to bee or not to bee? That was the question...

Do you notice what is missing in the bottom photo?  Yes, the tarp that was covering my compost, but do you see the other important element that is missing?  The beehives are gone.  I have been holding my breath for about a month.                                

The hives needed to be moved for a two reasons.  One, we took out all of the trees that shaded them in the summer.  This made for some very unhappy bees.  Two, very unhappy bees tend to not be overly friendly when there is activity close by, say some strange lady gardening in a floppy hat. 

Did you know that if you move bees you need to move them 3 feet or 3 miles?  They leave scent trails back to the hive.  If you move the hives further than 3 feet they get confused by old trails and go back to where the hive was and not where it is.  A bee's range is about 3 miles, thus the hives need to be moved 3 miles away.  Long story long,  I couldn't just move the hives 30 feet away.  The beekeeper came and took those hives away one day.  I wasn't sure if he was going to bring any hives back.  After a long month of wondering, he returned with their cousins.  Different hives means different scent trails. 

 

I must say I like the new colors.  He placed the hives next to the orchard.  His timing was great, because the apple trees and naking cherries are starting to bloom.  As you can see we are slowly starting to green up (and I don't mean the hives).  It is supposed to be in the 70's this week, so I'm sure things will pop after 8 inches of rain.   I am excited to see how these bees do in their new spot.  The beekeeper was pleased to report he had 100% survival rate for his hives this winter.  I am just happy to have some bees back.