We did a quick hive check this afternoon. The bees were enjoying today's weather. Which was good since yesterday was pretty soggy 'round these parts. My mom was speculating that the girls are pretty cramped, now that we've removed a good half of their hive.
On a somewhat related note:
Has anyone else noticed the explosion of spiders in the area lately? I guess the little guys are all grown up.
One enterprising spider had set up camp directly outside of the hive. Last week I'd found another web nearby, with three of my lady bees ensconced within.
Really? You're eating MY bees? My lovely, sweet honeybees? What, are there not enough wasps, moths, flies, and mosquitoes for you to chow on?
What ever happened to having a discerning palate?
Regardless, dining on my ladies was not an acceptable behavior.
I told mom that I felt a bit like those farmers that take to shooting 'vermin' [insert vermin of choice here: coyotes, wolves, dingos, bob cats, mountain lions, hyenas, etc] because they're preying on said farmer's livestock [sheep, cattle, goats, etc.].
Except this is like a wolf establishing its den directly under the lambing pen. A little too brazen.
That spider met the same fate as her intended prey but I think the heel of my boot was a quicker death than those she dealt out to my sweet little bees.
Also, we finally weighed this year's honey haul: 35.4 pounds from Mud Honey Hive. Not bad, considering our awful, no good, rotten, terrible summer.
