Reflections of My Life

Despite the heat, I had to "do" the bees. One advantage of sun and warmth is that the bees are hyperactive only interested in one thing which doesn't include me and also means most are out at work. I have the four hives in a carport type construction with only two sides open and a see-through roof. When I had finished I went to our terrace (and pool) where we have a similar setup and the thermometer showed 39.7°C.

To make matters worse I was in full protective gear as my objective was to steal as much honey as possible. When the bees get wind of this they can turn very nasty. I even wore socks and tucked my long trousers inside. At the last inspection, I just had sandals and managed to get my one and only sting this year when one got trapped between foot and sandal strap. Normally when I do a quick look inside a hive I simply have shorts and a t-shirt without any head veil.

In fact, throughout the detailed inspection which then later meant opening up a second time and moving some frames from one hive to another, the girls were wonderfully peaceful. Made the whole thing very pleasant. Last night I had been watching a Youtube video from a series I often use for help from the Norfolk Honey Company. There the owner had been describing his dislike of aggressive bees and although it can be a sign that they are the more productive types, he like most beekeepers would rather kill the queen bee and replace her with one that will hopefully pass on more sociable habits. There is a big debate going on in Germany about the increasing use of the English Buckfast bees instead of the Carniolan (Italo-Austro-Balkan) bees.which are dominant in these parts, Both sides of the debate will say theirs are calm but the Carniolan are claimed to be exceptionally calm and gentle. The more I read about the two types, I think the British bees may be better for me but as is the modern trend, there have been reports of the Carniolan beekeepers carrying out terrorist actions and destroying Buckfast hives to prevent hybrids. The Buckfast tends not to swarm so easily and concentrates more on honey than brood, two characteristics that I definitely need!

My inspection brought good and bad news. The first good news, the smallest by far hive which I thought would not survive has indeed managed to make a queen and there are now eggs being laid. I didn't find her but am glad I took the trouble to give the hive a large portion of sugar fondant which seemingly kept them alive. Today I then gave them a fully packed honey frame and a couple of brood frames stolen from another hive which should further help. I don't expect any more than hoping they get large enough to get through the winter and don't expect any honey from them.

The other good news is that the other three hives are full of busy bees. Astonishingly busy bees which brings me to the bad news - they still only have thoughts about producing offspring. While there are the odd honey frames and it looks like they may well have some more soon, there was no point in removing just a few. As such, I am not overly desperate about having honey but I fear the enormous hive size could become a problem in winter and I want to reduce them down to one box of brood.

I did mention this the other night at the street party to MrB who thought maybe I could try making a few new colonies by dividing them up. Certainly a thought but then I would need to buy queens. The weather would certainly be good for the job.

Hum! What to do? I have a plan hatching.

This evening's Blip reflects my own mood at the moment and was even strengthened later this evening after some news from my best friend. I wish him and above all the 3rd party all the strength in the world to get over the next few months. The starting point is actually looking good but simply that f****** "C" word is enough to get anyone in a state.

And the unbelievable tragedy in Greece is somehow reflected in the pool and burning sky. A country I love and have had the privilege to visit countless times, that is so used to the annual fires but is totally helpless against the whims of nature.

And then this music video came on in the background while working on the laptop tonight. Coincidence?

The Blip taken just after sunset with some thunderstorms building up in the Alps. I heard one not far away at about midnight but no rain and the forecast says it will be hotter in the days to come.