Day #190 The Birds and the Bees and the Raccoons

I’ve been feeding birds for decades, and they still fly off in fright whenever I open the door or step onto my porch. I don’t mind that, since their instantaneous flight is a survival mechanism.

When I lived in Vermont, we used to feed the raccoons, who would trustingly come right up onto our deck. One even crawled into my lap one day. I do NOT recommend this. When I think of the length of his teeth as he examined my face, I get goose bumps. It was a stupid thing to do. But, like most twenty-somethings, I thought I was invincible.

The sad thing was, within two years those 22 raccoons we’d been feeding on a regular basis were gone. I’m sure that when we taught them not to be afraid of humans, they forgot their instinctive tendency to flee or hide, so 22 Vermont hunters soon sported raccoon tails in their dead animal collections. I regret that exceedingly, because the raccoons were so very trusting.

The bees don’t fly away when I step onto the deck, nor do they even seem to pay much attention to me. But Tuesday I went out there to take out the two screws the H&L Bee Farm guy had used to make sure the lid wouldn’t come off as I drove the bees home.

The bees let me take out the one at the back end of the hive. But when I stepped up to the side, to reach the one on the front edge, the guard bees simply were not happy with me. I got the screw about an eighth of an inch up, and then a guard bee bumped my head.

“Okay, ladies,” I said. “We’ll do this in increments.”

I figure that if I can raise that screw one-eighth of an inch a day, it’ll take me just a little more than a week to get it out.

I’m okay with that. Let them protect their hive. And stay safe.

BEEattitude for Day # 190:

       Blessed are those who learn what we try to teach them, for we shall not sting them.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       The filtered sunlight shining through the trees as I write.   

http://www.franstewart.com

Day #179 Rats!

Friday morning I called H & L Bee Farm to be sure I could pick up my bees next week, and they said that half their shop had been destroyed by a tornado. Fortunately, nobody was hurt and only a few hives were blown over, but they’re still in a tizzy trying to get organized to put the packages of bees together,

GROAN

it may be another couple of weeks before I can pick up my girls.

ANOTHER GROAN

Still, let’s look on the bright side.

Ø  This way my bees will be avoiding all the heavy winds and thunderstorms that have beset Gwinnett County over the last week and look to be continuing for another few days at least.

Ø  My garden plants will be that much taller and that much closer to needing pollination.

Ø  The Mack truck that would have run me down if I’d driven to Ocilla this week will be somewhere else altogether when I drive down there later this month—see, the tornado at H&L saved my life!

Ø  I’ll have the time to watch that Installing Your Package of Bees DVD a couple more times, so I’ll be that much more ready.

Okay, now I feel better.

BEEattitude for Day # 179:

       Blessed are those who see the bright-side, for they shall avoid discouragement. If we bees got discouraged, nothing would ever be sweet!

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       Fudge made with honey. Yum!   

http://www.franstewart.com

Day #178 Feeling Encouraged

We had a Board meeting last night, where we sat over dinner and discussed what we want the Gwinnett Beekeepers Club to accomplish over the next year. It was lovely to see the enthusiasm of the other members. Each of us wants to encourage beekeeping and to educate people about the value of honeybees.

But the real value for me came when I mentioned that I’ll be picking up my bees next week. Instantly the experienced beekeepers were full of suggestions

v  stay calm,

v  be sure you take pictures because this is the only time you’ll open a package of bees for the FIRST time,

v  make sure the queen cage is placed in the middle of the hive body,

v  spray the bees a little bit—not too much, and

v  enjoy the process.

That was the big one—enjoy the process. It won’t help the bees one bit if I get all nervous and flustered. So, I have my checklist all made out, and I honestly think I’m as ready as I possibly can be.

Tomorrow I’m going to call the bee supply place to see if I can get an exact date for picking up my bees. Then I’ll be twiddling my thumbs, waiting for the big day and wondering if there’s anything I’ve forgotten. Maybe I’m not as ready as I think I am . . .

BEEattitude for Day # 178:

       Blessed are those who stay calm, for they shall not upset us.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       Doggie bags from restaurants.   

http://www.franstewart.com

Day #162 A Pretty Good Life

I heard from H & L Bee Farm, saying that the pick-up date for the bees probably won’t be until April 10^th. Part of me says phooey because I want to get them sooner, but another part of me is relieved. There’s still so much to do before they get here.

We’ve had so much rain I haven’t finished staining the deck yet. I don’t want to be slapping a paintbrush around while my bees are getting used to their new location.

Meanwhile, all those seeds my grandchildren and I started inside are outgrowing their little pots, but it’s still a bit too early to transplant them outside.

I don’t have my boxes branded yet, although my branding iron from Brand New is waiting patiently in what used to be the family room but is steadily being transferred into the Bee Equipment Launching Pad.

On top of work (5 doctoral dissertations and 2 novels to edit, plus my own book to write, a seminar presentation to prepare, and some book clubs to speak to), I agreed last week to serve as the treasurer for the Gwinnett Choral Guild. It’s a community 501(c)(3) choir, and I know I really should do my part, which is why I agreed to take on the position. Everybody’s busy, so the simple fact that I’m busy is not an excuse.

Still, I’m drawing a line here and now:

I’m not volunteering for ANYTHING ELSE!!!!!

I’ll work. I’ll do what’s necessary around the house. I’ll connect with my family and friends. I’ll give blood every other month. I’ll knit and sing. I’ll walk and garden and read. I’ll uphold my volunteer commitments, care for my cats, take care of myself, and play at beekeeping.

Come to think of it, that sounds like a pretty good life, doesn’t it?

BEEattitude for Day # 162:

       Blessed are those who know what they want to do in life, for they shall be infinitely satisfied.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       My comfy old sweatpants    

http://www.franstewart.com

Day #103 Ah-ha! A Solution to My Dilemma

All this time I've wasted grumbling about not having a table saw—and yesterday the light dawned. I called H & L Bee Farm, the people I bought my five-frame garden hive from several months ago, and asked if they would be willing to sell me the hive components so that I could put them together and paint them myself.

The answer? Yes!

So, I'll pick up those extras (one cover, one deep hive body, and five honey supers) when I get my bees in eight more weeks or so. By the time my bee colonies are ready to split, I'll have happy new homes ready for them to move into. And I'll be able to use top bars instead of foundation, so I'll be able to harvest delicious comb honey. If you're wondering what I'm talking about, go back to Day #1, where I explain what foundation is.

Now I just have to decide what color to paint the new hive. Any suggestions?

BEEattitude for Day # 103:

       Blessed are those who are open to inspiration, for they shall be pleasantly surprised.

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       My old high school buddy, Ellen, who said she’d send me some Macadamia Nut Honey from her sister-in-law in Hawaii.

Day #91 Bees in Eleven Weeks

Happy 1-11-11  !-!!-!!

After writing yesterday's blog about planning ahead -- just in case, I looked at my calendar and did some counting. I'll be driving to south Georgia in just eleven weeks (or maybe twelve, depending on when H and L Bee Farm has them ready) to pick up my honey bees.

The trouble is -- I don't know what the heck I'm going to do with them when they're here. Oh, I know lots of bee theory. I've read dozens of books and perused multiple internet sites about beekeeping, written by highly knowledgeable beekeepers. Part of me feels prepared. And part of me is scared speechless.

You know what I'm having the most trouble with? Lighting the blinkin' smoker. Smokers can be fancy copper, or utilitarian steel. I'm showing you a picture of each. Mine's the steel one.

A beekeeper uses smoke to calm bees before opening the hive. A smoker is a special gadget that provides a place for the smoke-producing fuel, a spout to funnel that smoke out in a particular direction, a bellows to push air into the fuel chamber to increase the amount of said smoke. That's about it.

Those suckers get hotter than you-know-what, so one is advised to have some handy bricks or a concrete block nearby on which to sit the smoker once the bees are settled down.

It needs to be nearby so the beekeeper can quickly add more smoke as necessary (in case the bees get a bit of an attitude).

Fine.

How the heck do you keep the thing lit?

I've watched videos about it. I've read descriptions of what to do. I even watched an experienced beekeeper light a smoker when I was first getting interested in keeping bees. So, I know how to do it, right?

Tell that to the incalcitrant smoker sitting on the bricks on my back deck. I can't get it to keep burning. I get one or two big poofs of smoke out of it, and then it dies.

I have only eleven weeks (or twelve) to figure this out.

HELP!

BEEattitude for Day # 91:

       Blessed are those who remain calm, for they shall accomplish more. 

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       For heaven's sakes, bees, quit telling me to remain calm when I'm in a panic attack ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !  

       Forget I said that. I'm grateful for you preachy old bees, because you're usually right, doggone it.

Day #60 More book titles from the bees

Well, if there's one fan of BeesKneesBeekeeping who is keeping me in stitches, it's Petie from Houston. She and her whole family take this blog to heart. I've gotten more comments from Petie than from anybody else. On day 58, when I was talking about Bee's Book Titles, she came up with:

Gone with the Wing,

Inherit the Hive,



         and

To Hive or Hive Not

I dare you to top these! 


       And for some reason, nobody's groaned out loud yet about The Agony and the ExtraBee. I thought it was pretty funny...

BEEattitude for Day # 60:

       Blessed are those who like to play with words. We're not sure why, but they seem to laugh a lot, and they send off healthy vibrations that we bees can sense. 

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       People who write very clear instructions. (It's an art that isn't always followed.) 

[Photos are from the public domain,

except for the "Rubber Duck Yellow Deluxe Garden Hive" from H & L Bee Farm]

Day #48 The Family History of Bees?

Bees don't need genealogy. When 80,000 bees in the hive are all sisters and have the same mother and won't be having children themselves, it seems a little silly to chart them.

I suppose serious bee breeders like to know where their queens come from. I'll be buying a particularly gentle breed of bees next Spring, and I suppose I'm glad the H&L Bee Farm people know what they're doing, but the bees themselves couldn't care less.

They know when a queen is failing -- not laying enough eggs -- and they get rid of her and create a new queen. Then the new one flies off and mates with whatever drones she finds in the drone-gathering place. Those drones have congregated from miles around -- no telling what their genetics are.

So, after a while, my H&L gentle bees will probably evolve into their own little family with traits that I might not have counted on when I got the original batch. That's life, folks. And it's a logical consequence of "natural beekeeping," letting the bees what they do naturally. Come to think of it, the new queen might mate with drones that are even gentler. Wouldn't that be great?

I've read in several bee books that if an undesirable trait (such as bloodthirstiness?) crops up, it's my job as a bee-keeper to isolate the queen and - - - gulp! - - - squoosh her. I don't know if I'd be able to do that. Hopefully I've never have to find out.

If I do -- you'll read about it here, and you'll just have to imagine the tearsdrops spotting the page.

For now, though, all is well on Frannie's back deck. Of course, there aren't any bees there yet.

BEEattitude for Day # 48:

       Blessed are those who let well enough alone, for they have have a much simpler life. 

One thing Fran is grateful for right now:

       My granddaughter who called me on Thanksgiving Day. Remembering our conversation lightens my heart. 

[All photos are from the public domain unless noted otherwise.]

Day #29 My new end table

Imagine this:


Rubber Duck Yellow Hive from H&L Bee Farm

                      








Imagine it sitting in my dining area where I have to walk around it every time I want to go to the kitchen.




Now imagine it sitting in my living room as an end table. Much better, eh? It will have to sit there only until late March or early April, when the bees arrive.

What did I do with the previous end table?
             I'm taking it to Goodwill tomorrow.

What will I do when I lose this end table?
             Buy another hive - maybe a blue one, so I'll be ready when my bees outgrow the yellow hive.

BEEattitude for Day # 29:

       Blessed are they who can laugh at their furniture, for they shall not be tied to meaningless things. 

One thing I’m grateful for right now:

       The new gate on my back deck.