July 19: Heat, Dearth and Coneflowers

It's been very very hot (in the high 80s and low 90s). This weekend, I propped up the rear side of the top covers 2 inches with a block to let some air in the hives. They were still bearding last night around the front entrance and drilled entrance holes. I removed the block this morning, because we had a chance of thunderstorms today and I didn't want it to rain into the hive.

I also quickly inspected the top supers of both hives. Neither hive has drawn out the top super. I believe we are in a dearth with little nectar and pollen available. Still, I took a trip to Danville, Ohio, on Saturday to Simpson's Bee Supply to pick up two medium supers and 20 wired frame wax foundations. I'm preparing for what I hope will be a nice goldenrod/aster honey flow late in the summer. Why do I drive an hour to pick up equipment? Because Simpson's woodenware is cypress and well-made. I also enjoy the drive to Knox County and the chance to chat with Mr. Simpson.

It's exciting to see my honeybees collecting pollen and nectar from my own perennials, which I witnessed this weekend (see picture). They seem to really like the coneflowers which are in bloom right now.

Swarm Lists and BuZZzz Scholarships

This year, Franklin County (Ohio) offered $500 scholarships for beekeeping equipment and a package of bees to people who completed the Central Ohio Beekeepers Association beginning beekeeping workshop. If you are a resident of Franklin County and want to start beekeeping, you'll want to look into this opportunity. Classes usually start in March with a late April package installation.

A record number of swarms has been reported this year. Does this reflect reality or are more people reporting swarms with the news coverage on the plight of the bees? If you notice a swarm (a large number of bees congregating in a tree or house), call your local beekeeper or someone on the "swarm list" . Check with your local beekeepers organization for their swarm list. Beekeepers like swarms: free bees. And you may save them from the exterminator.

July 9: Unidentified Flying Objects

I recently returned from vacation to the Sequoia/Kings Canyon national parks in California. It was an awesome trip! Just beautiful.

I did some "bee-watching" while I was hiking the trails and discovered a gigantic bee pollinator among patches of purple lupine. The bee looks like some strange mutant beetle/bumblebee hybrid. I saw literally thousands of these bees in the parks.

What kind of bees are these? I believe they are female Valley Carpenter Bees.



I also stumbled upon honey bees as I was sitting on a boulder along the Trail of Sequoias, admiring a fantastic view of the Sierra Nevada. I wonder if these honey bees live inside of the hollows of the gigantic sequoias?

July 16: Bearding and Festooning

It's been really hot in Ohio for the last few days. It was 91 degrees yesterday. The last couple evenings after dark (when watering flowers), I've noticed that a lot of bees have been congregating at the front entrance of both hives. This is called bearding and bees do it when they get too hot. If you were in a hot building without air conditioning (and you've been flapping your wings all day), you would like taking a break to get some fresh air too! It was a bit scary the first time I saw them gathering at the entrance, because I thought they were getting ready to swarm.

Temperature and humidity regulation is an important activity inside the bee house. Bees fan their wings to produce a convection draft into and up the hive. You wouldn't think those tiny wings would actually make that much of a difference, but bees do a great job keeping their homes at a constant temperature, winter and summer.

I hate the heat and humidity of Ohio summers. I'm assuming the bees hate it too (they certainly do have to work harder), so I may have gone a bit overboard with ensuring ventilation: the Russians have the front entrance without a reducer, 2 drilled entrance holes and the top cover is propped up.

In the picture to the right, you can see an interesting festooning formation. What they are doing?

Did you know? People have long claimed that honey bees "shouldn't" be able to fly from an aerodynamic perspective. False! "the secret of honeybee flight is the unconventional combination of short, choppy wing strokes, a rapid rotation of the wing as it flops over and reverses direction, and a very fast wing-beat frequency."

July 15: "How to Lessen the Labor of Women"

I stumbled upon this hilarious article in the 1892 issue (page 457) of Gleanings in Bee Culture when I was reading up on L. L. Langstroth (for the article I wanted to write but just discovered may have already been written as a play).

"How to Lessen the Labor of Women
Who Have Swarming Bees to Care For

If the dishes are washed and immediately replaced upon the table it saves much time, for, when dish-washing time comes, one generally has more time than just before the meal...Leave the sugar, butter, salt, pepper, honey, spoons, and such things as are needed each meal, always upon the table. Do not go to the cellar for potatoes each meal, but bring up a large panful at some leisure time, and wash all at once...

The washings may be done on rainy or dark days, when the bees choose to stay at home. The underclothes, sheets, and towels may be used without ironing, rather than overwork, or rather than let the bees go to the woods or swarm when there is no one to care for them; for if one keeps bees it pays to take care of them in the proper time...

The bread may be set in the evening, so that it may be baked before swarming time next day. Many prefer setting bread at night, thinking it makes better bread...

When much extra work is expected, as swarming or harvesting, it pays to be liberal with the pennies for the children, to induce them to save steps for their parents, and thus tide them over the hard places...Leave as little to be done in the mornings as possible. If there is time in the evening, pick the berries. Take the children along, and, if they can't be induced in any other way, reward them a little for work done...

Sweeping and dusting spare rooms, scrubbing porches and walks, may be done in the evenings, if there is spare time; if not, they had better be left undone than to overwork...Such work can better be neglected than cooking, for it helps one to be good-natured to have appetizing food; and of all times when I appreciate good dinners, it is when I have been wearied and worried catching swarms...[swarming happens] at most for three weeks once in a year, unless it be a year like 1882, when we had one or more swarms every day from the first of June to the middle of September, except about a week in the first of August."

Mrs. L. C. Axtell, Roseville, Illinois

July 1: Upward Mobility: Time for More Supers

In need of additional supers, I picked up two mediums, each with 10 wooden frames of wired wax starter foundation, from a local supplier (roughly $70). Apparently, there is tremendous demand right now for equipment, so I was lucky to find a place with same-day pickup.

Time to paint. I bought a gallon of reject exterior latex paint from the hardware (oil-based paint probably is not good for the bees) and applied one coat primer and two coats paint. Only the exterior of bee homes are painted.


This morning at 7:30 am (not the ideal time to be making adjustments, for me or them), I lit the smoker and added one medium to the Italians and one medium to the Russians. The Russians were not happy at all; the Italians were oblivious.

I think the bees will be quite pleased with their lovely new blue additions.

So: the Italians have 3 hive bodies and the Russians have 3 hive bodies and 2 honey supers. The equipment apparently is exactly the same, but hive body refers to brood chambers and honey super refers to the area dedicated to honey storage. I was confused about that for a long time.

Did you know? It is best to inspect hives on a warm, sunny day at the time when most foragers will be in the field.

June 29: Back to Waterloo

I returned to Waterloo Wildlife Area (Zaleski, Ohio) this weekend to spend more time exploring and to find that elusive geocache. It was perfect timing, as the orange butterfly weed and I think, milkweed, were in full bloom with lots of butterflies and bumblebees, performing their pollination duties (see my slideshow below). Very nice area, and I did finally find the geocache!

If you are a hiker, I would highly recommend this Lake Hope State Park (Ohio) loop: take Copperhead (A) from the trailhead at the last campsite in the campground to Yosemite Falls (E). I saw 5 deer and no humans. Gorgeous at this time of the year.