A swarm in May is worth a load of hay,
A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon,
A swarm in July ain't worth a fly.
We lost several of our hives this last winter. Some were due to disease, others blew over in a wind storm and died.
I knew that the price of packaged bees had gone up significantly and was not in the budget to purchase more bees, so I prayed.
I know how much my husband loves working with the bees and how much I love the honey. Plus the price of honey has also gone up so we might be able to recoup some of our cost by selling the honey.
Sean got a call on Sunday to go catch a swarm in Lynden and we went and checked it out. Both of these swarms were on the trunk of a tree, much more difficult to catch than the ones on a branch. We went to our friends, Zach and Tammy and borrowed a shop vac, extension cords and tape, lots of tape. Then, Sean created a bee vacuum and we vacuumed the bees into a box and hived them. We had to give them time to all get in the new hive, so we went home and came back later to get them. Sean was concerned about the keeping the hive intact so I rode in the back seat of the Honda Car with the hive.
On Tuesday, he got another call for a swarm, we were not able to go get them till about 7 P.M. Really, much too late to get started but we tried anyway. He set up a similar bee vacuum this time directly into the hive. This proved to be more difficult, and the bees were not happy about being disturbed so late in the day. Sean got stung twice on his hand. I forgot to bring the lavender and emu oil so his hand swelled significantly. I prayed that he wouldn't get stung anymore since usually when you get stung the other bees sense that you are a threat and will continue to sting.
I was in charge of keeping the cords and hoses free of kinks and trying to keep the suction at a good pressure. I was on my knees on the hard ground trying to keep quiet and do my job well. There is something very disconcerning about watching 100 bees line up on the seam between your husbands bee suit and veil, then watching a few lone bees disappear between your husbands legs!
Thankfully, there were no more stings. We finally finished at 10 P.M. so there were no fliers, and since none of bees that were not in the hive would not survive the night we decided to take the hive home. Again, I sat in the back of the BRV to assure that the hive would not come apart on the drive.
I am so very thankful for God's provision and answer to even the simplest prayers. Be careful what you pray for He might just say Yes!
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| Lynden Swarm |
I knew that the price of packaged bees had gone up significantly and was not in the budget to purchase more bees, so I prayed.
I know how much my husband loves working with the bees and how much I love the honey. Plus the price of honey has also gone up so we might be able to recoup some of our cost by selling the honey.
 |
| Everson Swarm |
On Tuesday, he got another call for a swarm, we were not able to go get them till about 7 P.M. Really, much too late to get started but we tried anyway. He set up a similar bee vacuum this time directly into the hive. This proved to be more difficult, and the bees were not happy about being disturbed so late in the day. Sean got stung twice on his hand. I forgot to bring the lavender and emu oil so his hand swelled significantly. I prayed that he wouldn't get stung anymore since usually when you get stung the other bees sense that you are a threat and will continue to sting.
I was in charge of keeping the cords and hoses free of kinks and trying to keep the suction at a good pressure. I was on my knees on the hard ground trying to keep quiet and do my job well. There is something very disconcerning about watching 100 bees line up on the seam between your husbands bee suit and veil, then watching a few lone bees disappear between your husbands legs!
Thankfully, there were no more stings. We finally finished at 10 P.M. so there were no fliers, and since none of bees that were not in the hive would not survive the night we decided to take the hive home. Again, I sat in the back of the BRV to assure that the hive would not come apart on the drive.
I am so very thankful for God's provision and answer to even the simplest prayers. Be careful what you pray for He might just say Yes!
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