Our ladies and their work

The other weekend Mark got into our top bar hive to check out our bees.  It looked like they were building the combs crooked, and we had noticed less bees.  So Mark got in his new suit, and got in the hive to check them out.

From outside, it looked like they were building crooked combs.

And yes, they were crooked.

So Mark took some out to have them re-build them straight.

A very hard thing to do.  *We* decide they are crooked, so ‘can you please, bees of ours, work hard a little more and make them straight again?’

For some reason this sounds mean and not fair.

To make them work harder, to make the combs straight, so when we get the honey, it’s easier.

I guess it’s also, so we don’t get their brood, and destroy their eggs and young ones.  I know it’s better for them too, but it just seems hard to make them do all that work again, as we enjoy some honey too.

But we checked the hive now, because there’s flowers blooming.  The weather is warm enough, and they should be OK with a little less honey.  At the moment, they don’t really need it to survive.  They are building and saving for the winter.

We wouldn’t do this in November or December.

Now, it’s the right time.

We also found this queen cell in the last comb.  It looks like they built it maybe planning ahead, because it doesn’t look like someone hatched from here.  I wonder if this one is a place they planned, or maybe they actually did use when we had those swarms last month.  I just don’t know enough to say with certainty.  But it’s fun to guess and learn.

These honeybees are incredible creatures.

I keep thinking that, as I read and learn more, and watch them do their work.

They’ve already re-built a whole comb, in just a few days since we took the few we did, 7 days ago.  And it’s looking much straighter. Thank you ladies!

And their honey? DELICIOUS! Even better eating it from the comb. Oh my…

Totally amazing.