Monthly Archives: June 2012
Happy bees returning with the goods
I checked the hive yesterday afternoon and early this morning, and about every 10 seconds a worker bee would return with full of orange or white pollen. Occasionally I was seeing some yellow as well. This weekend I’ll open up the hive and check to see if they have started to fill out the three … Continue reading
Getting sloppy with protective clothing
I’ve only had the bees for 24hrs, and I’m already getting sloppy. Thankfully this is with my clothing, and not with the bees themselves. I went to check on the bees a few minutes ago, and donned my shoes (no socks or rubber bands around my ankles), and pulled over a jacket and veil. Once … Continue reading
9:55 AM and all is well
My parental instincts, or just plain curiosity took over, so I removed the feeder so I could see down the top slot and see if there were still bees, or really so that I could see there were bees that were alive, having feared I had drowned them. And of course, they are fine. From the … Continue reading
No activity outside the hive
It’s still a cloudy day, but I don’t see a single bee outside the hive a 7:30am, a few hours after dawn. It’s not raining, but it’s certainly not a bright “beach day”. I checked their feeder, and with just a rough measurement, it doesn’t look like they have been drinking it. I’m a little … Continue reading
Syrup feeder installed
About 30 minutes after installing the hive, I got the feeder installed on the top board, and put an extra super around it so that the top could go back on the hive. The feeder is just a “2 cup” Mason jar filled with 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar, with a … Continue reading
The hive is operational
After a thankfully uneventful drive down from Boston, I quickly set up a camera and got the hive mounted on its stand near the opposite end of the property from our house. I think the slightly rainy day helped, as the bees were calm considering they had just been moved into a new house, and a … Continue reading
10,000 Bees and Me
Tomorrow morning, I drive to Jamaica Plain, pick up 10,000 bees in a box, and drive them for two hours to Cape Cod. 10,000 stinging insects, with enough venom to kill several horses, confined in my SUV, with me. What could go wrong?
Bear transported “off Cape”
The roving bear saga on Cape Cod has ended, and a lot of beekeepers are breathing a sigh of relief. The bear was “darted” last night, and brought to western Massachusetts where it was released into the woods. Just in time, as my bees arrive tomorrow!
But bees sting!
“Will you get stung”? I get asked that question all the time, and of course the answer is “eventually, yes”. But before you recoil at the thought, and fear for your own safely, remember that honey bees are very gentle insects. Unless you are a plant, they have no interest in even being near you … Continue reading
My bees are almost ready
On Wednesday, June 13, 2012, I will drive outside of Boston, pick up 10,000 bees, put them in the back of my SUV, and drive almost 2 hours down into Cape Cod. Ten thousand stinging insects and me… In a car… Stuck in traffic at the Sagamore bridge. What could go wrong? With any luck, … Continue reading