We are jumping on the sustainability band wagon and trying our hands at growing some of our own food. Neither of us has ever done much in the way of vegetable gardening, so this is a real experiment.
The name of this endeavor came from the meditation labyrinth it shares space with.
OK, for us bee-impaired people, is that another queen? Or is it just that they're making honey? Or it kind of looks like a mutated miniature lobster in there...?
Kitty, The bees know what to do and your not in it for the honey. No worries my dear.
Tonight my biggest hive had 6 bees on the porch. My smallest hive 2/3 of the porch was covered in bees. BTW my TBH has a nice pattern of capped brood in it!!!
I told Chuck tonight that we are raisers of bees, not honey producers.
I think we will let the bees decide where they go. If they gather where they can be easily moved into a box, we will offer them to friends. If they choose to be difficult, then they will help renew the feral population.
I love watching them. And I love hearing how bees I know are doing.
I think it's because the bees book off before they get seriously into production, making a swarm. Or something. This bee stuff is fascinating but I'm constantly puzzled.
This looks like a supercedure cell and not a swarm cell, or an emergency queen cell. Before a hive swarms the queen lays eggs in these little queen cups so when the older queen leaves the old colony will have a new queen almost right away.
Sam, that's kinda why it's messing with my head. The supercedure would have to be Lucretia II giving way to Lucretia III simply because of how long it has been since the original swarm. And they haven't added any comb since the swarm.
OK, for us bee-impaired people, is that another queen? Or is it just that they're making honey? Or it kind of looks like a mutated miniature lobster in there...?
ReplyDeleteThat is a queen cell. They are either planning to swarm AGAIN. Or they don't like the one they have and they're making another one.
ReplyDeleteKitty,
ReplyDeleteThe bees know what to do and your not in it for the honey. No worries my dear.
Tonight my biggest hive had 6 bees on the porch. My smallest hive 2/3 of the porch was covered in bees. BTW my TBH has a nice pattern of capped brood in it!!!
Yeah. :-) I know.
ReplyDeleteI told Chuck tonight that we are raisers of bees, not honey producers.
I think we will let the bees decide where they go. If they gather where they can be easily moved into a box, we will offer them to friends. If they choose to be difficult, then they will help renew the feral population.
I love watching them. And I love hearing how bees I know are doing.
... Also, bees I don't know. :-)
Whyfor are you not going to harvest any honey?
ReplyDeleteI think it's because the bees book off before they get seriously into production, making a swarm. Or something. This bee stuff is fascinating but I'm constantly puzzled.
ReplyDeleteThis is actually a complicated answer. How about if I make it into a post instead of an extended comment?
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a supercedure cell and not a swarm cell, or an emergency queen cell. Before a hive swarms the queen lays eggs in these little queen cups so when the older queen leaves the old colony will have a new queen almost right away.
ReplyDeleteSam, that's kinda why it's messing with my head. The supercedure would have to be Lucretia II giving way to Lucretia III simply because of how long it has been since the original swarm. And they haven't added any comb since the swarm.
ReplyDeleteSeems slow and quick at the same time.
Thanks for the help. :-)