New bees, new hope

May 22, 2013

Me with my first hive of 2013

I received my new bees from Dave Gale last night!  He breeds his own queens so this is an Ontario queen.  Genetically a bit of Buckfast, an English bee and whatever else flies around his home on the east edge of London.   It looks like a very healthy hive.

The pick up of this hive was slightly bitter sweet as Dave has lost 100 hives in the two weeks since I dropped off my box to be filled.  His hives that are situated at his home are fine due to "pesticide-free" London but most of his hives are in farm country where the fields are being planted.  His bees probably came in contact with the famous and terrible pesticides we have all been hearing about, neonicitinoids.  He still honoured our deal for a nuc and so I have his queen and bees and plan on taking very good care of them.  Dave has been getting calls from as far away as Manitoba and Michigan from hopeful beekeepers looking for healthy queens since everyone is having trouble this spring.

I am still waiting for my second hive which will come from John Van Blyderveen in Burgessville.  He has imported his queens from Australia but he is also struggling with a major loss of his bees...probably 100 hives as well.  It is a tough time for beekeepers and their bees if they are in the country.  Ironically, urban bees might have a better chance of it.

I am excited to start beekeeping again.  I will try to beekeep naturally, without chemicals.  I will feed the bees with capped honey on frames that I saved from last year and use open frames to let the bees build cells their own size and not what humans have prescribed.  There's my mantra.  This blog will let you know how I do.

Happy Spring to everyone!

PS:  My Ontario queen needs a name and when the Australian queen arrives, she will too.  Send me your suggestions please!