Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Swarm!


It was bound to happen.  After all of the fussing we have been doing to prevent a swarm, the bees swarmed anyway.  In the past, they have always found a fence post, teeter walker or some other contraption to swarm on.  This time, they swarmed on the ground.  What an awesome sight a swarm of bees is!

Here they are - on the ground.....

And here is what all of the fuss is about - See the Queen?  She is wearing black....

Maid Elizabeth had to set out a new home for the swarm...

Then she and Miss Calamity gently try to find the queen....

We needed to do a little coaxing to get them into their new home.  To help them get interested in new digs we had to put a brood frame into their super.  Bee's can't help it - they have to take care of babies!

Miss Calamity is smoking another hive so we can steal a frame....

Maid Elizabeth and Miss Calamity working in concert.....

Miss Calamity ready for her tasks....

A frame full of brood....

Miss Calamity puts the brood in their new home.....


 The girls are starting to check out their new abode.....

The Queen is in the house!

Closing up their new home.... A job well done!

Oh, and by the way, this is how we got the close-ups (I don't have a veil or anything!)


God's creatures are amazing!  I never get tired of watching the bees and wondering at their ways!

6 comments:

  1. Good job, ladies!!

    Bees are such a rich blessing in so many ways. Where would we be without them?

    Do y'all have wild bees, too? We have the big 'blond' ones that are almost as big as bumble bees and kind of furry. They'd been feared extinct a few years ago, but are now making a comeback. We have a fairly large population of them here on our place, which, I'm told is unusual. They're really mild mannered and easy to work around. I'm told they don't 'hive up' the way domestic bees do. I sure like being with them in the garden.

    A. McSp

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  2. Seeing your girls work with the bees is so very interesting. Your daughters are two wholesome and productive young women. You must be very proud!

    What "flavor" (for lack of a beekeeper's vocabulary) is the honey from your bees? I hope it's something unusual, like Idaho wildflower or yellow currant or red hawthorn.
    But I suppose it would likely be alfalfa or timothy hay.

    NoCal Gal

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  3. I think your daughters could come down here and show my son a thing or two about beekeeping! :) I think they are doing a wonderful job!

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  4. I was delighted to discover that bees take naps. I was out in my garden mid day, surrounded by the industrious humming of half-a-dozen breeds of wild bees, when suddenly, silence. You don't always notice when the humming is there, but you notice when it abruptly stops.
    I went searching for the reason, and there, nestled happily deep in a crimson zinnia was a snoozing brown bumbler. The neighboring yellow one had an occupant as well. A small blue bottle bee was seeming trapped in the jaws of a pink snapdraggon, but when I petted his soft furry protruding bottom end, he just buzzed loudly, rearranged, and continued his snoozing.
    I tried several others. Everywhere I looked there were napping bees, and I managed to, most lightly, pet several. They are very soft.
    In only a minute or two, they all began to wake up, and went back to work. I found this most curious to know that bees, of most any breed, take a couple of quick rests during the busy day. But then, perhaps not so curious. I do the same when I can.

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  5. Tracy -
    They have taught me so much! Maid Elizabeth does a lot of research and is teaching Miss Calamity. It is a wonderful thing for them to do together.

    Anonymous -
    I had NO idea that bees snoozed! That is so cool. I will have to watch for that. Master Calvin was laying on his tummy one day near a mud puddle petting honey bees - it was pretty cute - but we had to tell him to stop, didn't want to see him get stung.

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