Bee update

So it's been 3 weeks now since we installed thousands of bees, on purpose, in our back yard. This is a picture of the bee activity you'll see on a nice sunny day from either of the hives. It's a little bit mesmerizing to sit and watch them as they do just as Mother Nature intended them to do. I sat and watched for a while yesterday as I tried to send out good vibes to let over 100,000 bees know that I was friend, not foe. It was amazing to see the bees come in with bright yellow, orange, purple, white....so many different colors of pollen on thier legs.

You're supposed to provide sugar water as extra "food" for the bees. These feeders (Cory made some out of canning jars turned upside down with little holes poked in the lid and suspended on blocks) go inside the hive. If you put them outside the hive, you increase the risk of other bees/wasps coming to "rob" your hive of its honey. We had read that a spray of sugar water calms the bees just as well as smoke, but it doesn't make the bees drowsy. We tested it out, and it's incredible to see...and hear. The noise of that many bees buzzing is quite loud. A spray of sugar water and it's suddenly quiet as they become occupied with eating.

So I sprayed the sugar water on the outside of the hive and sprayed as I opened the hive. I was a little nervous to do it alone (Cory's out on a fire) but I had no problems filling the feeders, no stings, and I got to see the new honeycomb they are creating. Wow! So perfect. When Cory gets back, I'll try to get some pictures of the comb. I'm not brave enough to disturb them to that point by myself with no protection. :)
This is a picture of a swarm we caught in our own peach tree.

Click on the pictures to get a better look. :)

Love and Namaste