Goings on over the past few days...

Michael removing the top bar's canvas cover.
Here, he's planning to stretch out the bars by
inserting uncombed bars between the combed ones.



Our lovely yellow api-chicas are pulling down the sugar syrup pretty heartily right now. Personally, I imagine them flying around with syrup beards and rambunctious demeanors, like toddlers plied with Milky Way bars and  Pepsi. Perhaps it's a feeding frenzy before we take the syrup jars off in July. In the top bar alone, they are going through a quart in less than 24 hours.

Last night, Michael and I got out the huge, stainless steel pot we use when we make cheese. And around 7:30, we made what felt like several hundred gallons of syrup. We even used a whole ten-pound bag of sugar (although, to my arms, it felt lighter than 10 pounds...Walmart, are you light-weighting us?). From all that, we got (gasp!) only 2 and a half gallons. I had such high hopes that we'd fill at least four plastic jugs. But alas, no.

Below are some pictures of how things are progressing, along with some other things of interest.....






Some observation seats near the top bar. Yes,
we're right in that flight path, aren't we? I've
learned to duck.




Michael found, when he pulled apart the combs, that
the bees have created a honey font. Unlike
the comb sculptures we remove in the traditional hives
on Bee Hill, we left this one alone, so the ladies can use
their resources as they need to.



One of the top bar combs.



And more comb sculpture.





The ladies almost have all the bars in the window filled with
comb.

 

Here, Michael is on Bee Hill inserting pollen
patty on the frames of our recently
replaced colony. They are doing extremely well, and
are just a week behind the strong colony to its right.

Traffic jam before the tunnels.

It's almost raspberry time here, and a cousin of Michael's
takes his bucket out in the evenings and picks what
is now ripe.

Near Bee Hill, one of our girls peruses the thistle offerings
along the field Glenn recently cut.

Michael harvested a fanny-load of radishes
and that means radish salad, which what
I'm making here: white vinegar, brown sugar
and white and red radishes.



Sometimes, you have to use up things from the
freezer. I had this yummy yellow frosting
taking up space, so I made a chocolate wacky cake.
Fast and easy! With Fourth of July sprinkles.



And, I made strawberry rhubard crisp for breakfast.
Don't let the oatmeal fool you. It was really good.