minding my own beeswax
photo taken with the pathetic iphone camera.
Was doing my taxes a day late this morning. Went to get a glass of water in the kitchen and looked out the window to see an ungodly amount of bees in the air, way up here on the second story. “SWARM!” I shouted.
I love this time of year, everyones making babies. The crab fishermen are sitting in the bar waiting for the crab to stop humping and starting eating again, so they can lure them out of bed and into the pot with a little bait. The bees are overcrowded in the hive because so many young ones are growing wings. I’m doing taxes. It ain’t natural.
self portrait with the crappy resolution of an iphone
I trimmed away some branches then cut the two main branches the swarm was clinging to. The bees follow the new queen and huddle up. They are basically locking legs and crawling all over each other to form this bunch. Golf ball sized clumps of bees rolled off when I accidentally shook their branch while cutting away others to get at them.
They will hang out here until scouts come back with news of a location for a new hive. I took matters into my own hands and stuck them in an extra hive I had. Hopefully they will stay.
Cool! Are you still keeping bees?
Comment by Kitt — April 16, 2008 @ 10:57 am
this makes three hives.
Comment by Rolston — April 16, 2008 @ 11:15 am
Do you think I could start a hive in a tree hollow at my parents house. I’ve noticed that there are no honey bees around their flower beds (only bubble bees). How would I go about finding a local bee person to bring a hive over? Could I just cover my body in queen scent and run through town like the Pied Piper?
Comment by millar — April 16, 2008 @ 12:47 pm
you’ll get a bee beard if you rub yourself in queen scent. as far as the hive, bees want a pretty well enclosed space, just a little escape hatch to come and go from, because they have lots of predators. If you mostly covered up the hollow and then purchased a queen and some bees, i bet they’d hang around.
Comment by Rolston — April 16, 2008 @ 4:10 pm
J.R memba whippin rocks at the buffallo at the kroitzsh’s apple farm, missing the buffallo and smackin one of the ten hives. I honestly thought i could out run the bee’s cuz they had yellow jackets on, and i was wearing shorts and sneakers. I personally got stung about twenty times. Old times are gone, and i want to get stung again.
Comment by hooperlooper — April 16, 2008 @ 4:39 pm
them bees was nude from the waist down so they can fly wicked fast. didn’t stop us from makin a game outta chuckin rocks at paper hornet nests. i memba.
Comment by Rolston — April 16, 2008 @ 5:15 pm
http://www.usm.maine.edu/cesb/pastgraduates.html
Comment by J Landry — April 17, 2008 @ 5:07 am
That is awesome Landry! Thanks for the link!
Comment by Rolston — April 17, 2008 @ 8:47 am
hey jason I was talking to steve awhile ago, he said he put mushrooms on his moms pizza, no joke, he said she laughed for hours. I looked into his eyes and he wasn’t lyin, crazy bastard
Comment by hooperlooper — April 17, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
Man Jon, them’s some nice fotos. Think I might have to get me a crappy iphone. And a queen bee or two. When are you coming to visit??
Comment by Mitch — April 17, 2008 @ 6:52 pm
Looks like a pineapple.
Comment by Dr. Pepsi — April 18, 2008 @ 4:22 pm
Are you celebrating National Pollinator Week, Mr. Bees??
http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2008.htm
Comment by K — April 19, 2008 @ 5:56 am
quietly with my girlfriend.
Comment by Rolston — April 19, 2008 @ 6:02 pm
LOL! that camera of your DOES take creative photos, Jon. I mean, I’m a dark lady, but DAMN! It worked me over good.
What was the name of that bar you took me and G-man to when we came to SF?
–Ebony
P.S. Me and G-man broke up. I got tired of survival sex and he got tired of me.
Comment by Drunken negro — April 20, 2008 @ 4:31 pm
well sometimes opposites attract for just a little while. then repelling happens. the bar was tommy’s joynt, the one across the street from the hotel. i think that’s the only one we went to.
Comment by Rolston — April 22, 2008 @ 10:39 am
you’re a lucky bee keeper with all the hives coming in…
Comment by molly — April 23, 2008 @ 4:57 pm
i think they’re selling for over a hundred bucks now. but it takes all summer to build up the population to proper strength.
Comment by Rolston — April 24, 2008 @ 10:18 am
joshua dunbar, heres a place called pawtuckaway beekeepers in candia new hampshire. they’ll help you find a local bee purveyor.
Comment by Rolston — April 24, 2008 @ 10:24 am