#backyard bees

[unofficialchronicle]

"What would people look like if we could see them as they are, soaked in honey, stung and swollen, reckless, pinned against time?" — Ellen Bass Excerpt from The Human Line (Copper Canyon Press, 2007). Copyright © 2007 by Ellen Bass. Used with the permission of The Permissions Company, Inc., on behalf of Copper Canyon Press. Link to the whole poem: https://poets.org/poem/if-you-knew

[crazycatsiren]

It was super cool to get to watch Elizabeth lay an egg in a cell during hive inspection today. 🐝

My little queen is crazy fruitful and I'm so proud of her! 💛

[toddjdreyer]

Had some trouble IDing this one, thankfully someone on IG helped. Possible example of Triepeolus lunatus / Lunate Longhorn-Cuckoo, found in my backyard pollinator patch.

[newtowngarden]

Love this bee on the blueberry.

[archaeokitchen-blog]

Bees

We’ve had some really warm weather this February, and the bees are already out and about. This has me dreaming of another honey harvest like last summer’s.

Here’s my husband with some newly purchased bees on our “bee patio” next to the garden a couple of years ago. We went into this winter with seven hives but not all of them were doing well. Someone applied pesticide last year somewhere in the bee foraging radius (around 1-2 miles, but maybe more) and we had a big die-off. We also had some crowding and late-season swarming, so we were worried going into the winter. As of the 70 degree days last week, 5 of 7 were still with us and already bringing in pollen. They were mean too, I got stung for the first time in almost 4 years of having bees.

Here’s a view of our set-up last May. I can’t wait to hear their buzzing as I work in the garden this year, and I look forward to all the honey we can eat, honey for friends, and maybe some mead.

[newtowngarden]

Wrong boots for the job.

[newtowngarden]

[fire-go-on-and-fire]

Queen is thriving. First sting.