Bees Week 3

Today’s inspection had a rather festive air. My friends Holly, Harvey & Kristin came over to see the bees while I moved the Russians into their permanent home. They’ve all been very interested in the bees, and are trying to figure out how they can fit a hive in their gardens. Kristin enthusiastically suited up, and helped pull out frames & inspect. Harvey took notes on what we found, and Holly played paparraza.



Without even trying, Kristin found Ekaterina, the Russian tsarina. She just came waltzing across one of the frames. I was disappointed that I wasn’t seeing many eggs or larvae, and was relieved when Garrett showed up to pick up his nuc hive. He showed me the error of my ways. I was looking at the cells facing into the sun, and not even seeing the fat little larvae in the cells. By turning the other way, a whole other world opened up. He also showed us up by jumping right in with no more protection than street clothes. Someday soon I’ll relax enough to forgo the Sta Puft Marshmallow man suit, though I think I’ll keep the veil. Garrett soon dashed off to enjoy his day elsewhere, and we returned to fumbling with the hives.



Kristin tried her hand at removing & inspecting frames, and only made me feel a tiny bit more experienced at it than her. Holly got some great bee close-ups. Harvey’s note taking sped up the process tremendously (thanks!!). At this point I really want notes on what’s happening with each frame, though I’m sure I’ll back off soon enough.




For the second week I didn’t see Boudicca, the Italian queen. Fortunately there are eggs, so she’s (hopefully) just hiding from me. We did see a drone in the Italian hive, which must have drifted in from the Russian enclave. Drones take much longer to mature than workers, so he couldn’t be one of Boudicca’s offspring. It’s supposed to be good for a hive to have drones around, even when they’re not breeding. Hopefully he won’t leave his socks on the floor ;-) The earliest worker brood should be emerging in a couple of days, so the population should soon begin to recover.



After closing up the hives and putting away our toys, we retired to the house, where Karin had made a wonderful brunch. We stuffed ourselves on quiche, fruit salad and lemon-poppy seed pancakes, and washed it all down with mimosas and Holly’s berry smoothies. The proper way to spend a Sunday morning!

The bees have made it a bit chancier for me to run around barefoot in the garden. I find quite a few on the ground, either tired or dying – I’m not sure which. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before I find one with my foot.

The Russians are a bit problematic, too. Instead of quietly sipping espressos on a cool morning, like the Italians, they stay up late into the night drinking vodka and singing raucously. Occasionally there are fisticuffs. Oh well, as long as they get their work done during the day. (Actually, they are quite mellow. The above image popped into my head when a friend asked what the Russians sipped while the Italians had their espresso.)

The Russians are Here!

Last Sunday evening, we were watching the bees working the garden. Out of the blue, Karin said “Why don’t you go ahead and get another hive?” I was blown away; Karin was so nervous about having just one hive in the garden. I guess she’s more comfortable now, and might even get a bigger kick out of watching them than I do. She also has visions of golden honey flowing from the spigots : )

On Monday morning, I wasn’t sure I really had heard her, or that it might have been a dream. I asked, and she said “Yes, go ahead”. With only a little delay, I got onto the local beekeeper’s Yahoo group, and asked about extra split hives or unwanted swarms. That evening, I got a call from a fellow, Garrett, who sells “nucleus hives” in spring. He has Russian bees, which have intrigued me. So I broke down and bought them. I had hoped to get some free bees, but figured that a well cared for colony would be better for a newb like me.

Garrett brought the bees this morning. The nuc hive came with about 6 (maybe 8?!) frames of brood & food, along with Empress Ekaterina and her Cossacks. I don’t think they’ll be too far behind Boudicca and her Iceni in production, thanks to the filled frames. They’ll stay in the nuc hive for a few days, so they know where home is, and can get used to the new neighborhood. On Sunday, we’ll transfer the frames to my own hive box. I so want to peek in there now, but must be patient.

It will be interesting to see the differences between the Italians (Boudicca) and the Russians, in terms of activity and honey production. The Russians are said to be at least as gentle as the Italians, which is comforting to Karin. They might also be more willing to go foraging on foggy days, like we often have here. The Italians tend to stay inside and sip their espressos until the sun comes out. It is also thought that the Russians (aka Russian Survivors) are better able to resist the ravages of the varroa mite, which can cause big problems in a hive.

Now I wonder where I could put a third hive…?

Bees Week 2

Once again our intrepid beek has ventured into the bees’ domain. There were two frames well filled with capped brood (pupae). These were last week’s fat larvae. I was able to identify several capped drone pupae – they’re larger than workers, so their cell caps stick up like warts. The eggs have become larvae, and more eggs have been laid. I didn’t see Queen Boudica, but she’s been around recently. I’ll not fret unless she & eggs are missing next week. I don’t want to pester the hive too much, so I will be patient.

This week I’ve been seeing the bees work in the garden, mostly on some kale and bok choi, which I let flower for the benefit of bees & other helpful insects. The pollen from these plants is dull yellow-green, which is mostly what I saw in the hive. The bees’ “saddlebags” have certainly been loaded lately. I am well pleased that the bees are making use of my garden. I expected them to find something more attractive further away. They haven’t been consuming much of the sugar water I give them. I suppose they’re getting plenty of nectar while foraging. We’ll see if there’s an increase in consumption after the first of the brood emerge next week.

There was a fair bit of pollen on the hive’s bottom board, so I collected it and ate it. I guess the pollen is mixed with a bit of nectar, because it was sweet. It also had a bit of a zingy, peppery bite. It’s supposed to be good for a person, with Amazing! properties. If I develop super bee powers or something, I’ll let you know.

Bees Day 7

The bees are great. I inspected the hive yesterday, and found that everyone is very busy, including Boudicca (the queen). Lots of comb, eggs, nectar & pollen. I probably would have seen larvae, if I had looked at some of the "older" frames. I was so careful to not bother them too much that I really didn't inspect very well. I think I'll go back in today or tomorrow. I'm wishing I'd gotten two hives, and might get onto the swarm list, so I can collect a free one. I just need to get some more hive parts. Soon I might have to get more boxes & frames anyway, considering how fast my bees are building comb.

Karin took a couple of movies while I was inspecting yesterday. She wasn't too happy about that job, being a bit bee phobic. At one point she flinched when a bee bumped into her. I'm getting so blasé about that, even when I'm not suited up, that I had to remind myself that she isn't. But she does show an interest, and asks how they're doing. She even comes out to look at them as they work.