Norfolk County Beekeepers Association

On Monday I installed a very strong package of bees into my third hive. These bees were rearing to go, as they had already begun to make honeycomb inside their shipping container.

I installed the bees late in the day so that they would settle into their new home without much fuss. I have to say that it was and always will be an amazing experience. Several thousand bees flying around and ultimatley settling into their new hive. The sounds, smells and sights are so wonderful. It was if all nature was coalescing at my little hive spot.

So, all three hives are now up and running. I will check tonight to see if the newest hive has released and accepted the queen into the colony. All is well from Postfield.

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The trees are producing such amazing amounts of pollen this late in the year. Having such a rough winter has pushed Spring into late May. In fact it is still cool here and overcast today. The bees are a bit ornery due to the change in weather and the damp week we have had.

Otherwise all is well.

Early this morning I took a walk down to the hives. As the morning sunshine warmed the white boxes, several of the more daring "scouts" were out and about getting used to their new surroundings.

Life on Pequit Brook is very different from their home in Louisiana. Soon they will lose their southern buzzin drawl. The bees are hovering in front of their hive to begin fixing their location and new home. Over the next few days they will hover farther and farther as they get used to the surroundings.

What do they see with their bee eyesight? As they hover back farther and further, they will see their brook, several bird boxes, a woodland scene, a swamp and a great nature preserve. They will forage over two miles and return to their brood chamber with the pollen that will nourish and enrich the colony. My bees will polinate countless vegetable gardens, fruit trees and flower beds. There is nothing quite like the warm buzzing of the apiary on a gentle spring day.

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audblog audio post

While it has been awhile since I have blogged, Spring has occasioned upon us here in New England, and as such I have begun my musings again. All of my bees had died this past winter.

It had been a tough year and I think that by December all three hives had pretty much been wiped out. In March I failed to hear the telltale buzzings inside. On a warm late winter day I opened the hives to find all of the bees dead. It was pretty depressing to lose all those insects.

But, with life comes certain death, and in the case of the beekeeper, there are so many things that can destroy a colony, it was pretty evident that this was to be my lesson. In moving on, I have purchased two nucs from Merrimac Appiaries and these gals are very strong.

Yesterday I nstalled two fresh nucs into the hives. Bees and Beekeeper doing well.