Life on Earth
The sheep make their pen.
The cowed graze in grumble.
I await the fair.
– Smith, 5.11.2015
Opened our beehive for the 4th time yesterday. Found eggs and larva and wax cells with nectar and pollen and capped brood and observed bees coming back to the hive with packs of yellow pollen on their legs. And we saw the queen bee, so we’re still in business.
Figure our first year is pure learning. Thank goodness the bees are doing most of the work.
So far only one stung human, my ma-in-law who was trying to plant some special bee flowers around the hive and was stung by a bee in the grass as she was digging . . . got her finger.
Strange to see 10,000 bees buzzing, in constant motion of gold and fairy wings. So gentle and forgiving too. A hive starts with 3 pounds of bees, approximately 10,000, grows to 60,000-80,000 bees in summer, then reduces to 20,000 – 30,000 in winter.
A bee lives 6 weeks, unless it’s late fall and they stop flying for food and then live 3 months over winter keeping the hive warm and clean while attending the queen.
