Crazy times.

March 17 2020
The world is a little crazy these days. With the Covid 19 scare right now, businesses are closing, meetings are cancelled and public offices are warning people to stay at home if possible. Self isolation and keeping a safe social distant are the latest terms everyone is using.

James and I went to town today, a small town of  about 600 people. It has 1 grocery store, a hardware store and numerous other little businesses.  We weren't going to go to town anymore for a while but ended up having a Dr appointment, (NO... we don't have Covid 19) so figured we would pick up a couple things at the hardware store and some grocerys.

The shelves in the grocery store were sparse. Tues is the day the truck comes in with groceries....but not today. So no fresh or frozen vegis, no frozen fruit, no milk or yogurt. I hadnt ever seen it that empty before. It suddenly made all of this craziness a little more real. I grabbed what i needed and left.

Tomorrow i plan on airing out my head and try to leave the stories of Covid 19 behind for a while, and wander over to the bee yard. We still have an unbelievable amount of snow, but the days are finally starting to warm. Our temperatures are still dropping at night but during the day we are getting some melting happen. I want to clean off the top of the hives...and hopefully try to shovel more snow away so the melt doesnt run towards the entrances. I want to remove my winter entrance covers and put on the regular ones to its easier to clean out the bottom of the hives.

I miss hearing the constant hum of a happy hive and i am slightly envious of videos and pictures people are posting of their bees flying around collecting pollen already. But i know our day will come soon enough. I will be happy just to see that each hive made it through the winter and can begin to build up their colonies.

March 18 2020
Visited the bees this afternoon and as i walked over there, i uttered a little prayer "Please bee alive, please bee alive".
As i approached the fenced area i saw the odd bee flying around. It was funny, as i walked through the fence, i had 2 bees fly up to me, like to say....Hi, we made it. I was so happy.

 I decided to chip off the 2 inch thick sheet of ice off the plywood i had over their lids and the last of the snow off the top as well. No bees came out of the hive next to the active one. So i went to the third one and cleaned the roof and the entrance. I then walked back to the second one and still nothing. Since it was upwards of 8C i decided to do a quick peek through the attic box. I lifted the lid, peeled back the insulation and there they were on the candy board below. I have a screen on the opening of the inside cover so i could see them quite clearly through it and also heard them. 2 down 1 to go. So then i went back over to the third hive and by this time  they were  mulling around out front. Phew...i was so happy to see all 3 hives were alive and well.

So i guess for now, James and i will hunker down and self isolate and perhaps to break up the day, make a coffee and wander over and visit the bees. At least they don't practice  the "safe social distant" thing. They have no problem coming up invading your personal space.....

March 18 2020

snow is starting to melt

Is it Spring yet?

Well, we have made it. March has arrived. We have made it through what every beekeeper considers the worst month ever....February. With a bit of luck our bees made it too. 

March is when cabin fever can set in and we all tend to get a little batty or anxious to get going on outdoor projects. The tomato plants need to be started and you get the urge to work in your garden. But then reality sets in as you look outside to the thick blanket of snow still lying on the ground. And the only sign of your garden is the 10in of fence posts sticking out of the snow.

For us beekeepers...we want to open the hives and check to see if we left our girls enough food to keep them going until the pollen arrives. But sadly, the thermometer says its only 5C and there's a cool wind blowing. But for me...i just have to believe that i gave them enough food to take them through until the warmer temperatures arrive.

But if you really really need to do something, there are a few things you can do to get ready for the upcoming beekeeping season. Here are a few things that may help you get through the cabin fever:

1.    Start putting together new frames and foundation.

2.    Repair old woodenware or if need be, pick up new boxes and assemble and paint them

3.    Swarm season (in June) comes up fast, so why not prepare some swarm traps.

4.    If you make your own pollen sub patties, now is the time to do that.

5.    Prepare candy boards or syrup. To have on hand when it warms up enough to add them in.

6.    Read over last years notes.

7.    Repair any tears in your veil, wash your bee jacket, clean up your tools.

8.    Remove the entrances and clean out any debris and dead bees that died over the winter

Wow....i have a lot to do. Enough rambling on...i better go build some new boxes and get them painted. 

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