The days have been very warm, unseasonably so. It's a busy season at work and in the hive. I'm concerned about swarms. I didn't see queen cells on the weekend so I'm waiting to the next one to check again. But, if I missed one (or more) a new queen will indicate the old queen has swarmed with 60% or more of the colony.
Till the next inspection, I'll go out each night with my stethoscope to make sure if I've missed a queen cell, perhaps I can hear her pipping before she emerges.
Tonight was no different, just later than usual. I wanted to check on how much food the girls had been taking in on such a warm day, 80 degrees. And, just to say hello.
As I stepped out into the moonless night, the sky was bright with stars. The darkness was full of owls hooting, cackling geese and restless squawks of waterfowl around the lake. I arrived at the hive to find a cluster of bees cooling on the landing platform.
Clearly, if you look in the lower right hand corner, their presence had attracted an evening visitor. Look closely.
You never know what you're going to find when you go looking for something else.
No comments:
Post a Comment