May 7, 2011

Bee Day 

Tubbs Berry Farm

Twin Falls, ID

 This is Heidi waiting to give people their pollen patties and candy plugs to aid in transitioning the bees to the new owners hive. 

 Each box is just over 3 pounds of bees. They clump together to be close to the queen and keep her warm. These bees were not all from the same hive before being loaded up. So the queen is in a small container attached to the top of the crate  for her own protection. 

 Brushing off the hitch-hikers so they didn't fly around in peoples cars once they claimed their bee kits.

 The drones or male honey bees don't have a stinger, so they are harmless.

 This was the first hiving demonstration. Kirk was showing how to transition the bees from the box into a new hive. He said this is the best time of year to make this move, so the bees have time to really come together has a colony and build a solid hive before winter. 

 Here Kirk is showing off the queen, there were still a few worker bees hanging out on her container but very few were flying around due to the cold wet weather. 

 Where the large clump of bees are gathered is where the queen bee is in the hive. There is a candy plug in place of the cork. The bees will eat through the candy plug and gain access to the queen in 2 or 3 days. By then all the bees in the hive will be loyal to this queen, as long as she is performing her duties.

Tubbs Berry Farm's Bee Day was an awesome experience. I learned so much about bees, how to care for them, that there are many different types of bees, and I even got to hold one. This is a once a year event but Kirk and Heidi expressed many times that they are always available to answer questions about beekeeping. Please visit their website http://www.tubbsberryfarm.com/ for more information about this wonderful Southern Idaho treasure. They will have berries for picking soon, and a pumpkin patch in the fall. Not to mention their friendly and welcoming manner. Thanks Kirk and Heidi for such a fun experience.