Rain, rain, rain

After the storm on Sunday, the girls were fanning the entrance to the hives. Hive One had fanners just inside, while Hive Two had a semi-circle on the landing board. As I watched, I realized that the landing board was wet everywhere except under the bees.

Never underestimate the power of those little wings.

We've had rain the last two mornings, so my morning coffee is enjoyed near hives with little enough activity. There is a lot of fanning going on, so much that the hives are literally noisy, even from a few feet away.

Hive Two has moved happily into the second super (I peeked!) and there are bees all but filling the first one. I haven't checked for honey yet, or to see if the queen moved up there. I'm not using a queen excluder, so it's possible.

The rest of the week is supposed to be sunnier--I hope so! Go girls, go!

I now notice plants and insects in ways I didn't before. Those aren't weeds. That's forage. I notice the bumblebees and dragon flies, and see little wasps around the hives.

I saw a bald faced hornet pluck one of my girls out of the air, force her to the ground, kill her, and fly off with her corpse. No doubt it happens more often than I'll ever see, along with dragonflies and birds doing similar aerial stunts. Foraging is dangerous.