Opening the Hive

Springtime brings extra chores for those living on a farm.

On March 13, 2015 we opened one of my hives to check the colony. The other hive didn't make it through the winter. Kyle Pratt is the bestselling author of speculative and science-fiction novels, a prepper and beekeeper. He grew up in the mountains of Colorado.

Normally, I keep two bee colonies, but only one survived the winter. On a warm day earlier this month, I opened the remaining hive to check on the colony. I try to find the queen, see if she is laying eggs, ensure there is enough food, and, check to see if the workers are planning to swarm (break away and form a new colony).

Taking the hive apart gets the bees very mad. I was fully suited up and not worried, but my brave wife, Lorraine, did the video. That meant she needed one hand uncovered to control the camera. At one point several bees landed on her hand. Fortunately, for both of us, she didn’t get stung.

I didn’t find the queen, but everything else looked healthy. I’ve had another colony of bees on order. They should arrive in April.

I wonder if I can get Lorraine to film that?