I have promised an update on my beekeeping adventures, and today I am happy to deliver!
After years of studying and many months of planning, I introduced our first five honeybee colonies to Hedge Witch Farms on May 31st, and what a joy this experience has been! Honoring their matriarchal society, I have given each of the 5 queens mythic names (Athena, Boudica, Circe, Demeter, and Eve), but acknowledge that it may become challenging to continue this trend as we add more hives.
As I have shared before, we are striving to be plastic-free on the farm, and so, on a warm day in April, I first painted new hive boxes with non-toxic milk paint. (I later added floral designs to make the boxes more appealing, and I appreciate their vaguely Midsommar/cottagecore aesthetic.) I also wired all the frames for beeswax foundations, as opposed to plastic sheet foundations. I have heard other beekeepers bemoan the extra hours of labor, but I hope that this reduces our carbon footprint, and better nourishes our bees.
We purchased our nucleus colonies (or “nucs”) from a well-established local beekeeper, hopefully ensuring that they will be able to survive these harsh upstate winters, and I installed the nucs in our new hives along the far edge of our field.
In just 3 short weeks, the bees have already expanded their colonies enough to require the addition of a second super.
While we doubt that we will have a honey harvest in our first year (we would rather ensure that they have enough stored away for winter!), I am still very impressed by their rapid growth, and I love watching their activities. Excluding my weekly hive checks, which are admittedly disruptive, they are quite comfortable with me wandering around and admiring the hives, allowing me to sit and watch their labors. It was such a delight to witness one honeybee take its first flight, clearly orienting itself in relation to the other hives before zipping off to explore the terrain, and strangely moving to watch a bee struggle to remove a deceased sister from the hive, half-flying, half-dragging the body away from the entrance.
It has been a deeply rewarding, spiritual experience to admire their growing society, and I look forward to sharing more as we go, stay tuned for updates… and share if you have any comments or questions! I am happy to share what knowledge I have garnered through classes, clubs, and limited experience.
