Sorry it's been awhile since I wrote but I have been as busy as the bees these last few days. Watching the bees is still my favourite thing to do when not busy though. They are making me more aware of all the other insects in my garden. I have also become aware of the plants that they like and plants that they don't bother with. This may become a garden blog as well as a bee blog since they are so connected to each other. Trees that are blooming right now around here are lindens, catalpas and tree of heaven. Flowers in bloom in my garden are daisies, some lilies, thyme, sage, roses, feverfew, perennial geranium, hostas and clover. I know for sure that the bees are in love with sage and they are starting to check out the thyme...purple/blue seems to be the colour of choice. How perfect that the herbs happen to be very close to our deck so we can watch them easily!
It was very hot today and I came home early to Bill calling me to take a look at the bees. They were all going nuts! The hives were covered in bees going up and down the fronts. Dozens of bees flying around the front doors and bees piling up on each other. I can only assume that this was their reaction to the heat since it all settled down as the sun moved around.
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| Hot bees climbing front of hive |
Cool story
Bill and I were watching the bees around 6 pm (does it sound like we don't do anything but?). We started to notice strange activity at Hippolyta's hive. Bees were fighting other bees and flying away with them if they could. As we looked more closely, we realized that the bees being fought were not our bees. They were skinnier, longer and have whiter stripes. I assume they were trying to rob my perfect bees! I hope that my bees aren't doing the same elsewhere. After watching for awhile, I became human and decided to step in. I add an entrance reducer so that the guard bees would have a smaller opening to protect. After a bit, the fighting stopped and all was well. Meanwhile Elizabeth I next door, went on as if nothing was happening despite all the turmoil just two feet away!
The next morning I took the reducer out as I was leaving town and didn't want them to get too hot. At about the same time that evening, Bill texted me with the information that fighting was occurring again. He put the reducer in and we left it in after that for a couple of days. Not sure what all this means but it's good to know that my bees are feisty and will not tolerate these new bees.
CANADA DAY!!
I have officially had bees for one month. I decided that I should check to see if the bees needed more room. My reading told me that if at least 4 frames were full of bees and comb that it would be time to give them another super.
I opened Hippolyta first. There was no comb under the lid and it was fairly easy to get the lid off. Imagine my surprise to see every frame full of bees! I simply added another super without another look and closed up the hive. Next I went to Elizabeth I and again the lid came up easily. There was a bit of comb under the lid with a bit of honey in it. It was easy to clean up and since I have become proficient with the smoker, brush and the hive tool, I managed to do it without any casualties. Eight of the ten frames were covered in bees and comb! In both hives, I was able to put the new supers on gently and with no squishing of bees.
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| No burr comb under Hippolyta's lid! |
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| Little burr comb under Elizabeth I lid |
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| Proud three decker hives |
I had put the burr comb with the bit of honey in a bucket and placed it in front of the hive for the bees to clean up. When I went to get it it still had a bit of honey in it and Bill wanted to taste it. He tried it and pronounced it "perfume-y" so I tried it. The honey we were tasting was "unripe" honey and had not been ripened and capped by the bees yet. It still had its strong floral flavour. As you know, the bees have been enjoying the blossoms of the sage in our yard. This honey tasted of the sage blossoms...a strange, perfume-y, flowery, herbal flavour. Beautiful to taste a flower!
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| Comb from under the Queen Elizabeth I lid Dare I dream of surplus honey? I will have to investigate harvesting methods...so much to learn and it all sounds sticky. We are already talking about what my honey name/label should be. |
So Happy Canada Day, everyone...the sun is shining and the royal couple is spending their honeymoon with us.
"In many parts of Europe it was traditional to supply a newly married couple with enough mead (honey alcohol) for a month, ensuring happiness and fertility."
See...bees are important everywhere.
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