The bees knees...

It's (basically?) springtime and here in the Bay Area the flowers are in bloom. The bees are a buzzing, and aside from this recent cold snap, we're gearing up for spring. I'm getting ready for planting in the garden, and in the hive, Jamie and I have been waiting for a warm, sunny day to harvest some honey!

With the wet weather we've been having, we have been eagerly anticipating a hive inspection. Last time we went in, there were a couple of moldy comb near the entrance of the hive due to moisture. We cut this away and fortunately, this problem has now been resolved. Whew!

Kim was kind enough (and courageous) to come armed with cameras to help document our adventure and so we began. We laid out all the tools and talked through our order of operations. With hundreds of bees in your face is not a good time to figure out what comes next and who does what... Not to mention, this would be a first honey harvest for both myself and Jamie.











We mainly found brood comb. We cut some of it by mistake because there was so much honey in it! We cut the honey off and placed the brood comb back in the hive and will hope for the best. Because we harvested some brood honey we have placed sugar water near the hive.

By and large the bees were docile. I was prepared for the bees to be angry or to have to cut our session short, but we were able to take the time we needed in the hive. I did feel a little like Godzilla or King Kong at times though...I felt pretty bad...It wasn't until we were done and through and I was walking into the house that an angry bee dive bombed me and I got stung. All those bees and nothing and then twenty minutes later walking through the door and bam! ps. ouch!

Overall, the hive seems to be healthy and is thriving. Viva! It continues to be an amazing experience working with the bees and getting a glimpse into their wild and wonderful world. I expected there to be a lot more honey! We did harvest nearly 2 pints though, and it tastes like bottled sunshine.The honey is just the sweet topper at the end of the day.

Backyard Beekeeping

Who doesn't love getting the perfect gift from a friend who really knows you? For my 37th birthday my friend Todd enrolled us in a Kenyan Top Bar beekeeping workshop at Institute for Urban Homesteading in Oakland, taught by Ruby aka Sparky Bee Girl. I had been wanting to try my hand at beekeeping, having had a lifelong fascination with bees. We built 4 Top Bar hives and then got on a local swarm list. Busy with the chickens, and it being late June, I was prepared to wait til next year, but then this morning I got word of a swarm in Richmond about 10 miles away! Off I went with a cardboard box, hedge clippers, a hoodie, and some gloves. There I met two great gals Anni and Carol, and found the swarm about 2 feet above the ground in a Manzanita bush next to their house. After away some low lying branches I placed the box underneath the swarm and gave the bush a good shake. Most of the bees fell immediately in while others flew around me in a frenzy. Quite a rush! I got a bite on my cheek and a sting on my neck before getting the box closed up and getting out of there. With all the adrenaline pumping I hardly even felt it. The rest of the bees starting swarming on the branch again so Carol cut it while I shoved it all in a second box. I wanted to be sure to get the queen!

A good rule of thumb when transporting bees is...make sure the box is closed up well. Can you see where this is going? After parting from our bonding bee adventure I begin the drive back home to East Oakland with my new found friends. A few blocks later I glance in the back and notice a few bees flying around. Few more blocks, few more bees... I drive home like a bat outta hell with my hoodie pulled over my head.

Back home, I left the windows for awhile while running the boxes to the backyard. Nothing to see here folks, nope nothing out of the ordinary happening here... The roar from the boxes was deafening! I was definitely intimidated to open and dump the contents into my hive but I had a lunch date in 30 minutes! I removed the bars cut the tape and dumped the bees into the hive. With bees flying all over the place I slowly and carefully replaced the bars on top of the hive. Tonight I placed a bowl of sugar water in the hive. Peeking in I could see a large clump of bees hanging off some of the bars in the back. I hope the bees take nicely to their new home and thrive!

(http://iuhoakland.com/) Institute for Urban Homesteading
(http://www.sparkybeegirl.com/bees.html) Links to Ruby's hive blueprints/ useful links etc.