Flight Deck Activity

These photos show the flight decks of the two hives. You can see the bees making their way back into the hive with water, pollen, or nectar in their little pockets (look closely at the yellow dots in the center of the photo on the left!). The jar on the right side of each photo is the entrance or "boardman" feeder we were using initially.

Last Hive Visit in May

In the time since our last visit, I believe we have witnessed a bee population boom!! Suddenly we were refilling the sugar syrup every evening instead of every few days. The weather changed from cool to near 90 degrees and humid, and we've seen the bees hanging out on their front porches trying to keep cool, even as darkness sets in. When we move closer to the hives, we can watch bees landing on the flight deck with their pollen baskets filled with bright yellow/orange pollen. What are pollen baskets? The bees have branched hairs on their bodies and legs that catch and hold grains of pollen, which they are able to store in the baskets on their hind legs and carry back to the hive.

Because we were having so much trouble with the jar feeders leaking and attracting pests, we ordered the hive top feeders, which are specialized trays fitting inside the hive and can be refilled simply by taking off the covers and pouring the syrup. The package arrived from the Walter T. Kelley Company before our 4th hive visit on May 29th....

You should have seen us. It was in the morning, yet already hot and humid. We wore the usual jeans, button-down shirts, shoes, socks, hats, and veils. This visit only took about a half hour, but we felt we were experiencing our own personal saunas...sweat running as creeks then streams then rivers....we soaked our clothes, it quickly became a bad hair day. I'm so grateful we don't wear bee suits!

All we really wanted to do during this visit was to check on the frames of the newest super (3rd) of each hive and install the new hive feeders. We're happy to report the bees of both hives are busy drawing out the comb, and all looks well! Installing the hive feeders was fairly effortless, and bees were already coming to see what we were doing as we poured the sugar syrup. After the "freak comb situation," it was nice to have a more relaxed visit.

In related news, a friend gifted us with a copy of the book Bees In America--How the Honey Bee Shaped a Nation. The author, Tammy Horn, signed our copy and kindly wrote, "May these bees bless you!"

Emma Wonders

We have a 4-year-old godchild named Emma who loves to read and play and is very inquisitive. She and her mom, Gina, were reading this blog the other day, and looking at the pictures of the bees. Via email, her mom typed, "Emma wonders: How will you get the honey out? How do you keep the bees healthy and not be sick? Do vets take care of bees?" All very excellent questions!

The easiest question to answer might be the last one. No, vets do not take care of bees unless they are specially trained to do so--which would really be a fun combination of talents! If we need help caring for the bees, we look to specialists in the field, those who are learning the science and art of keeping bees. They are called "apiarists" or "apiculture extension specialists." Hopefully soon, we will have an apiarist, an expert in our state, come out to look in the hives and make sure that all is well, give us suggestions on how we could better care for our bees, etc.

How we keep the bees healthy is a fun area because it encompasses so much and we are still learning! For now, I believe we are doing our best trying to learn the basics, and I imagine as we progress, we will pick up on more of the subtleties of keeping bees healthy. The basics include things like feeding them protein patties and sugar syrup until they can find enough food for themselves...giving them the right amount of space so they don't feel crowded and swarm, or spread themselves too thin and can't keep up with caring for their young....ventillating the hives in hot temperatures or insulating them in cold weather....and even giving them medicines in the spring and fall--which is kind of like how 4-year-old girls get shots to prevent diseases and make sure they stay healthy! Right? We give bees medicines in their sugar syrup so every bee receives a dose, it tastes a little better this way, and is very easy for beekeepers to do. (Thank goodness)

How will we get the honey out? That's such a good question, we don't entirely know the answer yet! Right now, the bees are making as much honey as they can, and storing it so they'll be able to survive the next winter. Did you know that bees eat honey? They do! They are also doing their best to increase their numbers and become a strong and stable colony. So Erin and I will be very lucky if they have enough time and energy to make extra honey for us too, this first season. But if they do, we will be reading our books and asking our mentor questions about extracting the honey! And we'll be giving Emma a taste!

Thank you for the questions!!

Our Third Hive Visit

Finally, after two weeks of cool rain and heavy clouds, we had a beautiful day to visit the hives. (20 may) I'm happy to report we're getting a bit more consistent with the smoker, experimenting with paper bag pieces, pine cones, small pieces of wood, burlap...

In the time since our last visit, the bees of Hive 2 have definitely filled 6-7 frames in the top super (the reversal worked!) AND built a bunch of wild comb on the bottoms of frames, so much so that at least 3 were beginning to be sealed together. We were hesitant, standing there looking in slight disbelief, but in the several books we have read they all advise "cleaning up" any wild comb or propolis--the longer we let it go, the more problems it causes. Already the comb between frames made it challenging to pull one at a time for inspection. The bees were raising brood in the wild comb, which made it even more "not fun" to remove. With slow and steady work, Erin used the hive tool while I handed her frames and smoked the bees when needed. We removed the wild comb with stores of pollen, brood, and even sticky honey....we displaced bees....all the while questioning, hoping we were doing the right thing. It's the hardest thing we've had to do so far, but we knew if wild comb is this problematic after 2 weeks--imagine the mess we'd have after 3 or 4!

This was the longest we have worked with the bees so far--almost 45 minutes per hive! Once the frames were "clean," we collected the wild comb still covered with bees, and gave them several firm shakes over the hive. We added a third super and a fresh protein patty (they are obviously being eaten), and moved on to the artist colony - Hive 1.

We found a similiar situation....7-9 frames of the top super have been filled (super reversal worked here too), and wild comb had been constructed underneath the frames, though not as much as Hive 2. The creative flap we had noticed last time had become a problem--even bigger, crowded, interferring with other frames, and forcing brood into strangely shaped cells. We regretfully removed the creative flaps with so many bees still on them, and began cleaning the frames. Unfortunately, Erin received a sting. It was rotten luck. While slowly scraping off wild comb, a piece happened to fall on a bee, who reacted with loud buzzing and stung her on the wrist. Erin remained so calm, I smoked the area (to help mask the alarm odor) while she attempted to scrape off the stinger with her fingernail....only her fingernail wasn't long enough. All it did was further inject the venom into her system. Next time, we'll scrape the stinger off with the hive tool. We continued working, though we laughed because we were both a bit jumpy and needed to make a conscious effort NOT to react that way. This was about fear vs. calm, and with effort, calm won. We once again shook the bees off the wild comb and into their hive, added a third super and a protein patty, and closed up.

Erin said the sting wasn't so bad, it's the reaction that's been very uncomfortable. We iced immediately, but were really slow with remembering Benadryl and hydrocortisone cream. Her wrist/hand area has been red, itchy, hot--and I dare say--pudgy. Luckily, the swelling has gone down significantly today. I'm so proud of how Erin handled being stung in the bee yard, how calm she remained, and how she didn't take the bee sting personally. Bees are wild, reactionary creatures....there isn't an intention to cause humans harm, they are reacting to a situation--it's not a personal issue. With the extremely invasive work we were doing, it's amazing only one bee stung! I have to say, Erin's handling of the situation made me feel very safe and confident working with her. I only hope I do as well when my time comes:) When we talked afterward, we both realized we still felt comfortable working with bare hands. The gloves will come in handy for certain tasks, I know, but manipulating the frames is so much easier with bare hands, it's much harder to feel what you're doing with gloves, and our movements become clumsy--which is not desirable when working with a growing population of bees!

It's been such a help to email closely with Ron about the "freak comb situation." It could be that our bee population is growing rapidly and needed more room....if we could have checked them sooner, perhaps we would've been able to add the 3rd super and avoid at least some of their wild comb building. It's hard to say, as beginners. But we are learning that with beekeeping, as in gardening, as in life--there is no such thing as perfect. We learn, we grow, we observe, we just try to do the best with what we're given. In working with nature, this becomes a real flannel shirt philosophy, I know, but I believe it's the best we can do.

Rain, Saints, and Trivia in the Beeyard

We certainly are experiencing a cold spell with much rain. The bees must bee so crabby, being cooped up this long. Between rain showers we see them out foraging, and also taking what looks to be orientation flights. These are small flights around the hive entrance and beyond, which allow younger bees to learn their surroundings so they can find their way home, as well as exercise and strengthen wing muscles for the rigors of foraging.

Since we won't be checking the hives, we thought we'd write about a few other things....

Our friend Sam visited the beeyard a couple of weeks ago. We didn't open hives, but he came to see the bees, ask questions....Sam is a benevolent and supportive presence, and a great lover of Rumi's poetry, as am I, and we meet in that kind of atmosphere. He is one of the most Divinely attuned people I know. He also has a great sense of humor. I playfully told him these were "eye-talian" bees, and he just as playfully pointed to our small statue of St. Francis and said how appropriate that was since he too was from "eye-talia." And what a beautiful presence to invoke when attempting to create peace and harmony among ourselves, among different species....doing so, very literally, begins in our own backyard.

Bee Trivia--Meeting the 3 Castes:

• The queen, the mother of all bees, is the most important member of the colony. Bee morale, cohesion, and life force depend on her. She is the only bee capable of laying the fertile eggs which produce worker bees. As the egg passes through her system, she is able to fertilize it with sperm stored in her spermatheca (Say that word fast, 3 times!) and place it in a cell. We all joke about the benefits of being "queen bee," and although she has attendants of worker bees for her every need (feeding, cleaning her, disposing of her waste, etc) she may never leave the hive, and her life is further limited to functioning as an egg-laying machine. Once she's up to speed, she may lay up to 1500 eggs per day! Every day.

• The worker bees (all females) emerge from their cells ready to work almost immediately and depending on her age and capabilities, the needs of the colony, and the time of year, there are a range of tasks to perform: cleaning brood cells, feeding brood, regulating hive temperature, removing the dead, guarding the hive entrance, attending the queen, capping cells, packing pollen, secreting wax, receiving and processing nectar, cleaning the hive, foraging, and producing honey for eager beekeepers. In a typical active season, a hive will contain thousands and thousands of worker bees.
  

• The drones (all males), bless their hearts, are born without the equipment to sting or perform any of the duties in the hive. Once mature, they will take mating flights, attempting to mate with a queen of a different hive--though hundreds, maybe thousands, of drones exist for every queen. If he does mate, he will lose his life in the process. The rest of their time is spent in idleness, and they gorge on the hive's bounty in the active season. However, because they are such a drain on the colony's resources, most are forced out of the hive when winter comes. In the active season, hundreds (rather than thousands) of drones can be found in a hive.

We are pleased with what we are learning so far!

Bee Communion/ Second Hive Inspection

This morning I stepped outside, ready to enjoy a long walk, when I noticed movement in the bird bath, tiny ringlets of water circling outward. It was a bee working vigorously to avoid drowning. I was faced with a choice all of humanity faces every day in more or less obvious forms: I can help or I can not help. I immediately used my hands to scoop her up in a pool of water, and hoped the landing on the grass was gentler than the splashing sound. It took me a minute or so to locate the bee once again--but there she was, climbing up a blade of grass with her wings plastered to her back. I held out my hand and she climbed on. She walked around a bit, and then stopped for an elaborate grooming ritual of head, antannae, legs, body, tongue....

Now I know this is an insect of the wild with a stinger, and in offering to be a help and safe refuge, I accept the fact that she may--for whatever reason--sting me. It's a risk I feel is worth taking. For her part, I am a human who is infinitely bigger and stronger, especially considering her vulnerable state. If I felt fear or meanness, I could squash her, and life is over. But perhaps for her too, it's worth the risk. Or in her innocence, she is unaware. However, we have both entered these moments together and experience the enchantment of silent communion, Divine Oneness. She studied my skin with great interest, and I marvelled at the complexity of her thin wings, how her tongue can seem more like a straw than the flatness of our own, the depth and shape of her eyes. Finally, her wings sprung free from her back, and though she did not fly off, I gently placed her on the dry edge of the bird bath. We each continued with our morning....

Our second hive inspection was later that day, the afternoon of May 3rd. The weather has been so unpredictable lately with lots of clouds and rain. It seems to be affecting our moods somewhat and Erin suggested we resolve ourselves to becoming more charming bee charmers!

Fortunately, it was sunny and mild. The suiting up seemed less foreign this time, and we really wanted to enjoy an unhurried visit. We began with hive 2, and Erin felt the warmer air from inside the hive escaping as soon as we took the covers off. They must really be working to keep the brood warm. We examined several of the frames in the top super and saw eggs, brood, pollen, and also capped honey. The girls have filled 6-7 of the top frames.

Erin then used the hive tool to gently pry the top super from the bottom one, and carefully lifted this super--filled with bees and all that I've mentioned--onto the ground. She looked at several of the bottom frames, and sure enough, the queen has NOT been laying any eggs in the bottom super!! So, we were able to reverse the supers--the empty one now goes on top where the queen prefers to lay eggs. During this procedure, Erin seemed particularly sensitive to the sound of the bees, the increasing crescendo of buzzing which signalled their irritation, and our need to smoke them a little more. Even when I made a mental note to listen better, it was Erin who could innately hear and percieve their mood.

We found the same situation in hive 1: the top supers were filling nicely, but the bottom was practically empty. However, we also discovered one major difference in the first hive: it seems we have an artist colony! They have gone "off-road," they have gotten completely creative with their comb building and have formed flaps with pretty swooping edges. I'm not sure how efficient it is, but why criticize? Since we didn't want to take off comb with brood, and since we could still fit the frame back in the hive, we left it alone. We don't know if it was the right choice or not. But it sure gave us a surprise, and we couldn't help but laugh.

Also, we noticed many side edges of beeswax are missing and look like they've been chewed. Chewed? And it looks like the bits have fallen on the bottom board. Do they not like the honeycomb? Is the sweet smell too strong for them?

In both hives, there was more burr comb to scrape off with the hive tool, and we hated to demolish the work--especially the one strip that looked like a line of individual troughs which were filled with water and being drunk by many bees! (see last photo where the bees are lined up in a row) We can only imagine how long it must have taken to build.

All in all, it was a very good visit and we are incredibly grateful for Ron's friend who suggested we check and see about reversing the supers. Otherwise, we would have only checked the top frames, seen them filled, and assumed more room was needed. We would have added a third super and the bees would not have been able to take proper care of the sprawled brood in the chilly spell that IS coming!