getting a new hive of bees
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Installing the New Bees
Our new honeybees arrived this week. We picked them up Monday evening, having made an appointment for pick-up and advised to arrive with protective gear—not to protect us from the bees, but to protect humans from each other. So, with our corona masks in place and our hands in thin vinyl gloves, we exited the Continue reading
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Long live the queen
Getting a new hive of honeybees established is exciting but sometimes exasperating. Lately it has been more exasperating. Last year was so exasperating that not one of our new hives managed to survive even the summer. We strongly suspect the problem was the queens. When they arrived last year, the queens were so small we Continue reading
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Spring SnowBees
There are 58,000 bees in the basement. It’s the end of March. We turned the clocks to “summer time” two weeks ago. Last week the vernal equinox made it officially spring. Today we took delivery of four new packages of bees. And it’s snowing. At 9 a.m. we head to Snyder’s Apiary in Whitehall, windshield wipers brushing snow Continue reading
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The Newbees Have Arrived
It’s a brisk morning, but delightful on the porch, where I am swaddled in a blanket, sipping hot coffee. From the comfort of my porch swing and the warmth of a sunbeam, I watch as BeeMan comes and goes from the bee yard. He is getting the hive ready for the new bees. Continue reading
Slightly Off the Grid 