September 7, 2016
by Deborah Burgess
1 Comment
Farmer Bob has been working so hard…at his real paying job, as well as all the farm work he does. I don’t drive the tractors, and I don’t bush hog, so that’s up to him. He also doesn’t want me mowing the lawn, which is actually fine with me, as I have plenty of other things to do!
We decided to work ahead and take a few days off for just plain fun, so we won’t have any market hours here at the farm this coming Sunday, September 11th. We also won’t be giving any tours till Tuesday, September 13th, when I will return to my normal working schedule.
I have to admit that the heat has worn me down over the past few weeks, and not tackling major projects outside for a few days will be a welcome relief! Yesterday, I worked for several hours in the apiaries and nearly melted. I do wear a full beekeeping suit and, although it is ventilated, it’s still a hot sticky mess. I worked at the little apiary at Persimmon Ridge farm here in Lancaster County, and then came home to inspect one of my hives that is suddenly showing little activity at the front entrance. I went through the entire hive….lots of bees, honey, pollen….but no brood. No larvae. No eggs. Yikes! That means there is no queen! I wonder what the heck happened to her. Sometimes honey bees will start making a new queen if they don’t like the old one, and then they’ll kill the old queen. Maybe that’s what happened and the new virgin queen never came back from her mating flight. That’s just one explanation, but I think a plausible one. She could have been eaten mid-flight by a bird or captured by a dragonfly. At any rate, I need a new queen and a breeder I have become acquainted with is going to send me some in the mail. I’ll get them early next week and then my new queen will start laying right away. Hopefully the colony will be strong by the time the winter winds blow! Continue Reading →
