Bees & Honey

After a long, long winter we have forage opportunities for the honeybees with a good crop of dandelions. This nectar flow along with the early flowering trees will carry them into mid to late June for the major nectar flow. Queens are laying heavily now (1500 eggs per day) and if nature works this correctly we'll have plenty of bees at the peak of the nectar flow. The workers are collecting many types of pollen which is the primary food and protein source for the larvae.

It's been a good spring for the bees but the beekeeper got stung on the eyebrow quite a way from the hive while repairing a fence. The key in honeybee stings is the remove the stinger by scraping it off with a fingernail. Benedryl can help reduce swelling. If you are allergic to bee stings, don't become a beekeeper and be prepared for the worst by having a readily available dose of epinephrine.