Joe has been a beekeeper before, but I have no honey experience whatsoever. Except for eating honey. Cool honey on hot, buttered, homemade biscuits. Honey butter on toasted homemade whole wheat bread. But eating honey is not what this post is about.
Joe bought his first package of bees about this time last year from a fellow in Maryville. The bees are supposed to be Italian bees. There's nothing to believe except what the "experts" tell us. We have found - just like with anything else - the experts don't always agree. But that's not what this post is about.
Anyway, he bought a hive to house them in from a young man on Walden's Ridge. Not too long after that, he bought two working hives from a beekeeper in Spencer. Supposedly those bees are Russian (but Joe says they look just like the Italians ???). He has babied them and checked on them and gone to beekeeper meetings and read and read and read. And he kept them all alive during the winter, thanks to clearance-priced candy canes. That's how honeybees like to celebrate the holidays :)
This spring, there have been 6 swarms. The first one left before Joe even knew there had been so many babies born that the hive had become overcrowded. (You know what they say about too many bees in a hive). He was inconsolable. But only until he got really good at this beekeeper thing and captured the next three! Because he was feeling so proud of himself and thinking that he had this beekeeping thing down pat, he was surprised when an additional swarm he thought he had captured last weekend went in search of better accommodations in spite of all that he had done for them. (He's been building hives like mad just trying to keep up with the burgeoning bee population around here). Once again, he was inconsolable.
Until today. I went with him to serve as his photographer as he began this spring's harvesting of honey - decked out in the latest in beekeeping attire. He smoked the bees. He blew them away with a leaf blower. He disrupted their routine.
He rode in the back of the pickup and I took the long way back to the house hoping those smoked and blown and robbed and aggravated bees would not follow us and discover where we live. (Most of them did not). When we were almost back, he yelled for me to stop. (He had to yell because I had the windows up for added protection). He really had thought that the hives had produced all the swarms they were going to this spring, so we were both really surprised to discover he had spotted another one out in the field.
He hurriedly gathered up what he needed to show the bees how hospitable he is and while doing so, Carl dropped by. Carl is also a beekeeper and we got to know him when he was here helping with the installation of our solar arrays last summer. Notice that he is not wearing any protective clothing. You're probably thinking that makes Joe look like a sissy. But I do not. Honeybee stings hurt. And swell. And itch. Can you tell that I recently was stung by one? Right above my eye. (That's why I use the zoom function on my camera for shots like these). Just as I snapped this photo, Carl gave that little tree quite a shake and the bees scattered. He didn't get stung once! And all the bees made their way into their new home. Success!
Finally, it was time to start the honey extraction. These pictures pretty much tell that story:
So -- to sum up, we now have seven working hives. From six frames, we extracted almost fifteen pints of honey today! We've learned from a few mistakes along the way, have made plans to acquire a few more pieces of equipment that will make the job go smoother next time (which will be in a couple of weeks), and are pretty excited about this new hobby. I must say, though - for the record - the bees aren't the only ones that do all the work!!! But to see those jars filled with that beautiful honey makes it all worth it. Oh, and by the way, when Joe took the frames from the second hive, he only smoked them a little bit - didn't use the leaf blower on them at all - didn't have me with him to take pictures - and only wore the protective gloves. Didn't get stung once. Shangri La bees are the best :)
Leland is wanting to go back to bee-keeping. We have lots of fruit trees that could benefit from it. But the story he tells me about the time he found a hive in Salt Lake, stuffed it in his car, rolled up the windows and drove it all the way to his home in Price (about 1 1/2 hours away) gives me pause. They stung him. He made it home, but was so badly stung that when he got there, thinking he was going to die, he ran a hot tub of water and got in. He has an inordinate and mysterious fear of dying while cold. He woke up many hours later, in a tub of cold water after all, and decided that if he could survive that, he could do anything, so he signed up for an ultra marathon and went out and ran a 100 miler in 3 days. I can't say I understand his logic. He knew that getting stung would make him pass out--he had done that before at a Barry Goldwater rally in the Tabernacle in Salt Lake. But that's not what THIS is about. I told him he can get bees as soon as he goes to the doctor for an epi-pen. He says he could never give himself a shot. I told him I wouldn't mind stabbing him, so there's no excuse. My point is, people develop allergies over time, so it's smart to avoid all the stings you can--not wimpy at all. And here's a little tip for ya. If you ever get a sting again, look around on the ground for plantain leaves. They are everywhere in Tennessee. Pick a few and mash them up with a rock. Pack the bruised leaves on the sting, and the pain will go away instantly. You can keep the leaves on you with a band-aid. It keeps the swelling down too.
ReplyDeleteWow! Exciting stuff! Can't wait to try some Shangri La honey!
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