Our little band of stragglers may get some sisters and a new monarch. I've found a comercial beekeeper who still has some nuc's left (nuc = bees, queen, and 5 frames of brood/honey, not a box of bee's like last time). However, he is outside of Walla Walla which is around a 3 hour drive one way for us. But. Worth. It.
We're thinking of expanding to 3 hives (provided he has that many), one on this farm and the other 2 on some friends property, just outside of Cheney. Our scheduled pickup date is next Thursday the 9th. I won't believe it or start celebrating until those girls are in the car!
Updates to follow....
Wow!! Great news. Keeping my fingers crossed!
ReplyDeleteI know nothing about bees---did your's fall to the virus that's afflicting so many bees, or do you think it was just the cold/wet weather? Just wondering. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteTommy- No the bee's didn't fall victim to CCD (colony collapse disorder). We think they might have had trachea mites which bee's do get on occasion and that weakened them or else the cold wet fog got them.
ReplyDeleteDuring the winter bee's huddle in a big cluster and if they break that and separate out onto the frames like they do in the summer they can freeze to death. We're pretty sure this is what happened, because right after the cold spell we found a large number of dead bee's in the bottom of the hive.
We plan on moving the location of our hive from the side of the house (part shade) into the garden (full sun), in the hopes that more sun will help them stay alive better.
Am holding my breath hoping all goes well in the "Story of the Bees" at OxRay Farm! (Ok! Ok! So my love of your honey plays a part in my deep interest... :)
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