The life of the bee

Maurice Maeterlinck May, 1901 “But what have we to do, some will ask, with the intelligence of the bees? What concern is it of ours whether this be a little less or a little… Read More →

Speaking of reproduction:

Today, I think we should talk about the gender politics of bees. It’s particularly relevant just now, and here’s why: I call it: Dead Bees on a Porch, and it’s where our story… Read More →

exercise in gratitude

A third harvest for the year.       Thank you, bees.

harvest

Alternately titled: Thievery, low stakes The honey box was full today, so we masked our faces, distracted our colony with smoke and noise and stole it away. Not pictured: basement uncapping of those… Read More →

what to expect from a hive of your own

Or, Collected Thoughts from a Painfully New Beekeeper When your bees finally arrive, they will look like this: One massive gravity-defying pile. No chaos, no buzzing, no fuss. And when you pry open… Read More →

Bee Day

Let me tell you: I am obsessed with whole concept of bee suits. Last Saturday was bee day for the Mount Diablo Beekeepers Association, and 200 of its members gathered in a hive-filled… Read More →

a lesson in beekeeping

Not our bees. Yet. A lesson in keeping from the parental hive, in preparation for the 4.16 delivery date of our very own colony-to-be. Saturday! Winter vegetables want desperately to turn themselves into… Read More →

The population of our homestead

…is increasing this April. By 12,000 little black-and-yellow souls, to be as exact as one can be in these circumstances. Little honeybees. They get here in April, and by post! I hear the… Read More →