Cleaning the Porch

Yes, finally got the back porch somewhat straightened. It had needed to be done all summer. We have our extra supers and other bee equipment all nice and neat in a corner now. I had a super full of honey that we were saving for this fall to put back on the bees. We had taken it off early spring and we saved it specificially for that purpose. It had been sitting on an empty freezer on the porch not harming anyone for months, but I moved it over the "bee" corner. I guess when I was moving the fairly heavy super full of honey, I opened up some of the capped cells. It was probably two or three hours later, Jake was going out to check on the animals for me when he wanted me to come and see the porch. The bees had found the honey. Really??? There were hundreds on the porch, and over the course of these past several days, have not left. Some fly in and out taking it back home, but I am really a bit afraid that they will try to make it their new home...on my porch!!! All the equipment is there, except nothing is covered, but several supers and frames with drawn comb...I may have to suit up and move that honey closer to them a little earlier than planned.

Two Flew the Coop (or hive)

I am so sad. We had not one, but two hives, abscond! We worked so hard on our Hive #1. We bought a new queen, she left, died or was ousted because we ended up having a laying worker (all drones)! We emptied every bee out of the hive and then set them in front of the hive to re-enter, less the laying worker, (supposedly the colony won't let her back in) and put in good brood from another strong hive with eggs and nurse bees. That was hard work, wearing beekeeping clothing and veils and gloves in the 100 degree June weather. But we did it. Shortly after they had made themselves a new queen. Success! With the continued heat and no rain and no pollen or nectar of any amount, they got into their honey stores. I guess when the queen saw how low that supply was, she decided to move her colony somewhere else. I could have prevented that if I had started feeding them earlier than August. Oh, I could kick myself! The new hive (AKA the Pond Hive) did the same thing. We must not have gotten food to them in time. 50% of our stock gone. That's a lot of money and a lot of (next year's) honey down the drain...

Ok, Lord, I am ready to see progress. I think you have shown me all the down side. Goats, rabbits, chickens, bees, garden...So, I am ready to see the flip side now. Amen.

My Improving Phobia

Not scared of the dark. Not scared of being alone. Not scared of snakes. Not scared of spiders. Although this little critter did give me a bit of a surprise, but we let him live another day.

My biggest fear is Vesipidae--any flying stinging insects. Yep, bees, wasps, hornets, yellow jackets. Makes one wonder why I have honeybees. I always swore I could out run them, and must have. I have had honeybee stings from going barefoot outside as a child. I have had one sting on the top of my head from a bumblebee. But nothing else has kept up with me when I have taken off full sprint and screaming. One story that my husband loves to retell at my expense involves me and a wasp in the car many years ago. I was driving, well, actually stopped at a stop sign and there was a wasp perched over the sun visor. He was looking at me. Staring at me. Eye to eye. I had nowhere to go. Couldn't scream, could barely whisper to Bruce it was watching me and I was serious! I got absolutely no sympathy of any kind from him and still do not!

Since being at Valley Creek for just over a month, I am getting more and more used to stinging insects flying around. Honeybees, of course, do not bother me much and am getting more comfortable around them. Since the huge oak tree that overhangs the chicken coop was filled with every bee imaginable, including hornets, the past few weeks, I have gotten used to the buzzing that would send me into a frenzy of flailing arms and closed-mouth screaming -not going to have anything fly down my throat. Now I just shudder a little.

Just last week, in fact, I was hanging towels on the line and grabbed a clothespin from the line behind me, and to both of our surprise, I grabbed one with a wasp on it. I guess I grabbed the head enough it didn't have opportunity to sting me. One of us fell to the ground, bounced back up and took off, stunned into silence...nope, wasn't me this time. I did make an intelligble noise through closed lips, but not a true scream by my recollection.

Yep, I am getting better. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks or at least modify her behavior a bit.