June 4, 2011 Beautiful day, sunshine, scattered high clouds, 83°, with a breeze...good day to open the hive to check if they need more space. We wait for warm weather when a good number of bees are out foraging to open the hive and so they don't have to work so hard to rewarm the interior to optimum 95 deg.
Here's a copy of my email to Jody this morning describing the hive opening and responding to her note about apitherapy (healing with bees), etc. (Jody hived bees a week before us and shares lots of great info and experience and most especially her enthusiam for beekeeping.)
Hi Jody, I read about apitherapy in the introduction of someone's web site about beekeeping where he had climbed a tree to get stung for a shoulder injury that wasn't healing and which healed quickly after that. Other than that I knew little about it--had heard of sugar injections many years ago and assumed this was similar. and yes, I figured the bees would have to die, unless they are wasps which I just learned can sting up to five times and often without provocation...nasty little guys. Had one following me in the garden yesterday...knew he wasn't one of mine!
The bees here are foraging as soon as the temp reaches 50 degrees and it's not raining. I looked in the hive yesterday mid-afternoon when it was 83 deg and many were out. Could see them resting on bar 12 and working on bars 11 and 10. Didn't go back further into where the brood would be. Tried the bee herder tool—works great at moving them off the comb. Bees strung together from bar 12 back to bar 10 with some having pollen on their legs. Pretty interesting, too, as we saw them "bee chaining" up to 4" so I looked that up: it's called 'festooning' see http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2009/05/inspecting-and-festooning.html and also note in the article the tunnel the bees have made...cool--I want to see if that's on ours when we harvest honey. She also shows how they draw separate startup combs on the frame and join them into the whole. We've seen two of those things happening...so our bees are normal. (I feel like a new parent checking with others to be sure my child is normal--or above average, but at least not weird!)
They didn’t appear agitated by my intrusion and no water spray needed; only wore the hat and long sleeves/pants. Although they were flying like crazy Lee was game to suit up and take pictures. Added one 1/8” spacer and bar 14; closed hive after about 3 min. (Someday when it's really warm and you're here, I will say let's take it all apart for a photo op and that's where I need you say very adult-like "no, Lorraine, we don't do that" ;-)...and you'll most likely say okay, right?!)
Later in the evening without protective garb I removed that lowest screen that I had cut away and bent out; not many bees going and coming but they didn't bother me at all even though there was screeching from nail pulling and wire ripping noises. I am not sure this hive has guard bees... Then I could easily see them hanging down through the 1/4" wire still at the bottom of the hive below where the brood combs would be situated.
Have you noticed people with multiple hives name them some pretty creative labels? I haven't yet found the "right name"...you?
Okay, it's time to quit beeing and get on with the day otherwise! I'll probably post this to my blog rather than writing a new missive. Got some good comments back from readers.
(end of email to Jody)
June 5, 2011 Today we have pictures from yesterday...a good showing of the top of the closed hive, one showing what the bees look like from the top opening, and two from below looking up into the hive. Looking up you can see bees are covering bar 12 with bars 13 and 14 showing to the right. There is wire mesh at the open bottom of the hive to prevent marauders like mice; usually have the sticky board in place under the wire with a 1/4" open space, which will be closed off during winter.
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