Duplication. Belonging to two forums makes for telling a tale here, telling a tale there, thank goodness for copy and paste, smiling.
Oh brother. So yesterday went out to do a hive inspection on my two bee colonies, way out the back on the property. So nicely moved a few weeks ago, from the horse riding arena, they moved beautifully and oriented to their new location (about 200 feet) easily, no lost bees. I was worried about it, as I have never moved bees from one location on a property to another.
I left all my "stuff" out there in an empty bee box. Knowing full well that one day I would need to don my hat and veil and do an inspection. My hive tool, my veil, a bucket for water, all kinds of stuff, oh yes, my smoker, the burlap (lucky the burlap was in a bucket with a lid). Everything I would need for the inspection.
So....I get the smoker going, good and strong, nice, blue, cool smoke (burlap is the best), the top lid off the two colonies, water set up, all ready to go. I pull out my safari hat/veil and there is no stuff left inside the hat that holds the hat on the head. It is like a leather band that can expand to make the band tighter or looser, dependent upon how big one's head is (I have a small head), it is all chewed apart, half there, half not. Hmmmm....and rats. Oh well, no problem, the hat is feeling a little loose, but that is OK.
So I put the veil on over the hat. It sits on top of the hat and has draw strings to wrap around my torso, to pull it tight, so no bee can sneak up and into the veiled area. Well, there was string before. Wonder where it went. No, all I have is a veil with no draw string. Well, that ain't just gonna work. The bees can slip up easily, and trust me, they will and they will want to examine who is looking inside their home. And....the veil has a big hole in it too now, a chew hole. Wonder who did that. Any guesses?
The examination day is over. The hat is OK, but the veil now needs work. I have to thread a new draw string and mend a hole (yes, the bees would have found that quarter size hole too).
I guess I could have donned my full beekeeper's uniform, the one that is white from head to toe, a heavy, beautiful cotton. It has a veil attached, but I find it too hot and cumbersome for this type of warm weather. It is safe and sound in our container living within a rubbermaid that cannot be opened. Hey....maybe I should check and see if the mice have bitten a hole through the rubbermaid, never thought about that one.
I like my safari hat and veil. I can work the bees on the hottest summer day, wearing my jeans and a tank top. It is cool and I don't mind the little critters crawling on me, feels kind of cool actually, smiling. Wearing this small amount of clothing whilst working the bees allows me to stay cool, so I don't sweat (bees do not like sweat, nor do they like the human breath). Think the human breath reminds them of a big bear breathing their big, bad, bear breath on them. Probably just the carbon dioxide they don't like, but if you wanna see a mad bee, blow on it. Well, sometimes I blow gently on the bee frame to move them over a bit, or push them with my finger, and they move, but don't breath a big, strong, blowing human breath on them -- they really do get angry.
So. Back to where I was. I put out the smoker (stuffed the opening thick and deep with green growing stuff), waited for it to go completely out. Never leave a smoker going, that could be dangerous. I rearranged a few of the old, empty boxes, kicked a few mice out of them, put the empty boxes (well, empty of bees, they have drawn comb and used empty frames) on top of some particle board which I put over the pallets. There was 3 mice that had taken up residence in two of the boxes. That was because I had the boxes only on pallets and they could slip in. Sorry mice. You can't live in my empty bee boxes. Finished up tidying up the kind of messy, boxes all over the place, apiary, and then off I went. To try and fix the veil, the hat is a gonner, just gonna have to live with a sloppy fitting hat.
so much for the hive inspection. We are going away for a few days, I wanted the inspection done prior to leaving, but today it is raining. Bees don't like their home disturbed when it is raining, nor do they like it on a thundery, windy day, so I have to pick and chose days carefully, smiling that big smile. Worried about swarming of course, this is the time of year. Best I can do is to super the bees and give them a box of foundation frames. That will keep them busy building comb, hopefully if they haven't began intention of swarming, this will keep them busy enough until I get back.
I have left a couple of empty boxes with frames, some drawn comb in those frames, lots of nice dark brood comb. This will act as swarm catching boxes. The homes are already set up for any bees that should desire to come and live, so if they do decide to do their swarmy thing, then perhaps they will take residence in the beautiful homes that are close by, all ready and waiting for them. If not, guess they will find a new home elsewhere. I can just hope that the honey super that I will give them, as soon as there is a break in the rain, will keep them busy. Oh bees, oh bees, what a lovely life to lead. Have a most wonderful and beautiful day, happiness, health, love and friends. CynthiaM.
Oh brother. So yesterday went out to do a hive inspection on my two bee colonies, way out the back on the property. So nicely moved a few weeks ago, from the horse riding arena, they moved beautifully and oriented to their new location (about 200 feet) easily, no lost bees. I was worried about it, as I have never moved bees from one location on a property to another.
I left all my "stuff" out there in an empty bee box. Knowing full well that one day I would need to don my hat and veil and do an inspection. My hive tool, my veil, a bucket for water, all kinds of stuff, oh yes, my smoker, the burlap (lucky the burlap was in a bucket with a lid). Everything I would need for the inspection.
So....I get the smoker going, good and strong, nice, blue, cool smoke (burlap is the best), the top lid off the two colonies, water set up, all ready to go. I pull out my safari hat/veil and there is no stuff left inside the hat that holds the hat on the head. It is like a leather band that can expand to make the band tighter or looser, dependent upon how big one's head is (I have a small head), it is all chewed apart, half there, half not. Hmmmm....and rats. Oh well, no problem, the hat is feeling a little loose, but that is OK.
So I put the veil on over the hat. It sits on top of the hat and has draw strings to wrap around my torso, to pull it tight, so no bee can sneak up and into the veiled area. Well, there was string before. Wonder where it went. No, all I have is a veil with no draw string. Well, that ain't just gonna work. The bees can slip up easily, and trust me, they will and they will want to examine who is looking inside their home. And....the veil has a big hole in it too now, a chew hole. Wonder who did that. Any guesses?
The examination day is over. The hat is OK, but the veil now needs work. I have to thread a new draw string and mend a hole (yes, the bees would have found that quarter size hole too).
I guess I could have donned my full beekeeper's uniform, the one that is white from head to toe, a heavy, beautiful cotton. It has a veil attached, but I find it too hot and cumbersome for this type of warm weather. It is safe and sound in our container living within a rubbermaid that cannot be opened. Hey....maybe I should check and see if the mice have bitten a hole through the rubbermaid, never thought about that one.
I like my safari hat and veil. I can work the bees on the hottest summer day, wearing my jeans and a tank top. It is cool and I don't mind the little critters crawling on me, feels kind of cool actually, smiling. Wearing this small amount of clothing whilst working the bees allows me to stay cool, so I don't sweat (bees do not like sweat, nor do they like the human breath). Think the human breath reminds them of a big bear breathing their big, bad, bear breath on them. Probably just the carbon dioxide they don't like, but if you wanna see a mad bee, blow on it. Well, sometimes I blow gently on the bee frame to move them over a bit, or push them with my finger, and they move, but don't breath a big, strong, blowing human breath on them -- they really do get angry.
So. Back to where I was. I put out the smoker (stuffed the opening thick and deep with green growing stuff), waited for it to go completely out. Never leave a smoker going, that could be dangerous. I rearranged a few of the old, empty boxes, kicked a few mice out of them, put the empty boxes (well, empty of bees, they have drawn comb and used empty frames) on top of some particle board which I put over the pallets. There was 3 mice that had taken up residence in two of the boxes. That was because I had the boxes only on pallets and they could slip in. Sorry mice. You can't live in my empty bee boxes. Finished up tidying up the kind of messy, boxes all over the place, apiary, and then off I went. To try and fix the veil, the hat is a gonner, just gonna have to live with a sloppy fitting hat.
so much for the hive inspection. We are going away for a few days, I wanted the inspection done prior to leaving, but today it is raining. Bees don't like their home disturbed when it is raining, nor do they like it on a thundery, windy day, so I have to pick and chose days carefully, smiling that big smile. Worried about swarming of course, this is the time of year. Best I can do is to super the bees and give them a box of foundation frames. That will keep them busy building comb, hopefully if they haven't began intention of swarming, this will keep them busy enough until I get back.
I have left a couple of empty boxes with frames, some drawn comb in those frames, lots of nice dark brood comb. This will act as swarm catching boxes. The homes are already set up for any bees that should desire to come and live, so if they do decide to do their swarmy thing, then perhaps they will take residence in the beautiful homes that are close by, all ready and waiting for them. If not, guess they will find a new home elsewhere. I can just hope that the honey super that I will give them, as soon as there is a break in the rain, will keep them busy. Oh bees, oh bees, what a lovely life to lead. Have a most wonderful and beautiful day, happiness, health, love and friends. CynthiaM.
