Psalms from the Hive
by Jeannie Saum
How many hives can the honey bees make
If the bees make it through the winter?
Five hives? Ten hives? Fifteen? Twenty?
We’re up to twenty-one!
Swarms caught, splits made, nuc boxes full
And five boxes of honey to pull!
Clover, Bee, and Revery
It’s been quite a spring with our bees, and we feel like we are finally getting the hang of things after 5 years of beginning beekeeping and many conferences and beekeeper meetings where we get tons of helpful information.
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At the Dotson Apiary, they had four hives make it through the winter and these were thriving and multiplying in early spring. In the Saum Apiary, we had three make it, but they started the spring out kind of small and weak. We were happy with the survival rate, compared to last year.
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At the Saum Apiary, we had a small disaster in the last snow and wind storm in February. Our tarp wind break broke loose at one end and whipped around in the wind, knocking off the covers of three hives. We didn’t find this out for several hours, so those bees probably succumbed to the cold and lack of protection.
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We’ve been out in our hives every two weeks, installed four new nuc (5 frame starter hives from an experienced beekeeper with overwintered bees and queens), caught a swarm from one of our hives, captured a swarm after a call from a neighbor, and made five hive splits from the Dotson’s booming hives and started 3 nucs with queen cells we found.
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We’ve also been building massive amounts of extra equipment – boxes and frames – so we have extra boxes to put on our hives as they grow and make honey during the summer and fall. Our daughter said our dining room looks like a bee supply company threw up in it!
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And next week, we will have five boxes of spring honey to harvest! We’ll keep you posted as to when that is ready!
And remember, BEEpothecary is back open for business, with a 15% off coupon code reopen15. Get to our online market with the tab at the top of the page “Our Products”
Jeremiah 31
10“Hear the word of the Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’
11 For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.
12 They will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—
the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.
13 Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.
14 I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares the Lord.
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