Working the hives

Being a beekeeper (or playing one) is even better than I thought it would be.

I’ve been in the hives a couple of times to check that the queen is laying eggs, that the workers are drawing out the comb, to feed them sugar-water and to generally ensure that things are progressing on schedule.

Actually getting into the hives is SO.  MUCH.  FUN.

You can’t think of anything else when you working with the bees.  No thoughts of work.  No thoughts of bills.  No thoughts of the other stresses in your life.  I am totally absorbed by what is going on in the hives.

And completely fascinated by what these girls are able to accomplish.

Last week I added another deep hive box to each hive.  This, we hope, will be where they store all “their” honey — the honey that they eat during the winter to get them through the time of year when they can’t go gather the necessary ingredients to make their food.  A lot of beekeepers call this hive box the “Winter Super” since it is the hive box that contains the honey for winter feeding.

I went into the hives this morning to see if the bees had started to draw comb on the frames in the winter super and how the brood comb (the comb where the baby bees are made) was looking.

I got stung once today and my finger hurts like a SOB.  The price you pay for the things you love.

I took a few pictures today, but it is hard to work the hives and take pictures at the same time.  Especially if you don’t want to get your camera equipment all dirty!

Love, love, love my bees.

Pollen sacs are full

 

Working a section of brood comb. If you look closely, you’ll see some larva

A new bee eating her way out of the comb

 

Three beautiful girls, all in a row

Being a Newbee

This is a really exciting time — Matt and I are going to do it — we’re going to start beekeeping.

I even got the Master Beekeeping uniform for Christmas:

Bring on the bees!

We bought “Beekeeping for Dummies” (though I am reluctant to call myself a dummy — just uneducated — I think “dummy” implies unable to learn).  And we took the first day of a two-day beginner’s beekeeping class this past Saturday.  We’re spouting all kinds of beekeeping vocabulary these days:  frames and foundation, deep hives and supers, varroa mites and top feeders, broods, drones, queens and workers.  We sound like we know about bees.

I want bees now!!  I can’t wait to see them build out the foundation, to try to see eggs, to see them start to make their honey.  It’s going to be hard not to have my nose in their business all the time.

Bring on the ladies!!