Ho-hum, buzz buzz buzzz. . .

[doodlemaier]

It's those very boring days for a Warré beekeeper. Bees go out, nectar and pollen come back in. I check the bottom boards regularly and am guardedly optimistic about the complete lack of varroa I find there. Although I didn't know what I was looking for at the time, I still retain an original shipping crate from my first packaged shake of Italians from Kelley's back in 2009 where the mites are pretty obvious when one knows what to look for. At the time, what I thought I was seeing were tiny drops of resin (propolis) that the swarm was shaking off.

The gallon baggie feeders could come off the hives any day now, even though they're not quite empty, it's clear that the bees are bringing in all they need from their own foraging. They're God's bees, now. In Isis, the Annandale hive, I noticed a profusion of large black ants hanging around inside the quilt. In response, I chopped up some dried wormwood I had left over from last years' absinthe harvest and laid a nice thick layer of that over top of the softwood shredded pet bedding I've insulated it with. Upon checking back the next day, it appears to be an effective pest deterrent. I'm looking for an explosion of honeybees around, or right before, mid May when I estimate the first eggs laid should be emerging from their cells. Otherwise, bees go out, nectar and pollen come back in, and that's a beautiful thing.