Frances and the Bee

We were on our way to the lake last weekend and decided to check on the bees on our way out of town.  A lot changed in a few days!  I didn't have my camera with me to show you in photos, but I'll leave a quick update here and get some photos to share soon. - The first hive, which had been doing the best, had build no new comb in the new box we put on - zero percent new comb. We think they may have swarmed.  You may have heard of a "swarm" before. In beekeeping terms, it means about half the hive left to start a new colony. Yes, they up and left.  Often a swarm will rest peacefully on a nearby branch (or picnic table, etc. - something nearby) until they are able to start forming a new hive.  Some beekeepers are dedicated to catching swarms and some cities even have volunteers who will come and collect a swarm from someone's property and put them into a hive. There are beekeepers who never purchase new bees: they either keep their own hives or collect swarms to ...

Mr. Bee and I went without the kiddos this time to do a bigger inspection and move some boxes around to get ready for the "honey flow".  This is when the nectar flows are in peak and the bees make tons of comb and honey, and it's important for us to make sure they have plenty of frames available to work on. While Mr. Bee and I were getting suited up to do our big inspection, I saw a strange insect pollinating some little wildflowers nearby.  Upon a closer look, I was amazed that it looked just like a honeybee...except with a bright green body!  I've looked into it and I'm pretty sure this was a "Green Metallic Bee", of the genus Agapostemon.  According to Wikipedia, there "are some 45 species" of this type of insect, and their range goes all the way from Canada to Argentina! ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agapostemon ) ( photo below mine) Green Metallic Bee, Clear Lake, MN by Erica Knudson Our girls are working hard.  The third hive...

Mr. Bee and I were in Hawaii, on Oahu last week. While I was having my coffee on Waikiki Beach one morning, an unlikely visitor stopped on my towel for a few minutes... a honeybee!  This was very exciting for me. Here's proof that the bee and I were both on the beach: Bees do like blue and purple flowers a lot, so maybe that's why she chose that part of my towel. Back at home now, the kids are enjoying every little part of the outdoors. Mr. Bee added the rest of the frames to the top box of each hive.  The first hive is doing especially well, just as they have been from the start. The other hives are doing well, too, so we're really happy with the start of the season. One of the biggest changes we've made since last year is that we have been using wood frames. The bees are very happy with them. Here is one of the more new frames from that first hive: You can see some fresh comb. Here is a busy hive entrance.  I wish I could show yo...

We had a calm and restful Memorial Day weekend and hope you did, too. On Sunday, we all went out to see the bees.  Mr. Bee was very pleased with how all of the hives looked.  Each one was ready for the next super, which means the number of bees is growing. You can see, below, a fresh super on top of the first hive. It's filled with empty frames and will soon be filled with comb and bees! Before the supers went on, though, Mr. Bee did a lot of housekeeping...well, "hive-keeping". Here you can see that where bees have extra space, they build comb! This is what Mr. Bee had to clean off, and he found that he needed to adjust the measurements for the boards that hold the feeders. My favorite photo so far this year... ...and a peek at the pollen our girls have been storing, yellow, deep orange, and green. Mr. T came out for a visit and stood to the side.  If you're ever near a hive, you'll want to leave space for the working b...

We really jumped right in to this year's beekeeping and Mr. Bee has already been very busy with maintenance. Can I say that spring has sprung?  Is it actually official now? Maybe??   Trees are a major source of pollen for the bees, so they have already been collecting quite a lot. The nectar is not yet at a strong flow, so we have been feeding the bees (using Mr. Bee's clever feeding method ) with a simple sugar syrup to give them plenty to work with until the "nectar flow". If you look closely at the back legs of bee in the top center, you'll see some nice yellow pollen pellets on her legs. It's so exciting!  All three hives are bringing in pollen... ...and all three hives are now building and filling comb with pollen and nectar. The best news is that Mr. Bee also found eggs in each hive, which is VERY important.  It means that the queens were accepted and that each one is busy laying eggs.  We are counting the days until the new bees ha...

We are up and running again for the bee season! We brought the kiddos out to Mr. T's to get the space ready for the bees...and to explore this little part of his yard. Little Miss was pretty happy to collect dried up prairie grass and weeds that had somehow stayed upright during winter. She was also very serious about helping us get ready for our bees. Baby Bee, who I should now call "Little Mr." was happy to touch pine needles and walk around the grove. He's into everything these days, but I was happy to see that he wasn't overly brave on his own here...yet. Everyone helped Mr. Bee pack the dirt... ...and we got it level! We are using frames in our hive with foundation (wax already laid out in tiny hexagons), but natural comb would be built by the bees according to the level of the earth, not necessarily to the positioning of the hive.  So, while it's not extremely vital for the type of keeping we're doing, it's an interestin...

Just a couple of quotes about bees today...  We're getting things ready around here.  Our bees should be here at the beginning of May! “Bees do have a smell, you know, and if they don't they should, for their feet are dusted with spices from a million flowers.” -Ray Bradbury “One can no more approach people without love than one can approach bees without care. Such is the quality of bees...” -Leo Tolstoy