Witness me failing to get back into my blogging habits

[oloriel]

but the days are so packed and I don't know where to start.

Ok. Most recent things first.

Newbees!
(Why do bees offer themselves for such an incredible amount of lousy puns in the English language? Whatever, ALL THE PUNS.)

SO on Sunday evening I get a phone call. It's our carpenter's girlfriend, I., the person who sort of got me into beekeeping in the first place.
"Hey, you have an empty box, don't you?"
Ever since the hornet incident, I've been having only empty boxes (well, aside from the one INHABITED BY FUCKING HORNETS), so that's a yes.
"Because I have to catch a swarm tomorrow. Yes, at this time. Don't ask."
At this point, I think she just wants to borrow one of my empty boxes and wonder how I can talk her into leaving the whole swarm in my incompetent care. But actually...
"Anyway, I have as many hives as I want, so I was wondering whether you'd be interested in keeping that swarm?"
YES YES YES YES.
"OK! Are you at home tomorrow morning? I'll call once I've caught the swarm, and then I could bring it right over to your place."
YES YES YES YES.
"Great! See you tomorrow."

Tomorrow came. As the old location is still hornet-infested, I selected a new spot for the new bees. It's lovely, much nicer than the old spot behind the barn actually - on the ex-terrace under the walnut tree, overlooking the Eifgen valley. We hadn't previously used this spot for the bees because we always wanted to get the terrace back in order and use it ourselves, but a) needs must and b) it's not like we're going to have time to either renovate or use the terrace within the next, oh, five years or so. Anyway, after this winter the bees can relocate to the "old" spot, as hornets only nest in one location once and the bee collective has to "re-discover" their location in spring anyway after months in conclavi (with the vast majority of the old worker bees dead). Although, as I said, the "new" location is technically better than the "old". - Anyway. I prepared a fundament for the boxes, set up a box, then filled it with a couple of old frames, and as soon as I was done, the phone rang and I. asked whether we were awake. She soon arrived with a bucket full of bees (and a little bit of tree), which we poured into the box. I. warned me that often, she noticed that a swarm doesn't accept a new location, so I might want to close the box once all stragglers were inside, leaving them no choice. But actually, when I checked on the box later, the bees had already spread out all over the frames instead of lurking in a swarm-ready ball. So I just put in a jug of sugar-water so the bees can stock up (technically, they should find more than enough in their surroundings, this being high summer, but you never know whether the weather will allow them to fly out enough. Of course, ever since I put the feeder in, there has been nary a drop of rain! But better safe than sorry.)

So I have bees again! And that concludes your first update on the Life of the Lyra.

Next up (in the real world - whether it'll find its way HERE is a different question altogether): M-I-L getting out of the hospital tomorrow, workshop with Jenny Dolfen this weekend (SQUEE SQUEE), Jörg's herniotomy next Friday. Times remain... interesting.

Comments

[allamistako.livejournal.com]

Yay! You the bee empress :)

I hoped you'd "find" a new swarm :)

[chili-das-schaf.livejournal.com]

Bucket'o'bees! And as you got them for free, they are...+


FREEBEES!

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

I got all excited that Jenny Dolfen started posting on the SWG. Like a lot of people, I've enjoyed her work for age and so excited she started doing more Silm stuff recently.

Good luck on the bees!

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Me too! (And during the workshop, she told me she started reading TTS. Squee!)

Thank you, I hope they'll be luckier with me this time! :)

[flower-star.livejournal.com]

Oooh, you're going to attend her workshop? So jealous! I somehow missed her announcement about it this year ... I'll have to see if I can go next year, maybe.

(So yeah, witness me failing to comment on the actual topic of the entry ... Congratulations on getting new bees and good luck with them ;)!)

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Try and do, it's worth it! ^^ I had a lot of fun, and some eye-openers, too.

(Thank you!)

[hhimring]

Good luck with the newbees and enjoy the workshop!

[barbardin.livejournal.com]

Nächstes Jahr will ich unbedingt zu Frau Dolfens Workshop. ^^ Ich hab von zorn nur Gutes darüber gehört und jetzt bin ich neidisch. :)

Das mit den neuen Bienen ist ja super! Viel Erfolg damit!

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

Mach das! Hat total Spaß gemacht - eine ausgewogene Mischung aus eigenen Aha-Erlebnissen und guten Tipps & Tricks, ohne einen irgendwie zu überrollen. War nicht so, wie ich's mir vorgestellt hatte, sondern viel freier (und besser XD). Von daher, geh hin! Wenn ich's ermöglichen kann, möchte ich auch gern wieder.

Danke!

[nimielle.livejournal.com]

I don't know why exactly, but I always always always love your posts about bees! Those hornets!! *shakes fists at them*

But you've got a new swarm! I cannot wait to hear that they'll do and things! <3

Good luck!

[oloriel.livejournal.com]

They've settled in nicely, at least! So I'm cautiously optimistic that I'll have my own honey again next year. ^^