No one should own animals smarter than they are...

My nephew was over today, so we did alot of little things toward getting the fence complete and we worked with the bees. He's a huge help, and often is the only thing that keeps me on task. Most of the photos for today's post were taken by him, also. Thank you, Michael.


Emily was looking a bit cramped, so we expanded her quarters. Essentially, the box we put on top (a "super," in the trade) is just like the bottom part of the hive (brood hive). It is shorter, so the frames are smaller. This is because when they fill up with honey, the supers can be very heavy. Smaller ones are easier to handle. You'll also notice the screen we put between the brood hive and super. It's a queen excluder. It is just large enough for worker bees to pass through, and just small enough that the queen is confined below. This keeps the queen from laying eggs above the brood hive, so that only honey is stored in the supers.


We checked Taylor, too. Everything is in order in there. Looks like good amounts of babies and honey being stored up. It won't be long before Taylor and Meagan get their own home improvements like Emily.


It's incredible to me how every bee has its job and just does it. Some tend the nursery. Some keep the interior of the hive clean. Some assist the incoming workers from the field with the pollen and nectar they bring in. The field workers literally work themselves to death so that the hive can carry on. Every bee goes through these jobs over their lifetime. On the other hand, the smoker got a little bit out of control when I was trying to be sure it had enough coals in it to last long enough to check both hives. You should not buy animals that are smarter than you are.


Today's photos, in order of appearance:

• Emily, complete with the new super.
  
• Saved from the lawnmower: a box turtle.
• When the lid is off the hive, the girls come and go via the top.
  
• Nectar on the left, complete honey capped on the right.
  
• Emily's queen excluder.
  
• Don't leave the smoker unattended. Good thing I have a spare. Does anyone know where to get a big scrap of Naugahyde?