehive is the home you provide for the bees. It is supposed to make your task of managing the hive easier, while giving the bees what they want for a home. This is where you show your mettle and what you have learned. If the bees don’t like your home, don’t worry, they’ll just leave! The signs are all there if you know how to read them (an experienced mentor can help immensely). There are several styles of hives out there. Top Bar and Langstroth hives are the most common styles, Langstroths are the most popular, and what I would recommend new people get. They are affordable and interchangeable. While other versions offer advantages to some beekeepers, the ubiquity of Langstroth style hives makes them the beginner’s choice in my opinion.

Langstroth style hives are the wooden boxes you typically see (in the field, or as seen at the top of this article). The boxes house the frames of honeycomb, where the bees store honey and grow their young. Developed by Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth in approximately 1851. He discovered the magic of “Bee Space” and revolutionized the field. It turns out bees are very particular about the space they occupy. They do not like open spaces, so the equipment in Langstroth hives is all designed to fit together and give you the appropriate bee space between components. This is important to managing the bees successfully – they can live just about anywhere, but your ability to successfully manage them is greatly improved if you pay attention to bee space. Langstroth hives come in 2 sizes – 8 or 10 frames (e.g. the wooden box is sized to fit 8 or 10 frames inside); and 3 depths – Shallow, Medium, or Deep. The boxes hold the frames, the frames hold the honey and baby bees.

Langstroth hives have a few sections, and different vendors have come up with different ideas on the same function. I urge you to not get confused by the variety available – it can be overwhelming to the novice; it was for me. Look at the starter packages available or ask your mentor or a club member to help you choose. I will offer my suggestions below.Continue reading“Introduction to Beekeeping – Part 2, by K. in Tennessee”

The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

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SurvivalBlog presents another edition of The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods— a collection of news bits and pieces that are relevant to the modern survivalist and prepper from “JWR”. Our goal is to educate our readers, to help them to recognize emerging threats and to be better prepared for both disasters and negative societal trends. You can’t mitigate a risk if you haven’t first identified a risk. Today, we look at how the current riots seem to be spinning out of control.

WRSA Site Shut Down by WordPress

The latest round of the censorship war:  On Tuesday afternoon, the Western Rifle Shooters Association (WRSA) web site was shut down by WordPress — ostensibly for “content violations”.  The WRSA site has always been outspokenly pro-2A. I find the timing of when their site was axed very suspicious. You see, most recently, they re-posted the late Mike Vanderboegh’s serialized book titled Absolved, all in one piece.  Apparently that raised the ire and invoked The Author-I-Tahh of the leftist, anti-gun WordPress gnomes.

Other conservative and libertarian people and organizations that use WordPress for site hosting should take note, and make immediate plans to migrate to other servers!  Be proactive, or you too may end up “down the memory hole.”

Fear not. The WRSA’s primary writer has already begun posting on GAB. They can’t stop the signal!

Looters Kill Retired St. Louis Police Captain on Facebook Live

Linked over at the Whatfinger.com news aggregation site: Looters fatally shoot retired St. Louis police captain on Facebook Live video

The Widening Gyre: Louisville BBQ Business Owner Killed

Reader D.S.V. suggested this troubling news: ‘My son didn’t hurt nobody’: David McAtee, Louisville business owner, killed by authorities. JWR’s Comment: If there are too many incidents like those in St. Louis and Louisville, then the current protests and riots could spin out of control into urban gun battles and insurgency. Please pray with fervor for a return to civility, in America.

Virginia Refuses, Maryland Agrees to Send National Guard to DC

Several readers sent this headline, over at The Hill: Virginia refuses, Maryland agrees to Pentagon request to send National Guard to DC

Continue reading“The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods”

Preparedness Notes for Wednesday — June 3, 2020

10

On June 3rd, 1539, Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto claimed Florida for Spain.

June 3rd can also be considered the “birthday” of the U.S. Army. (It was established by Congress on June 3rd, 1784.)

Also on this day, in 1911, actress Ellen Corby was born. She is often remembered for her role as Grandma Walton, in the television series The Waltons.

—

On Tuesday afternoon, I heard from a couple of readers that the Western Rifle Shooters Association (WRSA) web site had been shut down by WordPress — ostensibly for “content violations”. The WRSA site has always been outspokenly pro-2A. I find the timing of when their site was axed very suspicious. You see, most recently, they re-posted the late Mike Vanderboegh’s serialized book titled Absolved, all in one piece.  Apparently that raised the ire and invoked The Author-I-Tahh of the leftist, anti-gun WordPress gnomes.

Other conservative and libertarian people and organizations that use WordPress for site hosting should take note, and make immediate plans to migrate to other servers!  Be proactive, or you too may end up “down the memory hole.”

Fear not. The WRSA’s primary writer has already begun posting on GAB. They can’t stop the signal!

—

Reader R.L. wrote ask why we no longer post a banner advertisement or generic link to Amazon.com. To explain: Amazon has discontinued “Amazon Stores”. We are still in the Amazon Associates program, but we are no longer allowed to post a generic “Associate” link for Amazon ordering. We can only advertise individual products, with links. But the good news is that if you click on any blue Amazon product link at SurvivalBlog and then search and order it or anything else from Amazon, then we still earn a commission. So, for example, if you see a link to book that we recommend — such as The Encyclopedia of Country Living — and then from that page you find something else on Amazon that you want to order, then we will still earn a commission. Each Wednesday, we post new recommendations, many of which include Amazon links. Henceforth, I will try to include at least one Amazon link for you to use, either in my Top Note, or down in the Quote of The Day. Thanks! – JWR

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 89 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

Introduction to Beekeeping – Part 1, by K. in Tennessee

32
I – Introduction

I started researching beekeeping as a hobby for several years before I got my first bees, mostly due to life’s circumstances. Once I settled down and had a piece of land to call home, I was able to get some bees and find it rather enjoyable. It’s quite unlike any other hobby, not the same as gardening, or NASCAR. Keeping wild animals in a wooden box isn’t for everyone. It has challenged me and I’ve learned a lot, and that’s what I find alluring – the more I learn about it, the less I know.

Beekeeping has been unpredictable, frustrating, weather dependent and has a steep learning curve. What little excess honey I have been able to capture from my bees, has been very warmly received by friends and neighbors. If it turns out you have the knack, good for you – don’t’ hold back! If you’re thinking this may be a great way to turn up a few extra bucks on your homestead – don’t count on it (though it may be possible). Initial setup costs and learning curve would make it a challenge to stay profitable. I’m fairly cheap by nature and tried entering into the hobby cautiously. I learned a few things along the way I hope to share here. This is by no means an authoritative treatise on the subject; my goal is to give you enough advice to feel comfortable starting down this road. I was very hesitant to pull the trigger on starting up in this hobby as it seemed so foreign and strange. Research and reading before hand certainly helped, but acquiring a hive and some bees, and spending time with them and working them has provided substantially more experience. I think you need a solid foundation of knowledge before starting, but hands-on experience has really made the difference for me. I decided to write this article with the hope that it will give some Survivorblog.com readers enough confidence to give it a try.

II – LIFE CYCLE AND HISTORY

Honeybees live in a colony with 3 types of bees: Worker bee, Drone bee, and Queen bee. The Queen bee is female, and there is only one per hive. The queen bee lays all the eggs, which become either workers or drones (and sometimes new queens!) Worker bees are typically +95% of the type reared, and are also female, but never reproduce. Drone bees are the only males and will fly outside the hive and attempt to mate with other queens. They provide no benefit to their own hive but do use resources/food. At the end of the season, the drones are all kicked out as the hive prepares for winter.

All bees start out as an egg laid in the bottom of a cell of honeycomb. After a few days of growth, the worker bees in the hive will cover the cell and the egg will pupate into a bee. Worker bees take about 18 days to cook, drones 21, queens take 23 days to develop, and she is fed a special diet called “Royal Jelly”.

Worker bees go through a variety of roles in and around the hive as they age. They start as nurse bees taking care of other young and cleaning the hive. Then guard bees and finally foragers going out and about to gather resources to bring back to the hive. Most bees typically live for about 40 days, and it takes 18-21 days to be reared from an egg. A complete lifecycle for most bees is about 60 days (egg to death). As winter approaches, the hive will begin rearing nurse bees to over-winter with (they live longer). All egg and honey production will shut down, and the remaining bees will attempt to cluster and keep the queen warm over the winter months. Stored honey and supplemented sugar are their only food. They will ball up around the queen and shiver, vibrate and flap their tiny wings to generate heat all winter long, attempting to keep the queen alive.

Continue reading“Introduction to Beekeeping – Part 1, by K. in Tennessee”

JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:

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Here are JWR’s Recommendations of the Week for various media and tools of interest to SurvivalBlog readers. The focus is usually on emergency communications gear, bug out bag gear, books and movies–often with a tie-in to disaster preparedness, and links to “how to” self-sufficiency videos. There are also links to sources for both storage food and storage containers. You will also note an emphasis on history books and historical movies. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This week the focus is on Tiny Home, Shed, and Greenhouse Construction. (See the Books, Instructional Videos, and Gear & Grub sections.)

Books:

Tiny Houses Built with Recycled Materials: Inspiration for Constructing Tiny Homes Using Salvaged and Reclaimed Supplies

o  o  o

I’m looking forward to this upcoming book release: Building Your Tiny House Dream: Design and Build a Camper-Style Tiny House with Your Own Hands (Creative Homeowner) Comprehensive Guide to Constructing a Small Home on Wheels, from Start to Finish.  (Available to pre-order.)

o  o  o

Black & Decker The Complete Guide to Sheds, 3rd Edition: Design & Build a Shed: – Complete Plans – Step-by-Step How-To

o  o  o

Black & Decker The Complete Guide to DIY Greenhouses, Updated 2nd Edition:Build Your Own Greenhouses, Hoophouses, Cold Frames & Greenhouse Accessories

Continue reading“JWR’s Recommendations of the Week:”

Preparedness Notes for Tuesday — June 2, 2020

1

On June 2, 1774, Parliament renewed the Quartering Act, allowing British military to stay in private homes if necessary, completing the Coercive Acts. The Quartering Act, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act, and the Boston Port Act, were known as the Coercive Acts. These Acts were Parliament’s way of asserting their control over the colonists after the Boston Tea Party and were one of the main motivations for the 3rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

—

SurvivalBlog Writing Contest

Today we present another entry for Round 89 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. The prizes for this round include:

First Prize:

  1. A gift certificate from Quantum Harvest LLC (up to a $2,200 value) good for 12% off the purchase of any of their sun-tracking models, and 10% off the purchase price of any of their other models.
  2. A Gunsite Academy Three Day Course Certificate. This can be used for any one, two, or three day course (a $1,095 value),
  3. A course certificate from onPoint Tactical for the prize winner’s choice of three-day civilian courses, excluding those restricted for military or government teams. Three day onPoint courses normally cost $795,
  4. DRD Tactical is providing a 5.56 NATO QD Billet upper. These have hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels and a hard case, to go with your own AR lower. It will allow any standard AR-type rifle to have a quick change barrel. This can be assembled in less than one minute without the use of any tools. It also provides a compact carry capability in a hard case or in 3-day pack (an $1,100 value),
  5. Two cases of Mountain House freeze-dried assorted entrees in #10 cans, courtesy of Ready Made Resources (a $350 value),
  6. A $250 gift certificate good for any product from Sunflower Ammo,
  7. American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI) is providing a $300 certificate good towards any of their DVD training courses.

Second Prize:

  1. A Front Sight Lifetime Diamond Membership, providing lifetime free training at any Front Sight Nevada course, with no limit on repeating classes. This prize is courtesy of a SurvivalBlog reader who prefers to be anonymous.
  2. A Glock form factor SIRT laser training pistol and a SIRT AR-15/M4 Laser Training Bolt, courtesy of Next Level Training, which have a combined retail value of $589,
  3. A Three-Day Deluxe Emergency Kit from Emergency Essentials (a $190 value),
  4. Two 1,000-foot spools of full mil-spec U.S.-made 750 paracord (in-stock colors only) from www.TOUGHGRID.com (a $240 value).
  5. An assortment of products along with a one hour consultation on health and wellness from Pruitt’s Tree Resin (a $265 value).

Third Prize:

  1. Three sets each of made-in-USA regular and wide-mouth reusable canning lids. (This is a total of 300 lids and 600 gaskets.) This prize is courtesy of Harvest Guard (a $270 value)
  2. A Royal Berkey water filter, courtesy of Directive 21 (a $275 value),
  3. Naturally Cozy is donating a “Prepper Pack” Menstrual Kit.  This kit contains 18 pads and it comes vacuum sealed for long term storage or slips easily into a bugout bag.  The value of this kit is $220.
  4. Two Super Survival Pack seed collections, a $150 value, courtesy of Seed for Security, LLC,
  5. A transferable $150 purchase credit from Elk Creek Company, toward the purchase of any pre-1899 antique gun. There is no paperwork required for delivery of pre-1899 guns into most states, making them the last bastion of firearms purchasing privacy!

Round 89 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging.

How to Prep for Natural Disasters, by Martin B.

35

Various types of natural disasters happen around the world every day. While you can make general preparations for emergencies, there are plenty of specific things you’ll need to do to ensure you and your family weather a crisis safely. Here’s how to properly prep your home for any event.

General Preparations for Sheltering in Place

When a disaster strikes, you’re generally going to do one of two things. You’re either going to shelter in place, or you’re going to evacuate. What do you need to make sure you have on hand if you’re staying in place?

  1. Food: Have at least a few days’ worth of nonperishable foods available, as well as tools for cooking if electricity is off.
  2. Water: Store at least three days of water for each person and animal in your household, as well as the means to purify more if necessary.
  3. First-aid and medicine: Keep a fully stocked first-aid kit and a supply of any necessary prescription and over-the-counter medications.
  4. Hygiene: Toilet paper, toothpaste and toothbrushes, soap, and other hygiene supplies will be necessary, especially if you can’t make a trip to the store.
  5. Alternative power sources: If the electricity goes out, you’ll need alternative sources to charge phones and power appliances.
  6. Fuel: Make sure your car’s tank is full, and have some gasoline stored in case gas stations are inaccessible. If you use a generator, you will also need fuel for that.
  7. Ammo: If you have firearms in your home, make sure you’re stocked up on ammo, just in case.
  8. Lighting: If the power is out, you’ll need alternative light sources. Stock up on flashlights and batteries.
  9. Cash: ATMs will likely be inaccessible, and if stores are open, they may not be able to run debit or credit card transactions. Having cash will make it easier for you to get the things you need.
  10. Pandemic supplies:Due to recent events, it’s also recommended to add masks, gloves and sanitizer to your emergency kit, especially if you’re going to be leaving the house.

If you’re sheltering in place, having these things on hand will make the situation easier to bear, especially if it takes a while for things to get back to normal.

General Preparations for Evacuations

If you’re in the path of a dangerous natural disaster and it isn’t safe to shelter in place, your only other option is to evacuate to a safer locale. In these events, you’ll want to ensure you have everything listed above stored in your vehicle, as well as:

  1. A change of clothing: You’ll need at least a few changes of clothing for each person in your family. Ensure they’re appropriate to the season.
  2. Important documents: Birth certificates, car and house titles, insurance policies, and any other essential documents should be included in your evacuation kit. Keeping electronic copies of these stored in the cloud is also a good idea.
  3. An evacuation plan: Before evacuating, make sure you know where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. If your family gets separated, make sure everyone knows where you’re supposed to meet up.
  4. Anything you can’t live without: include pictures, irreplaceable items and items with sentimental value in your evacuation kit, especially if your home might be damaged or destroyed.

These are very general suggestions for what you might need to help you make your way through a natural disaster. Let’s take a closer look at specific threats and what you need to do to prepare for them. Continue reading“How to Prep for Natural Disasters, by Martin B.”

SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt

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This weekly column features news stories and event announcements from around the American Redoubt region. (Idaho, Montana, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and Wyoming.) Much of the region is also more commonly known as The Inland Northwest. We also mention companies of interest to preppers and survivalists that are located in the American Redoubt region. Today, we link to a news article about a grizzly bear attack.   (See the Montana section.)

Idaho

For the first time ever, Idaho’s May 19th election was an entirely conducted by mail. County election officials won’t start tallying ballots until after the June 2nd ballot receipt deadline. We are hopeful that Alex Barron will win the Republican primary race, for District 3.

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Werkz Holsters in Potlach, Idaho deserves special mention. They specialize in holsters that fit pistols equipped with lights, lasers, and combos. They make holsters for more than 1,600 gun/light combinations. Their Kydex holsters are proudly made in Idaho. If you order one and happen to be in the area, you can phone them and make arrangements to pick it up, in person–and meet their crew.

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Over at Fox News: Free abortions, pre-K sex ed: Conservatives blast Boise mayor’s transition report as ‘socialist wish list‘

Continue reading“SurvivalBlog’s News From The American Redoubt”