Photo Collection of Diverse Bees

An amazing collection of photos of different kinds of bees can be found on Flickr, courtesy of Nico.

I dream of capturing images like these.

Thanks to Global Swarming Honeybees for the link!

A Warm Winter & A Project

I'm no meteorologist, but it's been a warm winter. In mid-January, the porch bees were busy flying in and out of both entrances.

It was good weather for a beekeeper's list of winter projects.

Mark worked outside in short-sleeves to assemble bee boxes.

And, being the OCD kind of guy he is, he had it down to a science. Our bees deserve perfectly square boxes!

I love it when he concentrates so hard he sticks his tongue out. Adorable.

Cary Haycox, the art teacher at Heritage Academy came by to check out our hives and talk about a project. About a week after this photo was taken, Mark delivered 65 deep supers to the art room. The art students in the upper grades at Heritage Academy are going to paint our hive bodies. We're supplying the paint, Mr. Haycox is supervising the process, and we hope to have 65 unique and creative homes for our bees when we make our splits. Mark got the idea from one of the beekeeping magazines.

After the guys rode down to Bee Hill without me, I made Mark take me so I could get some photos. Bees were *everywhere*!

The entrance reducers prevented the bees from flying in and out easily, so it almost seemed like summer time when they beard on the outside of the hives.

Opportunities to fly during the winter are good in that the bees need cleansing flights -- they won't soil their own nests, so to speak. But, the downside is that all of the extra flying = more energy burned = more food consumed. We left them a lot of honey, but Mark needs to go around and check and make sure they all still have enough.

Beekeepers in south Mississippi are talking about splitting hives earlier than normal due to the warm weather. We have a bunch of henbit blooming across the road, and pear trees are starting to bud. And it's not even February yet! Hold on bees! Wait until it's time!

Surprises and Turning 40

Remember this necklace?

Remember this birthday post?

My dear friend Jana, the giver of good gifts, sent me *the bee necklace* in gorgeous sterling silver. I never imagined I'd see it in person, much less have one of my very own. Keri Lewis, wearing a fancy NYC designer's numbered jewelry. Look out, world, here I come! I was so surprised!

Not only that, she sent a sweet blue and white bee-embellished creamer, and a tea infuser with a bee charm. She has a gift for finding the perfect gift.

She made turning 40 less traumatic.

As did my sister Kellie, who put together an amazing scrapbook filled with notes from friends and photos that made me want to cut my hair.

As did Mark & Sarah, who bought me an assortment of tasty treats and helpful tools from The Choppin' Blok (yeah, they really spell it that way), a fancy cooking shop in Ridgeland, MS.

As did my friend Angela, who set up a surprise dinner party with several couples from church.

Angela, C. & his imaginary friends, Batman and Robin

As did my mother-in-law, who sent me flowers at work.

As did my friend Amelia, who made chocolate cake and icing *from scratch* and her daughter decorated it with the perfect amount of sprinkles.

And for a final birthday surprise, my parents are sending me and Mark to Florida for my college reunion, and we'll be driving right past the Dadant beekeeping supply store . . .it will be no surprise if we stop.

A new bee pest!

Richard has a post on his blog about the discovery of a new pest that is causing harm to honey bee colonies. This insect may be one factor in the mysterious confluence of causes for Colony Collapse Disorder.

Reading about it, I'm reminded of the movie "Alien" -- isn't that the one where nasty things explode out of someone's stomach?  Same idea here, as the phorid fly lays eggs in a bee's abdomen. These flies are known to parasitize bumblebees, which have a more solitary, seasonal lifespan. Imagine the damage they could do to colonies of bees that live year-round!

The good news, at least for our bees, is that these flies have been observed in California and South Dakota. We'll hope they stay far away from Mississippi.

Plus, today the temperature is supposed to reach at least 70 degrees, so our bees can fly about and enjoy the warmer weather. Enjoy your weekend!

Image taken from a preschool site, which means it likely came from somewhere else ...

Happy New Year, Friends!

January 1st is a special day -- it's our anniversary. Today Mark and I are celebrating four years of married life! He's so handsome!

Yesterday I made a new batch of bee tea, as warmer weather has seen the bees out flying. In fact, on Friday, they were experiencing traffic problems at the entrances to the hives on Bee Hill to the point they appeared to be bearding! The entrance reducers may keep out mice, but on warm Mississippi winter days, they also keep out the bees. I'm happy to report that all of the hives on Bee Hill appear to be thriving so far this winter.

Porch bees with pitcher of tea and feeder, back view.

Mark lifts the cover off the bees across the road.

One brave bee near the hole in the feeder board.

Today, we put clean feeders on two hives -- the one on the porch that is a single deep super, and the one over at our neighbor's place. The feeder across the road was a science fair project -- badly crystallized sugar had completely blocked the area where the bees access the feed. The feeder was nearly full of unused bee tea, and caked over with sugar crystals and dead ants. Blech! Although I followed the recipe, for some reason this batch of bee tea didn't stay liquid as long as it should have. Hopefully the new batch will be used quickly by the bees so they can benefit from it.

Surprisingly, we saw two different types of wildflowers in bloom. I recognized the purple henbit, but not the yellow flower. One day I'll get a proper book and learn these things as I should. We're delighted there's something out there for the bees to forage on when they come out on warm days.

If you want honey, we have just a few small jars left.  Let me or Mark know and we'll get it to you. Thanks for your continued support and interest. We love sharing our honey and bee stories with you!

Honey is going, going ...

Almost gone. If you need Prairie Blossom Bee Farm honey for yourself or as a gift, we're down to the end of this year's harvest. Call Mark at 662-418-4422 to make arrangements.

Dr. Weil says . . . honey is healthier than sugar.

Nutrition & alternative health guru Dr. Andrew Weil has a brief post about the health benefits of honey. He brings up something I've never heard before: because of its stickiness, honey can be worse for your teeth than refined sugar.