Since my wife was in the hospital for 5 days with E. Coli in her blood, I was at a standstill. I was able to attend a 4H camp and talk to about 200 students and adults one evening. But since then, my wife just got out of the hospital Thursday. I could not let her stay home by herself, so I didn’t get to go to the Blueberry Festival Saturday, here in Pensacola, FL. My friend and co-beekeeper, that usually goes with me, or me with him to these different functions, had to go by himself and he said that he sorely missed me. There were several people, both vendors and visitors, asked where I was. They expected to see me there and was disappointed that I couldn’t make it.

Just a thought here. As you get known in the honey, bee, and teaching/talks circles, you will be either in demand, or you will be the one they wish wasn’t. You have the opportunity to decide which one you want to be. Your attitude will be the deciding factor. Make the best of it. This is a very enjoyable vocation and it should be reflected by you so you will be in the looked up to group. I like it.

Now is a good time to check your bees. They are working hard for you and you need to make sure they have plenty of room. If you don’t, then they will try to swarm and if they succeed, then you run the risk of losing both the parent hive and swarm. It is too late for them to try to get ready for Winter without help from you the beekeeper. I do make early Fall splits, but it is by design and I am prepared to feed, feed, feed pollen substitute and sugar water. If I can find sucrose syrup, then that would be better. However, when I split, I usually requeen both splits with a young laying queen. Young queens will lay longer than one year old queens going into the winter and they seem to over winter better.

Till the next time please read, read, read, and start planning to take care of the bees that take care of the bees that take care of the Winter bees that will be the workforce for the Spring honey flow.