Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Bombus Queens in Azaleas

The azaleas in our neighborhood are blooming in bright lipstick colors and today I saw two giant bumble bee queens in our fuschia azalea bush. The weather is windy and unsettled with constant temperature fluctuations. I have a few volunteer sunflowers growing in my vegetable garden and one of them is already about six inches tall. The mason bees are sunning themselves and pollinating our strawberry blossoms.

Currently we are trying to settled our honey bees down because they have been trying to swarm. (Long story.) The trick is to monitor their health without spooking them again. This week we need to give our original hive a good checking over to see if we still have a queen and to give them a dusting of icing sugar for mite control.

I am very excited that we are having a meeting of beekeepers in the neighborhood very soon. It will be great to share stories. If you are an aspiring beekeeper under the age of thirty, check out the Environmental Youth Alliance's urban apiculture program.

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