swarmed!!!!!

 My first swarm! I checked my hives a few weeks ago and everything was going smoothly in the first hive, but i noticed the second hive was very aggressive they were overpopulated and easily agitated. I noticed 4 swarm cells on a few of the frames and knew due to their size that I had less than a week before they would swarm. I received a concerned call from my grandmother and was there within the hour! I have seen many videos and read up on swarms, but there is nothing in comparison to the real thing. they all link together to protect their queen, who is in the center of the cluster. They truely are happy as it says in all of the books, their bellies full of honey. It all went very smoothly without any stings at all. No bee suit needed!

Have you been outside yet today?? if not what are you waiting for its a beautiful spring day, and guess what??..... The Bees are out!

long winter passing

after a long winter and many dreams buzzing through me, i miss my little worker girls. I had to take a visit to see them the other day. so I drove out to my grandma's house and was greeted with a warm hug from my gram. she is a sweet little woman. I outgrew her in the 2nd grade. 5'3 snow white hair and skin that smells like rose hip soap. She told me all about what my bees had been up to, and couldn't wait to tell me all about how she saved one! Each time i visit her I see where I get my love of bees (and all little creatures) She poured me a cup of hot dark coffee, and I opened up her screen door awakened by a cool ocean breeze the sun warmed my face as I walked down the ramp towards my apiary. There they were, at first it seemed there wasn't much activity, and as I crouched down beside the first hive I noticed they were moving very slowly there was a mass of bees at the entrance wet from the melting snow and some rain, so I took a stick and scooped them out of the way. After doing this I simply observed them lovingly for a while, it was then that I realized how much i had missed them.