…in which our hero briefly gets involved with Cameroon gangsters while trying to buy a queen. Maybe three. I have a newly relocated hive, and it appears that the queen did not join her comrades in the move. So I need a queen. I have helped a friend of mine, Danny Ferguson, capture a coupleContinueContinue reading “Scammed. Dammit.”
Tag Archives: Learning
Equal and Opposite
…in which our hero learns the important lesson of Newton’s Laws of Motion. The job could not be more straightforward. (I have learned to say that only afterward, but this one truly was.) Dinah had asked me to remove a hive from a house on her property so that she could move the house toContinueContinue reading “Equal and Opposite”
Straightforward. Yeah, right.
“WHY would I use the word ‘straightforward’ in ANY sentence involving beehive removal work??” I stared at the wall, hoping solutions would appear. Solutions failed to appear. I stared some more. Solutions persisted in their absence. The job was supposed to be relatively straightforward. My boss at the Corps had a hive that had shownContinueContinue reading “Straightforward. Yeah, right.”
Reputation
Sometimes, it is a good thing to be known for your work. When I was first trying to get into beekeeping, I talked to anyone I could find, trying to get the word out that I would pick up swarms and re-home them. I gave out my phone number, I made up cards and handedContinueContinue reading “Reputation”
Love on the Battlefield
The setting of the National Cemetery at the Vicksburg National Military Park is one of the most peaceful ones imaginable. The rolling loess hillside, graves in neat rows, each section terraced to provide a continuity among the gathered dead. Oak trees, expanded to their full canopied width. Magnificent magnolia trees, filled with heady blossoms. AncientContinueContinue reading “Love on the Battlefield”
Pretender to the Throne
She has no claim on this throne, but she went in, nevertheless.2 queens, 2 cages, 3 nurse bees to help out. $37.50 each.Last Saturday, I bought a nucleus hive and two queens from my mentor. (A recent flood had taken out a bunch of his ‘nucs’, and he only had one that he could sellContinueContinue reading “Pretender to the Throne”
Taking, Pried In my Work, with a Stinging Postscript
Back at it.(If you just want to read about me getting stung repeatedly, skip to that part of the story at the bottom of the entry, under follow-up:)I was determined today to remove the eave bracket and get at the honeybees inside. Suited up, grabbed the crowbar, and started crowbarring.The first part of the removalContinueContinue reading “Taking, Pried In my Work, with a Stinging Postscript”
First Job – FAIL (for the moment)
Last Monday I set aside the time to remove the bees from Duff Green. Quick in, quick out, two hives of bees to relocate.The result was awful. An unmitigated failure.The space is not enough to get the hydraulic lift in, said Harley. But, she said, we have some really long ladders – 60′ or so.OK.AboutContinueContinue reading “First Job – FAIL (for the moment)”
The Flowers Appear on the Earth – Honeybee edition
With bated breath, I opened my hives this weekend. Saturday was a warmer day for us, with temperatures in the mid-60s. I watched the bees come and go from each of the three hives that had survived last summer and fall, and they were carrying loads of pollen into their homes. My girls were busy.SoContinueContinue reading “The Flowers Appear on the Earth – Honeybee edition”
Late-Season Removal
The bees were pretty aggressive. That was a change.The lift. Bees were located betweenthe two windows on the rightSeveral months ago, Mrs. Joyce Clingan called me and asked me to remove the bees that were in the corner of her home. We had planned to schedule the removal to coincide with the fixing of herContinueContinue reading “Late-Season Removal”
Company Bee Blog 