On Vacation is the Place to Bee

Honeybee in Hawaii

My wife and I recently got back from a celebratory cruise throughout the Hawaiian islands for my parents'-in-law 40th wedding anniversary. We had a great time. This, though, was my first time in Hawaii as a beekeeper. I was much more cognizant of these amazing insects this time around. So, when I'd see one on a flower, I'd try to get a nice close up of it with my new camera. The picture of the bee and the purple flower is mine. However, this is a much closer/better picture of a bee in Hawaii going for a landing on a white tropical flower. Here's the link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nayrsivart/4612613865/.

Funny, how once you appreciate something, you notice it much more often and take it for granted much less. In fact, I noticed a brochure at one of the ports that the cruise stopped (Kauai, I believe) where you could go visit a beekeeping facility and they'd open up their hives and you'd be able to check out their bees. Now, this may very well be something cool for someone who's never seen inside a hive before, but I'm fairly certain that my hives would look for all intents and purposes like hives in Hawaii. I'm not so sure that suiting up in a bee suit in Hawaii is my idea of a vacation. However, touring their beekeeping operation and talking to a Hawaiian beekeeper, would be an enjoyable way to pass the time (if you ever get sick of being on the beach and hiking to waterfalls :) ).

Unfortunately, bees in Hawaii have been having a tough time. This is because, until recently, they've been able to avoid acquiring the dreaded Varroa destructor mite and small-hive beetle. I've been reading in Bee Culture that both Varroa and especially the small-hive beetle have now gained access to paradise. Throughout the Big Island of Hawaii, apparently small-hive beetle has been causing the loss of many colonies. Small-hive beetle does better in warmer climates, and when they eat the honey and wax, their waste causes the honey to ferment and become slimey. The bees can't stand this, and so they abandon the hive. So, in some respects, having that dreaded winter season where it gets bitter cold also helps to eliminate and diminish the threat of some bee pests and diseases. So winter isn't all that bad.

Just this last weekend, I took the family to Palmyra, NY. We visited the Joseph Smith family farm there. It has been restored and is as close to what it would have looked like in the 1800s as it can be. As we were walking out of the restored threshing barn, I noticed replicas of what the Smith's honeybee hives would have looked like. Now, these certainly aren't as convenient--or bee friendly for that matter-- as the removable frame Langstroth hive; but I probably wouldn't have thought twice about this two years ago. Instead, it became a great picture spot. I'm sure that Joseph, Hyrum, and the rest loved their honey! I wonder whose job it mostly fell to when honey harvesting time came around?

Hives out of Tree Trunks

The Smiths had some pretty serious hive weights!

Since I've been gone, I haven't been able to inspect my hives for nearly a month. I did take a quick peak (i.e. without smoking the bees) and determined that I should put a 2nd medium super on. That's good news. Hopefully, the bees will have made enough honey by the end of the summer that I can take in close to 30 pounds. That would be what I'm shooting for. Any more than that, and I'll be pleasantly surprised!