Wicked Bee Apiary

Finding good habitat for our honey bees can be a challenge for beekeepers as agriculture and cities gobble up all the natural resources around them. I am fortunate to have access to roughly 200 acres of rolling hills covered in forest that provides early spring blossoms, multiple fresh water springs as natural water sources for the bees, and several sprawling meadows as seen here. In late spring and early summer these meadows are covered in wildflowers with an undergrowth of white and yellow clover. The bees love it, and I couldn't be happier nor more thankful. 😍

After several weeks of procrastinating, the Topbar Hive that was damaged by the bear now has a new 2x thick wooden nuc box permanently attached to the end. The colony has been transferred from the thin plastic box over into this better insulated version for winter. And, with it being connected to the Topbar hive as their means to enter/exit, they will be able to immediately start expanding back into the Topbar come spring!

🎃 Happy HALLOWEEN 👻

The Aftermath... Photos from the Black Bear encounter and what's left of the Topbar transition hive. (Which isn't much. Out of 5 frames and 12 bars of comb, only 3 frames were salvageable.)

Just had our first Bear encounter! Big ol Black Bear came for a visit. Came right up by our front door initially to say hi and investigate the large trash bin. Then it went down towards the bees... Flipped the Topbar hive upside down and tore the neck box off the end. Hard to tell in these dark photos, but we won't be able to get the full extent of the damage until morning.

The first sacrificial sting has been received... I've paid my initiation dues and I'm officially a beekeeper again! 🤣 Technically I got stung twice, once in the thigh (pant leg wasn't tucked into my boot fully 🤦‍♂️), and once in the wrist.