bees in a box

Retrieving a bee swarm by myself for the first time took forever in a blink of an eye. A small secondary swarm from our bee colony had been hanging on juniper branches for six days. Efforts to lure them into a hollow log-turned-house failed and they had endured rain and cold long enough. I thought about them every morning, every hour, and every night before I went to sleep. The Bee Goddess Melissa must have finally intervened because yesterday I knew I had to get them down. Immediately.

The bulky bee suit, the height of the ladder, being squeezed in the lilac and juniper brush while cutting two high-ish branches, then bringing them down slowly and safely were all part of the dream. I have to say I was terrified. And when all the honeys were reunited with their new virgin-queen mama in the cardboard box, the after-effects of adrenaline kicked in -- I felt faint, knelt on the ground, and trembled. And took this video on my phone! (The MB size has been reduced to work with (old) blogger so the smaller image is better than the enlarged and the volume needs to be cranked up. Not the best, I know.)

Last night I drove the honeys to their brand new, sparkling-white cottage.

May all our bee cousins thrive and be well.