Friday, June 5, 2009

many thanks

I have to say a big thank you to Ken and Steven for letting me tag along as they inspect their bees, and for all the sage advice I've received so far.


Here are Ken and I, looking for a queen in this colony today. It took awhile, but Ken found her. She hadn't mated yet, so she looked more like a big worker than a queen. I never would have spotted her!

One thing I'm learning as I watch Ken and Steven is that it's important to keep good records. They use a voice recorder to take notes on the temperature and weather conditions, what they see in each hive, and plans for the next trip out. I may not be so technologically advanced - pen and paper will probably be my recording tool of choice - but I can see the value in keeping track of how the hives are progressing through the season, and anything I might learn along the way.

Here's one for the files:

Question: How do you get rid of ants that are crawling all over the inner cover of your beehive?

Answer: You get out your propane torch and blast them into the afterlife.
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