We had to quit bees. My husband traveled too much to care for them and when the final hive swarmed twice in a few days it was the final nail. My husband couldn't get over the grief of finding thousands of dead little creatures when a hive failed.
Oh, that’s really hard! You can do everything right and yet there are so many things that can go wrong. I’m reading a beekeeping manual from the 1950’s and the author is all “just let them do their thing in the summer.” It’s become much more intense & anxiety-inducing nowadays. Your decision makes perfect sense. The grief is real.
I always love hearing about your garden—your updates make me feel like I’m right there with you. So sad about the bees, but at least one hive survived! Didn’t you split them last year too?
Looking forward to more updates as the season unfolds!
Thank you, Britt! I started with 1 nuc then split that hive on July 4th. Then split both hives again once Phillip got back in August. In September we ended up with an extra queen, so we gave her a small colony.
We knew it was a gamble going into winter, but figured our chances were better with more than 1 strong hive. I'm sad about the others, but over the moon about the surviving hive.
My husband and I have been talking about getting bees but it sounds like an intimidating undertaking. At least you have one hive that survived!
In PA, we are fluctuating between 40s and 60s with daytime highs. Saturday might be 76! I'm still on a Massachusetts timetable for spring, so this feels early for such warmth, but I guess it's the norm here.
Don't you love the way tickseed and yarrow look in the winter garden? In some ways, they are just as stunning as stickly plants as when they are in bloom.
The time we spend hand-wringing and worrying over the bees is excessive. They're expensive. They are also beautiful and fascinating, so I'd put them in the Labor of Love category.
Your PA spring weather sounds glorious! And you are so right about tickseed and yarrow. I never expected that dead and dormant plants could provide such beauty through the winter.
Does the neem oil work well on your fruit trees? Interestingly, it is one of the few herbal supplements that seemed effective for MCAS, mainly for preventing SIBO, a related issue.
No way! That's fascinating! This will be our first year for trying neem oil. I've been too late in thinking of it in previous years, and the bees were already on the trees.
We had to quit bees. My husband traveled too much to care for them and when the final hive swarmed twice in a few days it was the final nail. My husband couldn't get over the grief of finding thousands of dead little creatures when a hive failed.
Oh, that’s really hard! You can do everything right and yet there are so many things that can go wrong. I’m reading a beekeeping manual from the 1950’s and the author is all “just let them do their thing in the summer.” It’s become much more intense & anxiety-inducing nowadays. Your decision makes perfect sense. The grief is real.
Erin,
I always love hearing about your garden—your updates make me feel like I’m right there with you. So sad about the bees, but at least one hive survived! Didn’t you split them last year too?
Looking forward to more updates as the season unfolds!
Thank you, Britt! I started with 1 nuc then split that hive on July 4th. Then split both hives again once Phillip got back in August. In September we ended up with an extra queen, so we gave her a small colony.
We knew it was a gamble going into winter, but figured our chances were better with more than 1 strong hive. I'm sad about the others, but over the moon about the surviving hive.
My bees made it, too--but I'm hearing horror stories from other beekeepers
I read that commercial beekeepers had high colony loss, too. Scary. So glad your bees survived!
My husband and I have been talking about getting bees but it sounds like an intimidating undertaking. At least you have one hive that survived!
In PA, we are fluctuating between 40s and 60s with daytime highs. Saturday might be 76! I'm still on a Massachusetts timetable for spring, so this feels early for such warmth, but I guess it's the norm here.
Don't you love the way tickseed and yarrow look in the winter garden? In some ways, they are just as stunning as stickly plants as when they are in bloom.
The time we spend hand-wringing and worrying over the bees is excessive. They're expensive. They are also beautiful and fascinating, so I'd put them in the Labor of Love category.
Your PA spring weather sounds glorious! And you are so right about tickseed and yarrow. I never expected that dead and dormant plants could provide such beauty through the winter.
I wonder if that surviving hive will be hardier now, having strengthened its colony’s collective immune system.
Thank you for sharing your bee 🐝 experiences with us. 🙏
That's an interesting possibility! I hadn't thought of that.
Does the neem oil work well on your fruit trees? Interestingly, it is one of the few herbal supplements that seemed effective for MCAS, mainly for preventing SIBO, a related issue.
No way! That's fascinating! This will be our first year for trying neem oil. I've been too late in thinking of it in previous years, and the bees were already on the trees.
I’ll be interested to know the results.