More Beekeeping

[multipurposegoddess]

Clearly, I will need a bee icon of some sort. And maybe plant some carrots so I can say my bees like carrots in a literal fashion.

Package removed from hive, frames replaced. I did NOT retrieve the queen's cage, it was absolutely covered in layers of bees and I was afraid of squishing them. I suspect that means she's still in there, anyway. I'll check in the morning. Wax is being built up in hearty fashion, like it is supposed to, everything looks good.

Didn't fire up the smoker, which might have helped if I was determined to get the cage, I suppose. Also didn't actually get dressed, just dashed out in veil, gloves, bathrobe and crocs. I must have been quite a sight. No stings.

My floating solar fountain came, so that's in the pond now. It works great! I've got the head with the largest holes on it, so it bubbles more than sprays. I don't know if that is enough agitation to keep the mosquitos away, but too much spray and the water will all end up outside the pond. Easy to adjust, in any case. It only works in direct sunlight, but I had that when I put it in this morning, so it will probably bubble at least some of the time on most days.

Wednesday was very interested in both the bees and the fountain. She'd try stalking the fountain, but as she got close to it her shadow would fall across the solar panel and it would stop bubbling, so she'd back off and it would suddenly start again with a higher than usual burst of water and she'd jump on surprise. Too funny. I hope to discourage her interest in the bees, but they are small moving things. Hopefully the novelty will wear off without her getting stung or too many bees getting smushed or eaten.

Comments

[fatoudust]

That's hilarious about the fountain and the shadow.

Our little garden pond is almost completely dried out, testament to our early lack of rain. It's going to be a tough season, I think, long time until monsoon.

[multipurposegoddess]

Wow, it's that dry down there? It's been unusually wet here this spring (uh, by which I mean that precipitation is up to "normal" levels, which I haven't seen often in my lifetime so it's hard to believe that they are really normal). Flowers are staying in bloom noticeably later, vernal pools (there's a pretty big one in a cow pasture I pass all the time that I keep an eye on) bigger than they were this time last year, etc. Weather is weird (and currently scary).

The pond is (bees like carrots warning) also a water source for the bees, so I'll be keeping it filled with the hose over the summer. I finally got a downspout diverter to use with my rain barrel - if this one works out like it's supposed to I'll get a few more and feel less profligate with my water usage.

[fatoudust]

Yeah, we use our rain barrels like whoa. There is a ton of water, even in the dryest times, because when it rains it really rains. We just need to be able to harvest more of it.

[multipurposegoddess]

That is good to hear! They are so appealing in the abstract but I wasn't sure how practical they really are - the one I have sitting under the open sky doesn't collect much even in big storms, but I assume the downspout will be more effective.

[fatoudust]

Way way more effective. Here's a page with info about what to expect. It's a commercial page, but it's good info nonetheless. Basically, with a 1000 sq ft roof, an inch of rain can net you over 600 gallons.

[fatoudust]

Err, when I say, "here's a page" what I mean is, here's a page: http://www.rainreserve.com/forums/index.php?action=vthread&forum=10&topic=25

[multipurposegoddess]

Awesome! Thanks