We Are All A-Buzz...


This last week has been one that I have looked forward to for months, the arrival of our bees.  You may recall that our bees were wiped out in the horrific 103 mile-per-hour winds that we had last December.  I have missed seeing my little honey colored friends buzzing around the yard.  They seem to complete the farm, it feels just a bit empty without them, like we are missing one piece of the puzzle.  It's true that they make a difference.  Their buzzing from flower to flower really does increase our yields significantly, especially with the curcubits (squashes), sunflowers, and tomatoes (even self-pollinating plants like a little bee help).

Twenty-six hives in the back of a suburban... funny how they are focused on one
little bee on a glove when they have thousands in the back of the car!
Saturday morning we drove out to Grantsville to pick up the bees.  It is so much fun to go to get them, people come from everywhere to load up their new friends.  One man next to us was packing 26 new swarms with queens into the back of his Suburban... that's an exciting ride home and a lot of work to do!

Ian smelling the foundation racks... they smell like honey!
We started three new hives this year.  We like to paint our hives different colors; we have a yellow hive, a lime hive, and a turquoise hive.  So far the yellow hive has been the most aggressive, interesting to note since in our experience, the more aggressive hives make the most honey (not sure if that is true or just an anomaly that we have seen).

A river of bees flowing into the hive... this is by far my favorite part!
Long live the queen!  She stays in her little house, we plug the hole with a
marshmallow and she eats her way out, with assistance of course!  Brood
comb is what you see in the background from last years hives.
Sweeping the bees into the hive so we can put the lid on... I love this! 
The bees are busy cleaning house, visiting the blooming apple trees, and getting used to their new queen.  We will open and check the hives in about two weeks and hopefully have something interesting to share.  I am looking forward to fresh honey in late August, and I am sending the bees all of my best energy so that they establish and make it through the winter.  Long live the queens and sweet may the honey flow!

Comments

  1. AnnekeApril 20, 2012 at 5:53 PM

    Did I tell you that when I married my husband he was a professional Beekeeper? Yeah, seriously. We only have about 9 hives now as a hobby. It's one of those things that once you start keeping bees, they become part of you. I love it! Thanks for sharing.

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