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bee escape
Setting up the bee escape and waiting for a few days allows the beekeeper to come back and take the box of honey without having to shake out the bees and piss them off. Or use a bee brush on the frames, which I can't do anyway since the comb is not actually in the individual frames. It's kind of meandering through the honey super. So I need a bee escape. And I need to go check it soon, since it's been on there for a bit. Here's a pic of the escape:
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a taste of honey
I've filtered my first half-cup of honey through this old food mill that belonged to my Grandma - see the honeycomb in the cone - and now I just want to look at it! I've tasted it, but that's all. It's a very light yellow - here's the comparison to Ken's:
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uncaged
. She’s out!! I set up the ob hive today so friends could have a look at the bees, and I noticed that the queen is out of her cage. Didn’t take long – everybody loves candy. She’s the one with the white dot in the picture. Hooray! Now we’ll have eggs and larvae to watch too. .
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new momma for the girls
Many thanks to Ken for helping me yesterday with my queen and observation hive! The hive is a bit of a beast - it's so much easier with two people and more experience (Ken's, not mine). Anyway, here's the queen cage with queen and attendants - same one we saw yesterday, only in this pic Ken is uncorking the end. You'll notice the white bit - that's the 'candy' that the bees will need to chew through in order to free the queen. The cork is a precaution - there's so much candy there that Ken also made a wee hole through it to get them started.
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she’s here!
I received a phone call this morning from a lady at Canada Post - they had a buzzing package for me. The queen bee and her attendants have arrived already! I was very thankful she decided to call me to pick it up, rather than sent it out with a letter carrier. It's been so hot, and she was worried that the bees might overheat, as was I. Not worried anymore, I've got my queen! Let's take a look:
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2 more stings
In spite of the sweat-inducing oven of a coverall you see me wearing, I did manage to get 2 more stings yesterday at the beeyard. Right through the coverall. So I ask myself again, 'why do I wear this?' Hmmm.
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wacky house day
Here are the results of yet another experiment: I thought I'd try putting honey frames into the hive without foundation. Other beekeepers suggest rubbing beeswax along the top underside of the frame, to encourage the bees to start the foundation along that line. Sounded like a great idea. So I tried it. I put wires in the frames:
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new ideas
Here's the thing about beekeepers: put any two together, and you've got five different ways of doing things. My mom was talking to a beekeeper at the Port Colborne Market and happened to mention that her daughter was a beekeeper. Well, there's another thing about beekeepers: once you get them going, it's hard for them to stop talking about bees.
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hornets and honeybees
I don't think I've ever seen such beautiful hornets - a deep metallic blue, so shimmery and sleek. Very sexy insects. Unfortunately they're all over my sister's garden, so they will have to be taken care of at some point. My two little nephews don't need to be stung by these gorgeous pollinators! Here you see them on the parsley flowers, doing their part to ensure that my brother-in-law has viable parsley seeds for next year's crop.
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seabee v8
This was a very shiny airplane that we saw at the airshow on Father's Day weekend. Our family went to see the Snowbirds - you can see one of my munchkins in the reflection - she's got her pink cowgirl hat on! Anyway, I thought it was cool that a plane was named after a bee. I'm told they have