It seems like January is flying by, as though everything and everyone is running away from the end of 2018. Was it that bad? It's either that, or we are all chasing after the resolutions we (hastily?) made at the beginning of 2019. Perhaps a little bit of both, with a sprinkle of peer pressure. …
#021 Building of a Hive pt. I
After the positive start to they year, I turned my focus on my own tasks. Never mind the bees having to do their own thing, which is surviving winter, I have a heap of tasks to complete before the new season sneaks up on me. The first and foremost, is building my own hive to …
#020 Happy New Year
Happy New Year to all! I hope you have had a great holiday break with lots of love, food and of course presents! Not surprisingly, several of my presents were heavily bee-related which in turn instantly triggered my inner bee-chatter to be released upon those around me. (Sorry! not sorry...) The biggest gift of all …
the w i d e r picture
I recently realised the wider impact that beekeeping has to my life. I am extremely more aware of my surrounding environment, of the flowers (a lot of them used to just be called weeds), of the insects and the birds. I am more aware of what is sprouting from the ground and what my stomping …
#019 Curious Kat
My obsession with observing my hive has obviously started with the appearance of Deformed Wing Virus and with my anxiousness on whether this will detrimentally affect my hive over the winter. I now visit the hive every day, spend about 3 minutes completing the standard checks and then another 40 or so minutes just staring …
#018 Lose Some, Save some
No, the situation has not improved since I have last posted an update. Yesterday's mini inspection showed the same symptoms: Four bees seen with deformed wings; the varroa count on the board was 210 (over two days!); one wasp spotted (pathetically) trying to enter the hive and; the weight of the hive seemed O-K. …
#017 Bad news
Actually, terrible news. In fact, I am extremely worried and pessimistic about my colony's survival. I saw today bees with deformed wings, i.e. they are infected with the (overt form of) Deformed Wing Virus. I am at a loss and don't know what to do. A flightless bee cannot fulfill its destiny; cannot complete its …
