Still Trucking

-Behold the North Platte River at its peak, 25 years since it last roared with such might.

Summer Flow

Wyoming is basking in the glory of summer once more. Just in time, too. The winter runoff and the final spring storm have the North Platte River flowing at its fullest without any hint of flooding.

The high water has ventured into the Russian Olives, claiming a few casualties along the way.

Beehives resting a foot above the high water line among the Russian Olives at the back. Lucky for them, my last-minute decision paid off. I got lazy and didn’t move them by the Cottonwood tree.

Royal News

Introducing queens is like walking a tightrope. Every beekeeper seems to have their own tricks, often contradicting one another. Wouldn’t it be fascinating to see a study comparing these diverse methods?

The first thing on my checklist is hunting for eggs. Eggs mean a queen is in the house and needs relocating. During my search, I stumbled upon one I anticipated and two delightful surprises.

The attendant worker bees are then delicately separated from the queen cages, utilizing an extra veil as a wire muff.

The new queen, snug in her cage, is gently placed into the hive with maximum exposure to the resident bees by turning it sideways. If there are queen cells, a dab of beeswax and royal jelly is smeared on the cage. One side is strategically embedded in the heart of the broodnest.

The hive is sealed and left undisturbed for at least a week. Any subsequent inspections are minimal and smoke-free.

Zia Queens

The Zia queens made a smooth entrance into their new homes. It’s been a while since I invested in queens, and each time is a gamble. More often than not, I end up losing more than I gain.

But this time feels different. While I could have raised cells from my surviving hives, they were a tad too buzzy for my liking. Their sensitivity to odors and tendency to follow, traits inherited from their Russian heritage, made me reconsider. I’m curious to know what kinds of bees other natural beekeepers are favoring.

Now, the mission is to nurture these little buzzers to become robust enough for the winter ahead. They’ll spend about three more weeks here before transitioning to the agricultural projects. With roughly three full brood cycles left before the season concludes, they should be reaching their peak potential.

✨

Cheers, D 🌴🌊