Been Gone Awhile

[arfie]

According to my profile page, my last activity here was May 21st. In early April, my husband and I placed four bee hives on a farm owned by my father-in-law in Washington, Texas. No one in the family has ever lived on this farm. It is just an in-law real estate holding where my in-laws hold parties on occasion. By mid-may, our bees were incredibly mean. One of the hives did not make it. We are unsure if they merged with one of the other hives or simply moved on to a hive of their own. We have been keeping city bees in Austin for quite a few years and we were caught off guard by how fast the bees out here turned mean. Among the problems was a neighbor dog who does not seem to feel bee stings the way normal dogs do and was harassing the hives several times throughout each day and night. We dubbed her Wolfie the Pooh. She WANTED that honey!!! I am rather amazed she never tipped a hive.

I started staying out here to see if a daily presence would calm the bees - and the neighbor dog. I wasn't expecting to be here this long, but... Here I am. Is getting an internet connection a sign of the times? The bees are much calmer now and the 3 hives have already grown to 6. I found a "new" church in the neighborhood. I harvested 30 pounds of honey yesterday.

Anyhoo...

Now to see if there are any familiar avatars on the board.

 

[scout86]

Welcome back!

 

[franciemarnie]

Welcome back!

And so glad the bees are calmer! I was having horror movie visions.

 

[fly away home]

Welcome back @arfie

 

[Bees Are Awesome]

Welcome back, Arfie! I love bees! They are so important to life on this planet.

 

[Deleted member 12723]

Welcome back you were really missed. Big hugs.

 

[arfie]

@franciemarnie Without the benefit of protective gear, there would have been some horror stories. The process of calming them inspired us to beef up our gear considerably. Especially the boots. Wolfie the Pooh had been harassing them from under the hives, so they were going for the ankles first. I have first hand experience that bee stings are an effective remedy for arthritis, but you want to take your shots in the muscle. The ankles don't have much - if any - muscle... Ouch!!!

City bees have it so much easier. Urban agriculture is the wave of the future.

 

[franciemarnie]

That's so interesting @arfie re arthritis and bee stings. I wonder what's in it - something anti-inflammatory I suppose.

Are the bees affected by the emotions of the beekeepers? How do you calm them?

I think that's so cool you do this.

 

[arfie]

@franciemarnie Of course I can't find any of the links where I read up on it in earlier rounds, but this is the one I found interesting out of today's mini-surf. http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50602 There seems to be allot more on the subject than there was the last time I looked.

The ones I will probably go back to looking for after I post this are the ones that don't mess with all the industrial intermediaries. I get my shots straight from the bee's behind -never on purpose, I might add, - and there has been research on how to let the bee deliver direct in controlled methods. On the other hand... Extracting bee venom could be... We see. The venture is still very new.

Yes, bees absolutely are affected by our emotions. Their pheromone detectors are incredibly sensitive and each of our emotions produce distinct pheromones. I believe a safe environment, reliable feeding and the daily presence are the most important part of the calming. Not sure if playing guitar and singing to them nightly is for them or for me.

 

[franciemarnie]

Oh my gosh, I love you playing the guitar and singing to them. That is so beautiful.

I have been using yarrow drops for my husband's arthritis with a lot of success, but his pain, etc. isn't crippling. Stiffness and aches in shoulder and fingers. I am always interested in new ways to help.

I will check out link. Not just info about bees in and of themselves, but for further info on how I might apply it to myself when I am "stirred up". Hmmm...could you stop by here with your guitar at night? If I get a Lear Jet to pick you up? Or maybe I can figure how to teleport.

 

[StarChild]

Hey there, bee charmer! :inlove: Nice to have you here again! :):tup: