Beekeeping adventures

I just completed a beekeeping shortcourse and despite the scorching temperatures, we worked outside in the apiary. Even the bees were hot ! Here they are, hanging outside the hive, trying to stay cool.

Some of us tried to stay cool by wearing only a bee bonnet, others suited up from head to toe.

I opted for bonnet and bare legs and didn't get stung, however, when the bees became annoyed by all our attentions, they started to buzz around and bumped into us rather hard as a warning , but no stinging.

Once the hive is opened, the frames can be inspected. If you look closely, you can see a queen cell at the upper left of the frame.

I am proud to report that I handled a frame for the first time with live bees crawling over the front and back. I was able to see eggs in the cells, as well as cells with larvae , which will be capped by the worker bees when they start to pupate and turn into an actual bee. The capped brood can be seen at the lower right of the frame.

Stay tuned for further adventures...