Our girls get the job done!

A few weeks ago, Mark got a call from a man who has a very interesting garden on the edge of Columbus. Bob grows tomatoes year-round, and he grows row upon row of cucumbers, squash and peppers in pots, all fed though a drip system of water that is exactly the pH he wants it to be and contains fertilizer.

Bob needed bees. He noticed he didn't have any pollinators visiting his squash and cucumber blooms, and if he didn't get some pollinators, his garden wouldn't produce. So Mark set up a hive, and on 5/27 we drove out to check on them. They're doing well, they're not aggressive, Bob's got cucumbers growing like crazy -- nice and straight -- and he has fallen in love with the bees.

"Where are my guards? Usually I have about 12 bees on the sides of the opening there," he said. "I come out and watch them, and I read they don't start work until 8 o'clock, but these will be up and working around 6!" he bragged. He was tickled with how hard our girls work!

Bob bought a book to learn more about the bees. He chatted about behaviors he's observed, how quickly they ate the sugar water he put out for them . . . all in the tone of voice I've heard in those of us who are engaged in this hot and perplexing task called beekeeping because we are fascinated with the insects.

I suspect that Bob is going to end up becoming a beekeeper himself.

Photo highlights:

Bob is at the end of the growing season for these tomatoes -- they were planted last July!

Yellow squash growing like crazy.

These bees are picture-perfect brood makers -- just the right pattern of brood with honey stored on the corners.

While Mark chatted with Bob, I watched the bees in the box.

 Thanks, Robert, for taking the photos!

An online seminar on how swarms choose a new home.

Linda's post links to author Tom Seeley's online seminar on his work studying "honeybee democracy."

You can see clear video of the famous waggle dance. You can also see video of bees piping the message, "ladies, warm up your flight muscles!"

It's a fascinating and easy-to-understand lesson on swarm behavior. It runs about an hour, which may seem long, but it's still shorter than reading his book. ;-)

Three hives for Prairie Wildlife

Remember Hattie?

Mark has been working with her bees to get them ready to move. On Friday night, 5/26, Mark and I went out to eat at Pop's BBQ in Columbus, sold 3 jars of honey while we were there, then went to Hattie's to move the bees. In the near dark, Mark stapled screens to the front entrance to keep the bees from flying out, and carried them to the truck. Lightning bugs kept me entertained while he dealt with the work!

Saturday morning we got up early and were on the road before 6 a.m. We drove to Prairie Wildlife, where Mark set out 2 hives, and newspaper-combined a third because it was queenless. (Well, Mark had killed the queen because these were some seriously aggressive bees.) It was a lovely sunrise, with mist rising off of the pond, ducks waddling in the road, and morning glories blushing in the early light. It was also lovely because we stopped at Hoover's Bakery afterward and got apple fritters.

Photo highlights:

Sunrise from the truck.

The pond in the morning mist.

This is the row of hives after Mark got done adding the new colonies.

This is a slatted bottom board before the oil trap slides in below. It gives the bees more room and air circulation during the hot summer.

Hive Contest Winners

Thanks to everyone who voted in our contest!

Here are our lovely and talented winners! The photo and descriptions below are from Cary Haycox, the art teacher.

"The winners are left to right:

Anna Kalarski (pink card: 2nd place, #3, flower power)

Caitlyn McClain (yellow card: 3rd place, #5, hexagon)

Tori Fields (blue card: 1st place - #8, stripes)

 

The guys in back from left to right:

Cary Haycox (Visual Art Teacher)

Mr. Tommy Gunn (HA Headmaster)

and you know the big guy

 

Please let Mark know the honey was a huge success and everyone that tried it, really enjoyed it.  I let some students spoon some from my bottle and wound up going home with a third of it gone."

 

One idea Cary had for next year is giving students the option of painting one board, or working with a group to pain an entire super, as apparently some felt intimidated by so much space to fill. For our pilot project, I think the students did a beautiful job -- I couldn't be more pleased. Thanks, Cary, and HA students!

The number of supers on the front porch is dwindling, but our family's favorites will likely be the last to go out to the bee yards. I'm considering swiping one to put out by our driveway and turn it into a flower box, but I don't know if my husband would appreciate that!

Robbing the Bees, by Holley Bishop

Last night I finished a marvelous book that satisfied my longing to know more about bees and beekeeping history without reading a dry, musty old volume written in the 1800s. Bishop's book is very well-written, thoroughly researched, and fun. Thanks to Audrey for the recommendation!

You can read my review on my other blog, Keri Recommends.

Image from The Nibble.

A Swarm Makes a Home in Steens

A week ago tonight Mark and I drove to the home of some friends in Steens who had graciously allowed us to hang a swarm trap in their tree last year. When we arrived, Sol was mowing. Don had no idea we were coming or that there were bees in the trap, which made me feel much better about the state of communication in my marriage. ;-)

Retrieving the trap went smoothly, even when the lid started to fall off and Mark caught it with his ungloved hand. A couple of nights ago, Mark inspected the box and determined the bees were not making use of the frames above them but continuing to build in the trap, so he conducted a relocation project. He said they're very docile bees (they must take after Troy) and nice to work with after the Delta bees.

Photo highlights:

We put the entire trap inside 2 deep boxes for transport.

This swarm went to the back yard for now.

If you're a beekeeper and you're thinking about getting this type of trap, it's important to understand that they're not easy to use, in terms of getting bees and comb out once they've settled in. Mark will likely be making his own traps from now on.

Do pesticides impact pollen and bees?

On Friday, May the 4th, these two light saber- vacuum-wielding grad students came to Prairie Blossom Bee Farm to harvest some bees from our hives -- about 100 bees total. They set up a piece of screen to increase their chances of capturing bees before they slipped into the hive with their baskets full of pollen.

Nice bee vacuum!

I wonder how they found us?

Thanks, Harry & Angus! ;-)

 My understanding is that they are going to test the pollen our bees gather now, and then test again later in the summer, to check the pesticide load in the pollen.

I'm excited that MSU is conducting research on this important topic. Hopefully their findings will help bee colonies all over America thrive.