Yesterday I peeped at my hive again, just to get a better look at that beautiful white comb. I also took some pictures of my girls coming in and out of the hive, being extra busy. I didn't see any drones hanging about, but I did see several of the girls with their pollen baskets heavily laden with pollen. What was really cool was seeing the huge range of colors the pollen was! Some had dark reddish orange pollen, some had almost white pollen, some had lemon yellow or peachy. Just beautiful stuff. And a good sign that all is well in the hive and little bees are being hatched, as they won't usually carry in pollen unless they have brood to feed.
As I was watching through the window, I peered between a couple of sheets of comb, and noticed a little cleared patch with bees around it. And then I got a good look...the queen! She had a HUGELY long abdomen, and she was busily laying eggs in empty cells, while being attended by workers. So. Cool!
And daily I notice the bees are building more and more comb. Considering they haven't been in the hive very long, I'm sure if all goes well they'll have the whole thing full by the end of summer. I'm still wishing I could have gotten the other hive up and running this year, but I'll wait until next spring and see if I can attract a swarm on my own.
I've noticed as I talk about bees both online and in person that many people seem to classify everything that flies and maybe stings and is stripey-blackish-and-yellowish as a "bee", and to further place all "bees" in the category of "swat or spray on sight." And much to my shock, people seem to be unaware that bees are hugely important pollinators, responsible for the production of much of our fruits and vegetables. This distresses me to no end. Pretty soon I'll write up a bit on what is and is not an actual bee, and why bees need to be respected and protected, cuz apparently not everyone gets it!
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