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Sleeping Bees Come To Life

The intimidating, knee-deep snow has given way to a spring-like path smelling of dirt, fermenting apples and ever so faintly… of honey.  Not a good sign actually, as we want the bees to have eaten all of the honey.  Our first peek at these slumberous ladies of the white hive showed us real hope for a colony that made it through the winter.  While there’s still a ways to go before we can breathe a sigh of success and the bees have flowers to give them sustenance, it was encouraging and exciting to say ‘hello’ after such a long winter.  Sadly, it seems we will also need to say ‘farewell’ as the purple hive, after peeking, some flashlight action, tapping and even some sugar to entice, revealed not one bee.  Mites seem to be the issue, and apparently from the very beginning when the nuc came to us.

Joe the beekeeper

I can conclussively say that tending bees is akin to tending a garden – the hope for better this year is a spring not to be surpressed.

The ladies of the white hive with lots of granulated sugar to sustain them until the flowers of spring make their appearance.

Feeding the bees after a long winter

Fair winds, ladies of the purple hive.

Joe, the bee guy, with Rebecca, The Most Excellent Gardener and their daughter Gabriella.

The bee guy and his family!

3 Comments

  • Harold
    March 14, 2011 at 9:01 pm

    The bee is such a busy soul
    he has no time for birth control.
    Thst’s why in times such as these,
    there are so many sons of bees!
    -credit to Ogdon Nash (I think)

    Reply
  • Carol Thomas
    March 14, 2011 at 9:12 pm

    The beekeeper at work uses sugar syrup, not sugar for the bees. I don’t know why but he goes through the step of making cane sugar into syrup. He also lost hives this year.

    C

    Reply
  • Annie Mahle
    March 15, 2011 at 11:30 am

    I understand we will be using a simple syrup as well. Now I need to find out what the difference is!

    Reply

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