"With a temper like a slapped hornet."

If I liked sweet tea, I'd've been on the porch for the past week fanning myself and sipping that southern nectar.

But I don't.

However- the bee's like a kinda of sweet tea themselves. And although, they don't sit on their porch till dusk- they do indulge in the sweet tea 24/7........and actually- yes- they do fan themselves. (its only lady like right?)

So since the weather has been like 200 degrees F. Its been hard to check on the bee's on a regular basis.  Bee's don't particularly like being bugged in hot weather- they tend to be a little cranky. I can't really blame them for not wanting to be bothered, but my mind tends to worry more when I have gone three days without checking on their housekeeping.

This past Sunday was a bit cooler, so I was able to go in and inspect the hives and give them some of that sweet tea. ( One part sugar to one part water. Its important for the bee's to be sucking that stuff down all summer long- the more they eat- the more comb they can build.) Being Thursday- and hot- I tempted my fate and gave them a looksee.

As always the bee's surprised me.....


The sweet Buckfast were quietly building comb for honey.  They have about three frames full of honey that they are capping.  When the bee's put honey into a single cell they wait until that cell is completely filled to the brim before they cap it with white wax.  Each worker bee adds gathered nectar into the honey cell. The forager bee (each bee has a particular job within the hive) goes out and gathers nectar from flowers and trees.  They ingest that nectar and store it into a seperate stomach.  Once in the hive they go to another bee and feed the bee the honey.  That bee then goes to the honey cell that needs filling and empties her stomach. When the individual honey cell is filled, they cap it. Once capped, the honey will begin its process in aging into fine honey- Yup honey ages like wine:)

I decided not to disrupt them too much, but sat and watched their working for a bit.  Its amazing what you can see and hear when you just sit and watch. Their fondness and tender care towards one another is a force to be reckoned with.  They all are selfless. When a bee bumps into another- they greet. I know when someone bumps into me I give them a dirty look.....maybe I should watch the bee's more.

The Carniolans were just as sweetly quiet.  Although they are not storing as much honey as the Buckfast they are however, building comb as if its going out of style.   Being so hot I didn't pull the frames up to inspect them- but just sat and watched these gals work as well.  Completely unaware of my being there, they went along their business.  Here I am standing above their wonderous works, with the ability to destroy it all if I so please- and they just kept on working. Allowing me to quietly observe, and learn. Once again, a lesson learned from my little insect friends- If someone disrupts your day in a way that could ruin it. Just keep on keeping on.


very bee-musing to me.