The bees have arrived and not only did they survive their travels with very few casualties, but they even tucked themselves up into their own new homes without terribly much bother. You see, yesterday morning early I hurt my back. Not badly but enough to disable my strength and slow my stride to a creep. I cannot believe how stupid this is and am appalled at how much of my work depends on me being in top top health. I have a long list!
Right at the beginning of the day I lifted gallon jug of molasses. I have lifted one like this every day, twice a day for years and bang went my back. This so seldom happens and not for years, so the lift and twist had become casual.
We drove to collect the bees and drove back with me sitting very carefully in the passenger seat with its seat heater on, Blue the Mouth sitting at my feet, TonTon behind my seat. And on the way home two boxes of bees in the rear. I would have taken photos at the apiary but I was having some trouble walking upright without grimacing (I have my public to think of you know) and my arms were quite tingly (gone now). So it was all I could do to smile and say thank you ever so much, receive my two pounds of bees and saunter back to the car as nonchalantly as possible. Ill is something I Do NOT do.
So as I am the bee brains I used John as the brawn and we proceeded to release the bees into their new homes. Usually I can just give the boxes a couple of good thumps and the pile of bees fall straight into the super but I was feeling weak and clumsy and the things you cannot do when your back is acting up makes me so mad. Consequently both boxes only released half the bees, I found the tiny boxes with a queen in each and snuggled her in between two frames, (she has a cork door of candy that the bees will eat away as they get to know her) bees were flying everywhere, it is bee bedlum. So I decided to replace the tops on the hives and deal with the leftovers differently from the instructions.
The under cover of the hive has a hole in it so I rested the boxes on top of this with the hole in the box above the hole into the hive. This way the bees walked into their own box at their own pace. Then I left the bees to settle down and work out what they were going to do.
The dogs and I visited LuLu who is getting alarmingly fat. hmm. I kept walking because I wanted to keep the muscles in the back warm and loose. It is either flat my my back or walking – the in between bits get me into trouble.
We coaxed Queenie Wineti onto the grass with hay which quite defeated the purpose. But she stood staring at the open gate ( a new gate in an old fence) and had no idea what she was meant to do.
And on our return we found that the bees were in fact walking gently down into the hive. Blue The Mouth discovered that bees are not for kissing. I was too slow for that photo. And getting on the ground for a shot had the problem of getting back up so I was staying high. I am so frustrated!
This is the magnolia in the daily view. Soon we will have flowers.
I foolishly sat my sore back down in the rocking chair and then could not get back up, I knew I should have kept moving. While I was waiting for help to arrive I shot the daily View from a slightly different angle.
Once I had been hauled up out of my chair the dogs and I returned to the hives and the boxes were almost empty. I gingerly put the boxes back on the ground next to the entrances so the last of the stragglers could make their way in and closed up the hives. Our garden will slowly come alive again now. I missed these guys.
In two weeks we will investigate to see if they have released heir queens successfully. Then we are back in business. I hope.
Good morning. Daisy failed her once a day milking test. Her mastitis came back with a roar. So we will milk her twice a day (three times today to help her clear up) and she is allowed on the grass now. John is milking for me today. I have made the executive decision to push her morning milking time to 8am and her evening milking will go to later in the evening too. After dinner. This will give me more morning and afternoon writing time.
You all have a lovely day. I will do a very slow walkabout the farmy today then remind me to add the bees to the Cast of Characters above. Now, I had better get busy. Though getting up from this chair is a worry. I hate this. This back had better fix itself smartly. I have no time for this kind of rubbish. Pain I can cope with, not being able to do everything I want to do when I want to do it, makes me angry. I am a gate climber not a gate opener.
I will be better tomorrow.
your bent friend celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
75 responses to “Well beehaved bees”
In the business of backs and bees…25 years of massage, 10 spent in a chiro
office..what you are describing sounds more like mid to upper (thoracic spine)
back because of the tingly arms ?? Ice is always the go to with acute phase,as
spasm of muscles is calmed with ice…20 minutes on, as often as you can. I
definately agree with seeking a chiropractor !! You may have tweeked a disc.
Please listen to your body….take it easy !!
oh i hope you get better soon! a big welcome to the bees.
Hope your back goes back to normal and the bees beehive themselves as soon as possible!
You import them; I export them. We had a hive right on the path to the beach and they were getting tetchy every time I passed so I had them moved. Pity in a way – their honey was delish.
healing prayers and as far as “well-behaved bees,” I would expect nothing less in your superb hands! get better quickly.
Thank you esther, hope all is well with you.. c
Ooh I hope you feel better soon. There’s nothing worse than not being able to work the way you’d like to. But what excitement! One time Ali went out with a neighbour to chase a swarm of bees. They had a hive and they set it down and our neighbour began to knock on the hive rhythmically. And the bees went in! I’m sure it wouldn’t have worked if we’d tried it… I’m glad your ones went in willingly. I like the thought of them nibbling the queen out if captivity.
Lets hope they are busy doing just that! c
That is some clear honey!
What day for you. Back injuries are so frustrating. Thank fully, the comments lounge has once again come to the rescue with very good suggestions for treatment. But, the bees are in 🙂 and LuLu, yes hmmm indeed. I like the new view of the daily view, it gives it a in situ perspective. I have no idea how you will accomplish it, but try to take it easy and get better.
doing my best! c
Oh, Celi, I am so sorry you hurt your back! It is always the little things that will put your back out by surprise. 😦
Glad for your new bees! 😀 (I have another swarm hanging out on the chain link fence, but there is no way to get them because they are wrapped around both sides of the wire. 😛 )
Feel better soon!
Oh dear! Do take care of that back. That’s the one part of the body that must be pampered when it goes out, otherwise nothing else will work right. I can’t believe you still managed all you did, but it is lovely to see the bees again, and I hope they will be happy and prosper in their new home. Take very good care, Celi. ~Betsy
Take care, darling. The back sounds worrying, and I hope it heals soon. I wish you were closer to a physio! Glad the bees are doing so well, sorry to hear about the mastitis, and it’s really nice to see the slightly different daily view from your porch, which lets us see a bit more of the farmy! Get well soon.. xxx
Yay for the bees! I forgot to post the outcome of our city swarm. I hope your back heals quickly. I get those spasms about twice a year..noooooo fun! And the fat cat…isn’t that Author, not Lulu? You don’t think she’s expecting do you? Adolescent female cats are floozies.
Ouch! But hooray for bees, and for spring.
I often wonder if people who keep bees on their property have somehow overridden the evolutionary instinct to avoid them and be afraid of them. In other words, bees scare me and make me run away like a little girl…lol
Maude
Morning maude, they don’t scare me, though I am very wary and careful when handling the hives!
So Madame Celi: of all of us you refuse to be human!! Hmm!! NO, it will not get better quickly with a total soldier-on attitude! Your friends have given some awfully good advice: yes, keep gently moving, hot alternating with cold [wheat bags terrific] multiple times a day, when lying down pillow between knees definitely! BUT, the best is that miraculous exercise lying on the floor with your legs straight up on the edge of the bed suggested up above. If that does not help in 4-5 days you have to have an X-Ray to make sure you have no disc damage! Please!! And altho’ I was trained in allopathic medicine i hate it – but some painkillers are called for! And periods of rest! . . . . glad the bees are doing the right thing by you at least and Blue has learned a lesson 🙂 ! tons of good vibes . . .