Bee Happy

Hey yall, good things have happened this past month! Especially with the bees. We have 3 strong hives and have started to put supers on them for the poplar honey flow. We took the Wilkes Beekeepers Short Course and had some amazing teachers. Jon, Jeremy, Howard, Dick and Laurie... yall are great. So inspiring, and you learn something from the people every time you talk to them. Thank you for all the work you put into the class. Us young beekeepers really look up to the more experienced. 

Okay. So we had our test. I was nervous! We studied hard and practiced keeping that smoker lit. 

The Day in the Bee Yard was held at Mr. Howard Blackburn's place and started off with everyone buzzing. While we were suiting up, the bees were ready and we weren't. They decided to swarm. Luckily, they always favor the 'fake tree' Mr. Howard has set up.

 

After the swarm was caught, and the excitement was still present, the students teamed up with the instructors 1 on 1 and got up close and personal with a hive. Ms. Laurie was great with this! 

So brave! No gear... and only stung once.

The supers were full of honey and extremely heavy. 

 Mr. Howard uses this test and day to get his bees split and inspected. Learning is always easier when you get to be involved. Mr. Jeremy helped the class by installing new queens in the splits, and pointing out varroa mites. 

Jeremy leading the splits

Everything lookin good. The bees know better than we do. 

The written test went great, everyone passed. Then we were called to suit up and light our smokers for the practical part. Mr. Jon was our instructor/interviewer, and judge. He did an awesome job and we were very happy with him when he told us we passed! Now we are certified beekeepers :) Thanks yall! 

Bees are such hard workers! They know how to do things in their own intricate way. So simple , but so complex.

Anna .V.