Michael checked the bees today to see how they were coming along with honey production. The one hive has put up plenty of honey to get them through the winter. The other hive has also put up honey stores for the winter, but they have added to the supers for our use. However, they have not capped the honey yet so this means that it still isn't ready for us to take. The bees will not cap the honey until the humidity level is correct. Michael said we will probably get honey somewhere between the end of August and the middle of September.
I have a love/hate relationship with bees. I love the honey, but I am not happy with the bees themselves. Every time I go close to the hive, I get stung. The little critters even stung me in the middle of winter one year. I can't tell you how many times I have had bees get lost in my hair. Michael, man with NO hair, says just stand still and they will fly out in a bit. (Yea, right. Like a bee has ever got lost in his hair)! Well it happened to me again this evening. I waited until Michael had checked the hives. He had put everything back together, and he was headed back to the house. I met him on the road. I was keeping my distance that it why I chose to stand in the middle of the road. He came over to give me a status report of the honey situation. As we were chatting, a neighbor drove by and stopped to talk. Right in the middle of the conversation while I am still standing in the middle of the road, a bee flew into my hair and got lost. I was doing a jig in the middle of the road trying my best not to get stung. The whole time MR. NO Hair himself was laughing at me and reminding me that I probably should be mindful of cars. I figured cars would just stop and wait for my dance of the bees to come to an end. Finally I did catch the little critter, and I smashed it dead in between the strands of my hair so I wouldn't get stung. I won!!! I think that is the first time I have ever managed to get a bee out of my hair dead or alive without being stung!!! I decided next time I would just wait for him to come into our home and give me a status report without the extra excitement of the bees. I believe the hairspray I use must attract the bees to my hair. I just know that there is always at least one bee trying to get in my hair.
The second picture is of a bee swarm we had several years ago. I thought it was such a great picture. I truly find them fascinating when they swarm. It is an awesome sight to behold. Maybe on another occasion I can relay how to properly move a hive of bees if you have to relocate. Let's just say it was a night to remember, and I wasn't very happy. Mr. NO Hair seemed to get along alright. I abandoned my post and ran back into the house screaming at the top of my lungs in the middle of the night!! I am happy to say that it took us a second try to move the hives, but I held my ground and stayed at my position. Again I wasn't happy, but I made it to the end...praying ALL the time.
grace and peace,
julie
2 comments:
Your post had me cracking up. Especially the "Mr. NO Hair" part.
Until recently I had no idea beekeeping was such an ordeal. Growing up, my friend's family kept bees. We would go out to the hives, keep fairly near the house, in our shorts and halter tops to collect honey. Never got stung although the bees certainly flew around us and even landed on us. Yes, in our hair too. And I hate to say this (at the expense of sounding like I'm on Mr. NO Hair's side), but...we would just be as still as possible and calm and eventually, they came out.
Perhaps it was because the hives were handled so frequently? I don't know. That was my only experience with bees. Maybe their like mosquitoes, they are attracted to some people more than others.
Dreamer,
I am glad you enjoyed the tale. That was nothing compared to the night we moved the bees!
We have lived in 3 different houses here in Tn. Each setting was totally different for keeping bees. Our first place was a rental house, and I think the bees did the very best there. The 2nd house was a disaster for keeping bees. For whatever reason all of our bees wanted to swarm. We had several swarms that year, and basically our hives died because our bees just kept flying away. With the farm we have now, the wind is the biggest factor. We have lost several hives because of being blown over by the wind. But with all of our many different packages of bees, one thing remains the same...they all want to sting me. I too have thought that maybe they are like mosquitos preferring some people over others. I just happen to think I am MUCH sweeter than Mr.NO Hair so they just like me best of all!!!
grace and peace,
julie
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