Bees, Spring, and Allergies, Oh My!

I've just finished coating two hives worth of top bars with beeswax in anticipation of splitting a hive this afternoon. It's incredible, if you think of it: just before a colony of bees swarms, you intervene- taking baby bees, worker bees, and honey/nectar/pollen stores and making a new hive. Hopefully, then, the bees will raise their own queen, acclimate to their new digs, and establish a new happy and healthy colony. It gets technical and the failure rate is real and ugly, but it can happen. Hopefully, today, it will.

Due to a lack of information out there for beekeepers wanting to transition from a Langstroth hive to a Top Bar Hive without having to buy a new nuc of bees, I'm conducting a grand experiment. A video will be forthcoming, but for now, it's all very speculative and risky, this bee experiment I'm hoping to pull off. I'll update soon.

Otherwise, it's spring already here in the East Texas piney woods. Ugh. Pollen is everywhere and most everyone feels awful; our eyes are puffy, our noses run, our conversations are constantly interrupted with someone sneezing or coughing or blowing their nose or their kid's nose or asking if you need to blow your nose. Ha. This year seems especially allergy troublesome. I must find some raw honey remedies that cut down on the boxes of Advil allergy relief and trash cans overflowing with tissues. I know they're out there.

(To do: concoct raw honey allergy relief solutions. Noted.)

Anyhow... how are you? It seems as though it's been awhile. I've been struggling much with finding a rhythm and deciding on priorities and I know that's apparent here. I've missed you, though, and hope you're well as we collectively usher in this warmer, busy bee season.

Off to the hives now, but I'll be back tomorrow with some new pictures. See you then. -Brin