I'm very hands on in life; literally and figuratively. I don't like just watching. I like doing, feeling, touching and fully experiencing.

Teach me something and you'll quickly discover I have to dig in and do it -- hands on. I can't learn without getting fully engaged. With my bees, it's no different. 

I like getting close enough to the bees to feel the breeze from their wings. It's a unique sensation to feel the air from such a tiny, yet powerful fan. It's especially easy to do when approaching the fanning bees near the hive entrance. 

Another thing I like is getting a tired bee to rest on me. It's when they'll adjust the pollen on their legs after a long flight. Or when they just stretch and catch their breath. Not all bees will let me pick them up, but there are some that always will, and I feel honored by their trust. 

If you're wondering if I'm afraid of getting stung, the answer is no. Not one bit. I believe bees are very sensitive to human energy. Animals in general are sensitive like that.  Bees and humans have had a relationship for thousands of years, so it really shouldn't be surprising that bees have learned how to read people.  I'm a daily visitor and I'm not messing with their hive, so they welcome me. The longer we're together, the stronger this connection will become. 

You haven't lived until you have a bee doing a handstand on you like this! 

You know that feeling you get when you hold a door open for a stranger, or you let someone go in front of you in a grocery store line? Helping a bee after a tiring flight makes me feel a little bit like that. The bee seems grateful and even gets so comfortable on me that when I put my hand back near the entrance to offer her a short cut to the hive (instead of taking flight), she'll sometimes let me know she's not ready to go. I love the extra time she gives me.  

How do I know a bee is tired? It's when they land near the hive but not on the hive and they show obvious signs of fatigue as they try holding onto a weed or branch, but often stumble to the ground. I reach down and gently offer my 'helping hand.'  Sometimes I put my finger up toward the entrance of the hive toward the bees that look exhausted and see if one would like to come for a visit on my finger. 

The entrance to the hive is a narrow opening on one side of the box. To assist the bees in managing the defense of their entrance against intruders, a piece of wood is fashioned to fit into the opening to reduce the size of the passage way. In winter, the size will be even smaller to keep out the cold. This piece of wood is called an entrance reducer.

My bees endured a long and difficult transition on their relocation trip. Everything was done to make it as successful as possible, but not only did some of the bees not survive, the larvae suffered too. Both losses were likely due to the heat. 

When I began seeing the bees coming out of the hive with specs of white in their mouths, I knew from past experience that this wasn't typical, if everything was going smoothly. I researched and also asked my mentor what he thought. Don confirmed what I suspected; the white I was seeing was the bees dragging out the dead larvae. He assured me my queen will lay a new egg in the cells where the dead larvae were removed and that things will get back on track quickly.  "Fear not," he wrote.  "Moving is almost always a set back, but it will be overcome shortly."

They're already coming in with pollen filled legs in a nice yellow shade!

It was very hot today. I'm guessing into the 90's. On one visit with my hive where I sit a foot from the entrance and take photos, I noticed about three bees fanning their wings. I remember learning this is what they do to cool things down. Sometimes bees will bring back water and then fan to create an even cooler breeze. Later in the day, when the heat was peaking, there were about eight bees near the entrance with their heads bowed and their wings flapping in a blur. 

This bee is just about to take flight. She walked out of the entrance and past the fanning bees. She was slow and a bit weary, but caught her breath and took flight after this photo. The bees are already letting me get inches from their entrance with my macro lens. 

  My beautiful honeybees were delivered today! I'm officially a beekeeper!

 Author/beekeeper/mentor, Donald Studinski, brought me my first hive of honeybees.  Don has written a wonderful guide called 'Beekeeping Mentor in a Book', available on Amazon. It will guide me through my first year of being guardian to these tiny givers of life.

The Way The Bees Came To Me

Don chose one of my photos for the cover of his book. I was simply honored that he wanted the photo. Then, in a delightful surprise way of thanking me, he offered to deliver me my first hive when I contacted him about locating some bees. He has given me something much better than money in exchange for the image. 

I stood right there when he opened the lid to the hive and I watched as they flew out into the fresh mountain air after their 4 + hour ride in the car from the city. They quickly began exploring their new home.. It was amazing to watch them fly around and begin to get oriented to their new surroundings. They made small circles around their hive and then would re-enter and come out again to circle a bit larger. I learned that they would did this over and over to learn where the hive now sits. 

An Excerpt

"Bees have brought a savory sweetness into my life, just as surely as they bring sweetness to the table with their honey. They have been the light on my darker days. When I need to regenerate my weary soul, I head to where I know the bees are busy. I have my favorite spots where I bathe in their energy. I know how strange this sounds to non-bee people. How I would love to open their eyes and hearts to this simple joy and wonder of nature. I try capturing a little bit of their magic through my camera lens, but like all the best things in life, nothing compares to experiencing it in person. My hope with this book is that, as you flip through these pages, you will be inspired to get more familiar with these lovely creatures, and will also choose to learn about the plight of bees around the world as they face an uncertain future, right along with our own.”

Here it is, more than four years later, and I'm finally getting to take care of my own bees. This is my first entry of this new blog that will capture what I observe, learn, think and love about all things bee.