Bee’versary

We passed our first anniversary as beekeepers.  They survived the winter!  It was my big fear that they wouldn’t, but we are definitely out of winter now.

I get a big kick of thinking back to our drive to go pick up our package of bees last year.  I was brave and walked out confidently to get our little wooden box to bring home.  The young man held out the buzzing package.  I began to reach, but then hesitated.  There was a lone bee walking on the outside of the box.  I made a little pointing gesture at the bee, and with an almost audible “Ahh,” –as confusion turned to understanding–he removed the bee for me, so I could take the box from him.

His next thought may or may not have been “noob”, but he didn’t say it out loud–which I am grateful for.  Beekeeping really is a trial by fire experience, and our trial was at the end of the drive home.   We just had to jump in and do it.  A year later I love the bees, and am so comfortable with them that I go sit by their hive often to watch them.

The other day we were at our neighbors’ house checking out their new chickens.  Owen had been eating something sweet, and as we were standing there and I had my arms around him a bee landed on his hand to check out the smell.  I held his hand still as the bee walked over it.

Owen trusted me, and I trusted the bee. “Please don’t sting him, please don’t sting him!”  But of course there was no reason for the bee to sting him, and we both let out a sigh as the bee flew away.  That was so brave of my boy, but that’s what the bee’s respect.  We worked with the bees this weekend, and I had to catch myself–our natural reaction (which angers the bees) is to swat at them– but a number of times I had to physically restrain myself, take a deep breath, and gently brush a bee from my skin.

We’ve come a long way in one year, me and the bees.

We only ever bought one set of bee gear–for Jeremy.  I’ve cobbled together my own beekeeping outfit–which works great, an old pair of khakis and work shirt.  A sun hat with a homemade veil.  And Jeremy and I work side by side.

We let the bees go too long between visits this time though–just a couple of weeks.  It’s amazing how fast their population exploded this spring.

We found a number of these.  Swarm cells maybe?, but they seem too small.  There was nothing inside and they didn’t look “chewed” out of, so maybe they were getting them ready, but hadn’t put larvae in them yet?

We added a super on top, so hopefully that will occupy their interests, but we still may be dealing with a hive that want’s to swarm on us.

Looking in the hive is always so fascinating.  We love the colors of pollen in this frame.  who knew there was red and purple pollen?

The structure of the comb, and the fruits of the bees efforts are all just amazing to observe.  We are smitten, and now will be beekeepers for life.