A Swarm Of Bees In May

A swarm of bees in May

Is worth a load of hay;

A swarm of bees in June

Is worth a silver spoon;

A swarm of bees in July

Is not worth a fly!

(17th century bee-keeper's saying)

This morning I noticed masses of swirling, very plump honey bees in my bee yard. They filled the air and formed dense clusters on the hive stand and on the ground. They were quite plump because they had filled their crops with honey in preparation for a journey to parts unknown. I've heard that once a colony decides to leave, not much will alter it's plan. Anyhow, they had not yet decamped so I had to try something. I added an empty box of frames to the bottom of the swarming hive and moved it a few feet to the right. With a dust pan and bee brush, I gently swept the larger clusters onto the landing board at the new location. Typical of a swarm, they were completely docile -- perhaps owing to full tummies. Almost immediately dozens of bees started to fan nasonov gland pheromone to beckon their airborne sisters back into the box. An hour later, the swarm had moved into the slightly newer location. Whether or not they will stay home is questionable. Time will tell.

In the early part of May, I had split my one surviving colony into two. I moved one half to the East hive stand and gave it the overwintered queen. The remaining hive stayed at the old location on the north stand -- queenless but with plenty of brood, nurse bees and young eggs to make a new queen. It appears they have now made a new queen and were preparing to fly off with her, but leaving behind backup queen cells and a small workforce to carry on. In a day or two, I'll inspect both hives and make sure they have lots of wiggle room.

A swarm in progress at the North hive stand.

An empty box added to the hive seems to have curtailed the swarm.

The East hive stand houses the overwintered queen with a portion of her workers.

The tray leaning against the left hive is acting as a bee ladder.

On a happier note, about a dozen Baltimore Orioles are back here for their breeding season and demanding handouts of grape jam. By the end of each day, their feeder is empty but still being licked over by these beautiful songbirds. Each morning as I put out a fresh supply of their sugary treat, they give me a little song of appreciation. Or so I imagine.

A dazzling male Baltimore Oriole concentrates on his treat.

A female prefers to grip the hanger while feeding.

Both raspberry and grape jams were on offer here.

Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks also enjoy the jelly tray.

This green frog is welcome to all the mosquito larvae it can catch.

May -- Whats Not To Like?

As usual, May has been a delightful month.

Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Gray Catbirds are feeding at the grape jam dispenser. They are on their second jar of the treat.

Meanwhile the garden is already productive. I've been lunching on garden asparagus, and boiled wild nettle greens. Also, rhubarb is in season and I've been using it to make sauce, cold drinks and pie. I make pretty good bread (even if I do say so myself) but my pie crust certainly needs improvement. It's tasty enough but much too heavy. Perhaps the next time I'll try using shortening instead of butter.

The Royal wedding was a special viewing treat. The pagentry! The lovely frocks! The celebrities! The sumptuous flowers! The music! At least a quarter of my ancestors were from England so I do feel a strong connection to the U.K. Yes, Prince Harry and Meghan were gorgeous but for me, the beautiful horses were the stars of the procession. Windsor grays and Household Cavalry horses groomed and tacked to perfection. Wonderful! And those frosty glasses of Pimm's looked so refreshing.

I did find it interesting to see so many elegantly dressed and hatted ladies, tottering riskily on very high and thin heels during their long walk to St. George's Chapel. Many were clutching their escorts' arms for safety and studying the path ahead for imperfections. In contrast, the elder royals, in their nineties, strolled unaided and easily along. I guess fashion and vanity prevails today as it did for me, long ago.
 

The Baltimore Orioles are already on their second jar of grape jam.

A female Ruby-throated hummingbird has journeyed far with those long wings!

A Brown Thresher belts out a medley of the songs of other birds.

Spring-Beauties and a wee beetle beastie.

Let the cheerful bouquets begin!

The wonderful fresh scent of laundry, courtesy of the sun and gentle breezes.

Young nettle tops make a nutritious boiled side-dish green.

My rhubarb pie. Tasty but I really need to improve my pie crust recipe.

I hope this prevents "Your car was there but no one was home."

A Bit Of The Grape

This morning is blustery and cold in my neck of the woods. In fact, snow flurries have been reported in the Ottawa area. I'm not bothered about low temperatures. Simply adding a layer or two of extra clothing solves that problem. But high winds make me prefer to putter about indoors. One of these putterings produced new jelly feeding trays for my Baltimore Oriole guests. The bottle caps were just too small so I replaced them with honey sample cups.

This afternoon I'll be picking up two new honey bee nucleus colonies from local bee breeder and provincial bee inspector, Brent Halsall. It will be so good to see and hear honey bees once again foraging among the flowers.  

A male Baltimore Oriole enjoying the refurbished grape jelly tray.

This female Baltimore Oriole also appreciates a bit of the grape.

"Oh waitress, same again here please!"

Nesting above my deck, I hope the robins won't scold when I relax there.

A wild turkey takes a stroll in our field laneway. Perhaps shopping for a nest site?

Jimmy skunk made a rare daytime appearance when he smelled roast chicken.

Water Safety

I'm richly entertained by the creatures enjoying the jelly feeder but there was a problem. With all the showers and chance of showers peppering this area, the bowl of the feeder often filled with water and I had to rescue bees from drowning. So with a little adjustment, my jelly clientele can now dine in safety.

A male Baltimore Oriole and a honey bee feasting on grape jelly.

A female Baltimore Oriole also frequents the feeder.

Bottle caps screwed into the lid keep insects from getting trapped inside ...

... and is a much more attractive presentation!

The lid provides more comfortable customer seating.

And best of all, when it rains nobody drowns.