Good Friday

Still a speck of snow hanging on in the dark places, but 70 degrees and flying bees gave me the courage to open my hives. Imagine my delight when the "Woodstock" top bar hive revealed this magical comb. Lots of pollen being brought into the hives. I am feeding with honey until the "dent de lion" are up. (French for "lion's tooth", the origin of dandelion) It was a very "good" Friday...

My Bad

Oh my...sometimes I feel so inept. I am learning to be more careful when dealing with other lives. I opened the cover of the Greeting Garden hive today......and saw no bees. I got out my trusty hive tool and pried open the top to see what had happened....bees boiled out. They were all huddled in the southwest corner of the hive where I couldn't see them. I apologized profusely and closed the hive back up. Everyone got fed honey and I won't be bothering them again until it is much warmer. All three hives made it through the winter, despite my ineptitude and bumbling as a first year beekeeper. Thank you. I am grateful.

January Thaw

Mid 40's. A few bees flying and bee poop in the snow! Be still my heart, that means there are live bees...... (bees don't defecate inside the hive, but hold it until there is a break in the weather and then take a "cleansing flight" to relieve themselves) This is my first winter with the bees and I think of them all the time, like a mother whose teenager just got their license; you have this kind of awareness and slight anxiety....are they ok? will they be safe? Breathe...deeply....and wait until spring.

Apitherapy

"Today is a day of thanksgiving to the bees." said Dr. Amber Rose as we sat gathered in her sunny living room high on a mountain in the Catskills above Woodstock. We were there to learn about "injecting" bee venom (placing a bee against the skin so the stinger and venom sac are left) into acupuncture points to stimulate immune response and healing. Being the bee lovers that we all are, we were concerned about "sacrificing" bees but decided that as it was done with respect and for the healing of the human condition that it was ok. The bees, as you know, die after losing their stinger. Dr. Rose is a licensed acupuncturist who studied apitherapy with the master, Charles Mraz, and has traveled to China where apitherapy has been practiced for thousands of years. It was a lovely afternoon of magical bee medicine. As Dr. Rose said, bees are the "ruby red slippers that help you find your way home". I believe that to be true. Thank you, bees.

Saying goodbye

The bees are less and less visible now. They are going within. Good reminder for me to be in the flow; slow down, rest, explore my interior world and plan for the spring. Bought 4 more bales of straw today and finished the wind block around the Greeting Garden hive. They are the Georgia bees and I don't think they are sure about this Catskill Mountains cold, but they are as protected as they can be. Put an entrance reducer on the Barn Garden hive and noticed that they had propolized the vent except for a tiny little bee sized hole. (3/8", I'm sure) They are still feeding heavily. The mountain bees from the Woodstock hive are pretty nonchalant and were feeding in the "western vestibule" (empty end of the tbh), enjoying the afternoon sun. I miss seeing them and think about them gathering into their winter cluster, shuddering their little wings to stay warm. I can't imagine life without them.....

November feeding, cont

Friday the 13th, another warm November day....filled the feeder jars to the top with Montgomery Place honey, probably for the last time. I hope this late season feeding gives them a boost as foraging was impacted this year by all the rain. Feeding with honey is more expensive than "bee tea" but is probably better for their gut than the cane sugar solution. (Montgomery Place uses mite treatment though, which I do not, and I had to weigh that risk/benefit ratio...but it's only for this year.) My friend, Kim, was with me and that extra pair of hands was appreciated. Put a straw bale up against the north side of the Woodstock hive and covered it with a tarp and snugged straw on the east and north sides of the hive stand on the Greeting Garden hive to block that crazy Vly Valley winter wind. (it's the nor'easters that seem to bring a lot of snow) I will get more straw next week to finish the process; I've been doing staggered winterizing based on the weather. I am still debating the "wrap or not wrap the hives" question but think I will, leaving the southern facing exposures open. All of my hives get good sun and bees are all about the sun! I know that ventilation is important to prevent dampness from condensation inside the hive. Only spring will tell if my actions were the right ones. So many little bee lives at stake...... I am praying to the bee gods/goddess that they have the strength to make it. Amen.

Spilled honey

Cloudless blue skies and 68 degree weather, a perfect day for feeding bees! They went wild when I uncapped the honey jar I brought with me from Montgomery Place in Tivoli. Some just dove head-first into the jar before I could recap it after filling the feeding jars. I fished them out with a stick and placed them gently on the hive. Much to my delight, I watched their sister bees come and loving clean them up so they could fly again! Lesson learned; probably better when working with honey for feeding to do it early (or late) in the day before they're out and about as the smell of it sends them into a frenzy when they're hungry. I filled all three hive feeders and watched the Bacchanal. They devoured what was left on the inside of the lid, the inside of the quart jar and any spills. This coming week will be more winterizing which I have been doing in a staggered manner depending on the weather. I didn't want to do it too early and have them overheated. I spent all afternoon watching their activity which is never boring. My little friends....