Not Bees
"Hey, those aren't bees!"
Nope! They're the two baby kestrels that fledged since our last update, and a nest-full of baby robins whom Jeff had saved by wiring their fallen nest back into its tree. Wildlife abounds at Brittany Beehives Apiary! This is the second year kestrel parents have raised chicks in our woods.
Before we give you the current update, remember back in Week Eight when we asked, "What do you think bees do to stay warm in the wintertime?" Well, Dan T. knew the answer! He wrote:
"In the winter I believe that the bees form a ball to keep warm. As they get warm or hot they move to the outside of the ball to cool down and the colder ones move closer to the center of the ball. They do not hibernate."
Nice going, Dan! Now, on to Week Twelve at the beehives... and what a week it was. Staying warm was definitely not a problem!
No, those aren't our giant Wisconsin mosquitoes in the photo above... those are bees! A swarm of bees, to be precise! They have decided they no longer like living in our hive, and are looking for a new home. They cloudede the sky over our house as they scouted out a new place to live.
It has been extremely hot here in Wisconsin recently. One of our queens laid so many eggs that her hive was literally bursting with new worker bees... bees who got very hot in their close quarters! Add to that the fact that Jeff was out of town and couldn't add a new story to their hive, and they just decided they didn't like us as landlords.
The queen took a couple of test flights previously, her minions anxiously flying out and around with her in order to protect her. But she had returned to the hive, twice, thinking it looked better than a hole in a hollow tree in our woods.
But finally, with over half of the hive's workers following her scent, she left for a luxury, air-conditioned suite elsewhere. We were sad to see her go, but it was exciting to watch the swarm. Hopefully she and her staff will survive in the wild, and pollinate orchards and fields nearby. (At least the kestrel parents like our yard!)
The abdicating queen left several princesses behind, who are now being groomed to take over where the queen left off. Soon, one will be ready to be crowned queen after fighting a duel to the death with her sisters after emerging from their queen cells, and then mating with a drone from the hive.
She will then begin laying eggs, but time will have been lost. Remember, the lifespan of a bee is only six weeks or so! So while we are waiting for her to take the throne, and for her new offspring to grow up into new worker bees, the hive's population is decreasing as older bees bite the dust. That means less honey production, for us and for the bees' stores as well. We will probably have to be careful about how much honey we harvest from this hive in the fall, and make sure the bees have enough themselves to make it through the winter.
Click above for a great close-up shot of the swarm ball!
Here you see the swarm cluster pausing in our willow tree. The bees instinctively follow the queen's pheromones, and they form a ball around her to protect her wherever she lands to rest. In the meantime, scout bees make wider and wider circles around her resting place, looking for a suitable new home.
The cluster of bees was so heavy that it caused the branches to bend!
Bees usually will not sting while swarming. Their abdomens are full of honey they've taken from the hive as provisions for their journey, and when their tummies are full, they can't bend over to sting. Still, never approach a swarm if you see one. Just let nature take its course, and enjoy the loud buzzing!
Here, Jeff is holding a queen excluder. It is placed upon the bottom two supers (stories) of the hive, and prevents the queen from going up into the higher, honey supers to lay eggs. The bottom two tall supers are for the bees themselves - their brood, pollen, and honey. The upper, shallower stories are for honey for humans. Because the queen is larger than the workers, she can't pass through this screening, so can't use the upper levels to lay eggs. The workers will then fill all of the cells with honey instead.
Here, Jeff is beginning inspection of the hive which did not swarm. He lifts the inner cover and puts some cool smoke into the hive to encourage the bees to fill up on their honey stores and therefore be less likely to sting as he explores their home.
"Cough, cough - our home must be on fire - pack up that honey and be ready to move at the queen's command!"
Jeff is holding a honey frame here. See how it is shallower than the frames we've shown in past weeks?
Everything looks good - time to close up the hive! (Jeff is wearing his full suit and veil because he was unsure of the reaction of the bees who chose not to swarm with their queen. But everything was just fine.)
All has returned to normal after the swarm and inspection. Phew!
(Jeff was gone week four.)
