we’ve really slacked on updating this spring, not even sporadic pictures. <quelle horreur>

And I’m one to get mad when my regular blogs aren’t updated at my preferred pace….

Today, I am making a post because I don’t want to lose track of a link.  Did you know that the Obamas have installed a beehive at the White House?

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/06/23/secret-life-white-house-bees

Here’s some information about it.  To be fair, I haven’t read this yet, but I’m hoping that it’ll be one of the things I catch up on over this long holiday weekend.  And maybe some other things that we’ve been talking about beekeeping too.  I know that you all (if there is anyone out there) are just dying to know exactly when beekeeping came into being…

When checking the hive today–my first true foray this year, I got in a little later than I had planned.  But it was so warm and the sun was so high in the sky, I thought–well, if I’m quick, I’m sure the girls can handle it.

As I opened the top of the hive, I was apprehensive.  Our beekeeping association’s listserv has been full of accounts of hives that didn’t make it through the winter.  T and I just weren’t sure–we’d seen some activity and been encouraged, but as we heard of more colonies not surviving, and hadn’t seen anybody doing much of anything in days (granted, we only seem to be home during torrential rain and evening hours after everyone was home).  There was no way to know for sure.

But lo and behold!  As I smoked the entrance, foragers were lilting back to the colony, with golden pollen clinging to their baskets.  More and more came–I realized that everyone was returning home for the evening.  And then, when I pried the lid off of the hive– Beautiful busy bees in the top hive box!  I couldn’t believe how many I saw and how engaged they appeared to be.  The frames had been amply secured with propolis.  It took me a minute to loosen a frame to see what everyone was doing.  I lifted the heavy frame, and my heart skipped a beat with hope—could it be that they still had their honey stores to sustain them?!   It’s been such a long winter, and so cold.  I held it up and the sun lit golden, capped comb with quite a good deal of honey left.

And then, one bee came charging at me, buzzing as if to say, “HEY!  What are you doing here?!  Can’t you see we’re busy?  Get out!”

I complied.  The girls were coming home, and I’m sure that they would have preferred returning to one that was intact.   We’ll go in and make a serious examination of the brood nest and be certain that the queen is laying well and that the hive is as strong as it appears.  If  there is enough man–excuse me–bee power to devote to protecting the colony, then it seems we’re in good shape.

More later.

Then I stumbled across this.  Pretty neat that one kind of flower can make or break a honey!  Savannah Bee makes the Tupelo Honey I have tried—and I must say that not only is it delicious, but their presentation is wonderful.  And, when have I ever not been all about Savannah, Georgia?  Check out their website, and next time I’m in Savannah, you know you’ll find me on West Broughton Street…toting several bags of goodies as I leave!  www.savananahbee.com

And, then, those Van Morrison’s lyrics about being so sweet make a lot more sense now.

You can take all the tea in China
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail right around the seven oceans
Drop it straight into the deep blue sea
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
She’s an angel of the first degree
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

You can’t stop us on the road to freedom
You can’t keep us ’cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor bent on chivalry
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
She’s an angel of the first degree
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

You can’t stop us on the road to freedom
You can’t stop us ’cause our eyes can see
Men with insight, men in granite
Knights in armor intent on chivalry
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
She’s an angel of the first degree
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

You know she’s alright
You know she’s alright with me
She’s alright, she’s alright (she’s an angel)

You can take all the tea in China
Put it in a big brown bag for me
Sail it right around the seven oceans
Drop it smack dab in the middle of the deep blue sea
Because she’s as sweet as tupelo honey
She’s an angel of the first degree
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like honey from the bee

She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
She’s an angel of the first degree
She’s as sweet as tupelo honey
Just like the honey, baby, from the bee
She’s my baby, you know she’s alright….

This July 10, rumor has it that BUZZ bakery in Alexandria (www.buzzonslaters.com),  is celebrating…  Honey pasteries, bee cupcakes, and promoting awareness for Colony Collapse Disorder.  Sounds like my kind of place.  Cake and bees, oh my!

The truth is stepping on a bee is actually easier than I thought it would be.  Bees love clovers:

mmm...clover nectar!

And clovers are low lying flowers in grass…in fact the only place I have felt confident that I am watching my own bees is on clovers. 

Also– a new favorite hobby of mine is scoping out the bees collecting clover nectar on a grassy median while in the car.  Check that out!

What kind of governance exists in the highly organized hive? Everyone knows the expression “Queen Bee”, which immediately suggests  an absolute monarchy

she's hard to see, but our queen is the one with a green dot--

But from what I’ve learned about bees, it doesn’t seem to be the case that the queen makes the law.

here's a better view of what a queen honeybee looks like-- (this one is not ours)

There is an argument that the queen is a tyrant, her steady release of pheromones keeps the other female workers from maturing, and she alone lays eggs–as such, is key to the hive and success of the community–she controls the most valuable resource: the bee power.

But a tyrant connotes a harsh ruler, frequently one that is not respected or appreciated by the masses.  Also, a tyrant is frequently hard to overthrow–because of that individual control over resources.

Bees can stage a coup–and overthrow a queen.  This would make the bees seem to be somewhat democratic in this check on the queen’s power.  She must have the consent of the “governed.”  If the queen is old, or not  performing up to standards that ensure the success of all of the thousands of inhabitants, they can bring about a new queen.  It is the workers that make the queen, feeding a chosen larva this exclusive ambrosia, and in many cases, will hedge their bets and create several queen cells–in the belief that the strongest–or best– one created will become the new queen.   Or sometimes this will happen: a second queen will be created that will go with a  swarm and establish a whole new hive.

Does this make the bees revolutionaries?  Occasionally, perhaps they are.  But they never want to have to get to that state–because it is not in the best interest of the hive.  And this is key to their organization:  A bee will completely sacrifice itself for the hive.  There is no thought in this, evolution has programmed the apis mellifera to protect the hive at all costs.

So it would appear that the honeybee is far more socialist than anything else.  The workers are equal–and diligent.  Their devotion is to the hive–it is the only interest the bees know.  And, unlike the failed communal governance systems we have seen in the human world, the honeybee’s is lasting and successful.  This is because the bee can do what the human has not effectively accomplished:  removal of all ego, all sense of self.  All bees–even the queen–act without a moment’s thought of what they themselves would like.   This allows the bee to produce incredible structures, honey, and to survive.  Without one another, the bees intuitively seem to understand that they cannot make it on their own.

So, my leftist bees have taught me something today about community works, and esprit de corps.  I am not sure I envy them.  While I too value hard work and cooperation, I find it unlikely that I would ever want to totally sacrifice myself for a group.  Bees are truly all equal.  It seems that “All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others” better captures the communist reality of humans.  I do not think that we will ever be able to sustain that removal  sense of self–I for one will not.

So the fact that the Declaration states, “all men are created equal” and not “all men are equal” interests me.  We have equal potential, protected by our equal rights.  This is what allows us to be different, diverse.  If we were like bees, we would not be able to have preferences and enjoy doing things our own way.  We would all have to be the same.   So there is a beauty to those words, they mean:  we are not all equal– that would mean we are all the same; but we are equally allowed to be ourselves.
And that means, that I can pick to be a beekeeper.

Far view of pre-swarming activity.

Mom came home from the beach and found this:

too many bees! not enough space!

Padre calls it Mexico City since there are so many bees in such a small space!

Anyway, since the crazy metro business slowed everything down this week, I didn’t really see my bees in daylight–and didn’t know this was going on until Mom called when she got back from the beach on Friday. I shot up from work and came back to build up some more frames. The girls were more than ready for a home expansion. It started to rain before we could get the new frames into the top hive box. we couldn’t get the smoker lit outside. I plowed through and decided to be rash and go at the bee work without smoking them (not smart) and without wearing gloves (even less smart). This was disrespectful to the bees, and they let me know it. You cannot be anything but calm, cool and collected. I was frantic and frenzied–I was worried about the rain! The truth is a few rain drops would not have hurt the bees. Mom went back in with the smoke, and the outside cluster moved into the new quarters right away.  I nursed my four stings.

There have to be 40,000 bees out there. I actually don’t know the number, but the goal was 60,000 this summer. They have grown exponentially, and having so many of them in the same space is more to manipulate.

So, I was super impressed by my friend who suited up and inspected my hive with me yesterday. For someone who has never been around bees, with so many buzzing through the air, it could definitely be overwhelming. I’m not sure that I would do it. So hats off to Ms. Caroline!

Basically, she was awesome. She stepped right in and smoked the bees, looked at the comb with me, and didn’t panic. However, when we were closing up shop, I did a little bit–because I was concerned about placing a hive box on top of so many–so I tried to brush some out of the way. Even though it’s called a bee brush, I’m getting the idea that the bees don’t really like this tool.   Two more stings. Just a little tough love, I should have been calmer and more deliberate with my actions. Caroline seemed to have this down pat. With thousands of bees around you in the air, this is no small feat!

On the bright side, I am positive I’m not allergic!  But this weekend has reminded me: I have so much to learn about beekeeping, and so much technique to improve. I will probably mess up again, and my girls will keep me in line. And so will my fellow beekeeper, who somehow always seems to know just what to do–I’m so glad T is doing this with me, it’d be quite a bit to handle alone!

The bees have arrived to Woodson Ave.  Tomorrow they will be moved into their new home, then T & I start trying to play Apollo…