Long time no blog! I do see that if I am not prepared to write something each day the connection is broken..however, here I am with some bee news in this endless blue sky spring of ours...perhaps one of the up sides of global warming...
One sunny afternoon a couple of weeks ago myself and Steve (a friend down the road who once belonged to a bee group! further toward the hive than I me thinks!!) decided it was time to have a look inside the hive I had bought in the winter. Suitably suited up (thank God as it happens), complete with smoker and keen interest we set off. On the stroll over, Steve suggested we would have a look for the queen, check out their honey supply and generally see how things are but not to stay for more than 15 mintues, great.
We arrived, blew a little smoke across the opening before removing the roof...it quickly became apparent to me that this was not like the books I had read..."working with your bees will be peaceful and enjoyable..."meditative.." hah, thay had not counted on these girls, they were pissed, instantly!! not having stood very often by an open hive in a full suit I had little history to guage how things were..Steve however was quite quickly suggesting things were not okay, we should put this back together and go back, these bees are really aggressive to.. lets go now!....the little buggers were bouncing off the veil enragedly desperate to kill me, having got the lid back on some were still at us after a 1km of walking away...hmmm, maybe they were zenophobic?
To cut a long and sometimes painful (on the second visit..yes I have been back!?) one managed to sting me through my leather gloves...I have managed to extract (last years) honey, about 7kg left and today a lovely chap Thierrie (as in Henri) who has 450 hives called in to have a look...the prognosis being they are definitely nasty but with some manipulation of the monarchy (killing the old bag and putting in a sweet hearted beauty) we can turn things around..phew..
Inspite of all this I find the whole thing quite fascinating and am keen to build up to at least three hives by winter...honey is popular and will go well alongside my other bits and pieces on the markets...
Since finishing the roof in March we have not seen rain! Each days is in the mid 20s and apart from the obvious need of rain for the grass etc. it has been a lovely time.
Kids have just began their 2 week easter break yet love their school in Collorec so I suspect before long will go all day.
No real breakthrough, insight into the French system and so we are left with the frustrations of not knowing if we can find a way to be fully certified etc. little wonder France struggles to balance the books, I have yet to meet any French who understand their own systems (at all)...c'est bizare...
R
