I have lost count. F patiently explained to me that a nice man at the Portsmouth and District Beekeepers Assocn. summer barbeque told her these ones are called 'casts'. They are smaller than a swarm, and I got lost when she got to the bit about virgin queen.....
Well anyway there was yet another cast on Saturday. Mr B and F were away sailing again (I heard them say something about Round an Island) so they didn't see it. Fortunately the neighbour came over and pointed out that the 'cast' had landed in my apple tree - just like the last one. Mr B is getting good at this; he can do it on his own now. I saw him get out the crazy space suit and the neighbour's long ladder and a brush, and I could see one of my cardboard boxes upsidedown on my motorbike cover on the lawn, but F wouldn't let me out of the house. While I was desperate to get out the patio doors, she sneaked out the other door. Traitor.
They are all in another beehive now - that's 4 in our backyard.
Rain must have frustrated the bees this year. We haven't got many flowers, and it has rained lots which means they stay indoors mostly. There isn't going to be a lot of honey unless we get a spectacular summer from now on....and it's not shaping up that way is it?
This doesn't bode well for the catfood fund.
They bought some more beehives a few weeks ago, hives that still had honey in them. F cleaned them out, and Mr B has spent a lot of time rebuilding bits of them. We have enough bits for 7 hives now but I realize that even 4 are starting to make the end of the garden a no-go zone. So I think they need to buy me a farm now. Perhaps we could have chickens......hmmmm large birds with sharp beaks.....on second thoughts perhaps not.
There was one small bonus associated with the arrival of the new/second hand hives. They left the car open after they unloaded it, and didn't notice me climb inside before they closed it. I got a really good look around, and a sleep, and they found me sitting up in the driver's seat when they got back a couple of hours later from their van trip to the garden centre!
Well anyway there was yet another cast on Saturday. Mr B and F were away sailing again (I heard them say something about Round an Island) so they didn't see it. Fortunately the neighbour came over and pointed out that the 'cast' had landed in my apple tree - just like the last one. Mr B is getting good at this; he can do it on his own now. I saw him get out the crazy space suit and the neighbour's long ladder and a brush, and I could see one of my cardboard boxes upsidedown on my motorbike cover on the lawn, but F wouldn't let me out of the house. While I was desperate to get out the patio doors, she sneaked out the other door. Traitor.
They are all in another beehive now - that's 4 in our backyard.
Rain must have frustrated the bees this year. We haven't got many flowers, and it has rained lots which means they stay indoors mostly. There isn't going to be a lot of honey unless we get a spectacular summer from now on....and it's not shaping up that way is it?
This doesn't bode well for the catfood fund.
They bought some more beehives a few weeks ago, hives that still had honey in them. F cleaned them out, and Mr B has spent a lot of time rebuilding bits of them. We have enough bits for 7 hives now but I realize that even 4 are starting to make the end of the garden a no-go zone. So I think they need to buy me a farm now. Perhaps we could have chickens......hmmmm large birds with sharp beaks.....on second thoughts perhaps not.
There was one small bonus associated with the arrival of the new/second hand hives. They left the car open after they unloaded it, and didn't notice me climb inside before they closed it. I got a really good look around, and a sleep, and they found me sitting up in the driver's seat when they got back a couple of hours later from their van trip to the garden centre!
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