Bees
As part of the sale of the house we acquired a bee hive. Robert’s father, L.C., kept bees in South Carolina and we still have some of his honey, although our supply is dwindling. If I put aside the certainty of being stung, beekeeping seems like an ideal hobby. Helping the pollinators, who are very much under pressure, supports gardens and agriculture. L.C. would rent out his hives to farmers, placing them in their fields for months and then picking them up at the end of the season. When we visited him in warmer months, he would take us on his rounds to check that the hives were doing fine.
Bees give me hope and a measure of determination. One summer in grad school I watched wasps build a hive on the other side of my office window. Their diligent persistence demonstrated that with a little bit of work each hour they could do something noticeable in a few days. Encouraged, I wrote a next sentence. Opening a bee hive you’ll see a highly organized, industrious community. Each worker bee doesn’t produce a lot in her short life, only one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey. But an established hive can produce 50-100 pounds of excess honey in a year. That a bunch of individuals contributing a little can make a lot of goodness may be a reason not to despair.
Without human assistance bee colonies often succumb to parasites. We have a lot to learn about how to support our hive. Just over a week ago we went to a beekeeper’s meeting led by Steven Black. He generously volunteered to come out, look at our hive, and explain a few things. A couple of days ago we suited up and entered the bee enclosure, which has an electric fence to keep out bears.
Our hive has two medium brood boxes under three supers. Ten frames hang in each of the boxes, on which the bees are building, or have already built, honecomb. It had been a while since the hive was opened and extra wax had built in up any place there was a gap larger than a “bee space”. Steve scraped the wax off and handed the scraps to me. Mmmm, it smells good. In the uppermost super we found frames with glistening nectar. As he got deeper into the hive more and more of the frames had honey capped with wax. Down in the first brood box we found some frames completely full of honey and others with developing bee eggs and larva. So, we have a healthy queen at work somewhere. That was the main thing Steve wanted to accomplish, to make sure they had food for the winter and that the queen was healthy. So, he put the hive back together continuing to explain what he was doing and why.
Our bees have plenty of flowers to forage in our wild yard. The fountain on the east side of the house is a favorite for water. But food and water aren’t enough or the bees probably wouldn’t need human help. Most immediately we need to learn how to inspect and treat for varroa mites. In exchange for our support, we will get to enjoy some fruits of the bees labor. Honey makes salad dressings and tea more delicious. This ball of wax will make some nice little tea candles.
ball of wax
Thanks for reading and see you next week.
-Kelly