Apis Update

"There are no bees in my vegie garden, there's no fruit on the tomatos, no pumpkins, no cucumbers. What I can do about it?"

The same day that Marguerita rang in the morning about her white iris, almost two weeks ago now, Huit rang in the evening.

"I don't think it's a lack of bees, Huit. There's only a few tomatoes on my plants, and I have 3 hives of bees fifty metres away. I'm not sure tomatoes need bees anyway. I think December was far too cold, and since then it's been so dry, and now hot. Just a bad year."

"No I'm sure it's a lack of bees, there's not a bee to be seen anywhere. None."

Huit's mind was made up. He wanted me to bring a beehive and put it in his garden.

"I might be able to bring a hive over if I can find time to go through them and organize one. I haven't done anything with them this year, except put spare boxes on top to stop the moth grubs chewing out the combs. I've been busy. It won't be tomorrow or the next day. If I can I'll get one over to you on the weekend. I'll have to bring them at night. I'll call you first."

I didn't feel committed, but I checked out the bees on the Sunday. The nucie I'd started after the failed swarm capture at Mt.Burnett had successfully raised a new young queen, and what a beauty. Not long as far queens go, but fat and robust, a lovely coppery colour, and laying like a ripper. It'd be the easiest to move to Huit's, being small, but one of the other strong hives would do a better job. The other hives were populous with a small amount of honey in the third box, some of it starting to candy, and the top boxes empty. My earlier feelings were correct. Not a good year for bees, little if any honey surplus.

I knocked the first hive next to the nucleus down to a double, planning to take it to Huit's later. I put the scratchy box half full of honey in the shed, and took the empties off the other two hives. At least the hot weather would be good for extracting, was my thought. I did the same at 'Sunset', then visited Harry in Le Souef Rd. and checked his 2 hives as I'd arranged with him. There was some honey there, between the two hives, and I told him my plan was to extract on Tuesday. I'd see him about 1.00pm Tuesday. (I'd offered to extract Harry's honey when I did mine. As poorly set up I am to extract honey, it's easier for me, I have an extractor and I reorganise my shed which is an improvement on Harry making a hell of a sticky mess in his kitchen.)

After Sunday night's roast lamb, cooked in the webber, enjoyed with several glasses of red wine, I was in no mood to shift the bee hive. I went out with a torch and locked the bees in, then came in and rang Huit to say I'd be at his place a little before 7.00am. "You'll need to be there so we can decide where to put them."

With the bees locked up, there was no need to move them before dawn, provided the morning was not too hot. Huit was waiting for me. We agreed on a site and I told Huit to stay well away from them for the day as they wouldn't be too happy being disturbed on the Sunday then locked up overnight. The forecast was for very hot weather, and without nectar coming in bees could be testy at the least.

By late Tuesday morning, I'd managed to empty my shed of tools etc. and set up the extractor and tanks. I removed the honey from my beehives then collected Harry and his frames of honey which we extracted first. I took him home with a good tub of honey straight out the the extractor and a bucket of cappings a little while later and I put the sticky combs back in his beehives. Harry's wife Hannah was so grateful to me that her kitchen was spared. They could strain the honey at their leisure.

Back in my shed, with the temperature around 40C, I extracted the four half full boxes of half candied honey with robber bees all about. Tough going, believe me, at the end of which, after what seemed like days of preparation and work, I had about 40kg of honey. The hardest I'd ever worked for so little honey it seemed.

That night, the phone rang again. It was Huit. "Carey, I just wanted to tell you the bees have settled in really well. There are bees everywhere, all over everything in the garden."

"Good. I thought you might worry if they were all hanging out on the front of the hive in the heat. If they do that it's OK, it's how they cool down the inside of the hive, getting out to make space and fanning air through."

"No I didn't see that. They are just flying in and out, as busy as bees. Matter of fact I got stung, but I didn't ring to tell you that. I was watering quite near and I thought it was a blow fly buzzing near my face so I swatted at it, hitting it away and it came straight back and stung me on the nose."

"Gee, I'm sorry about that Huit. There's no nectar coming in much and they'll be a bit cranky, especially soon after the move."

It's alright. I didn't ring to complain. But I'll stay well away from them. They're savage. I don't think they like me. It really hurt too. Wilma put some stuff on it."

I couldn't help but have a little chuckle to myself. "If they give you more trouble Huit I'll come and get them."

By Saturday last, after the heat wave from hell during the week, for some reason I had a bit of an 'egg' swelling on the left side of my forehead, maybe some allergy or a spider bit or something. I was completely stuffed after the week's heat and watering, again it was a hot day, 37c after the 'cool' change dropped the max from the mid 40's of the previous few days. I took it easy, mucking around straining honey.

Late in the day I walked down to the bees to check the stack of empty supers behind them. I didn't bother with a veil. As I lifted the lid, a robber bee flew out and stung me right between the eyes. Two more got me quickly before I could get the hell out. My eyes swelled up to match my forehead.

I kept my hat low and sunglasses on all day Sunday. How dare I chuckle at Huit. It's definitely not a good bee season.