Cat 5 winds will wreak havoc on a beeyard! Three days after the storm we went to see how our hives had fared 500 feet down our driveway and to pick up the pieces.
We were amazed to find that we had lost very few hives, and that even the boxes that had been dumped over were continuing to function, broken apart without lids / bottom boards!
We probably had about 10 bee hives blown over off their stands, so we set to work righting them.
We don't wear suits, and rarely wear veils and today I couldn't find them anyway, so Bob began by smoking the hives to quiet the bees.
It was easier to replace them box by box - a full hive body box with bees, brood and honey can weigh up to 80 pounds and an additional honey super anywhere from 40 - 90 pounds depending on the size of the box and its fullness. Not to mention they are awkward to carry and are home to 10 - 60 thousand tiny stinging insects! They are glued together with propolis, which the bees make themselves. Propolis is a glue they make from the sap of trees and use to seal cracks to control the flow of air inside the hive. They do this to maintain the temperature and humidity of the hive. Beehives must be kept at 95 degrees to keep the brood alive and to produce honey.
It was fascinating to me that even though their homes had been knocked over by 150+ mph winds and were lying open on their backs or sides, the bees we able to reorient their sense of direction and continue forraging.
Look how far off their stands they had been moved! A few were completely buried under downed trees!
It was quite a mess to start with, but Bob was able to put this yard in order in a relatively short time.
Unfortunately, we were unable to get out and visit our beeyard farther south. By the time we did we had lost all 10 hives.
This is my journal for today:
Sat Oct 13 - Day 3
This Is Our New Normal
* Phones worked this morning - sent out messages
* Heard (rumor ?) PC won't have power for 2 months - Mexico Beach Gone. Looting has begun
* Yesterday we fortified the front gate - Today we're carrying concealed
* Righted beehives - most were still there! No stings - No suits - can't find veils
* We're running the genny 4-5 hours / day - at each house every other day and hooking up well pump same to fill animal waters and shower
* Curt (on the corner) came over (under the fence) to invite us to a bonfire - we didn't make it
* Jess and crew are returning back from Orlando tomorrow
* Filled waters - SHOWERED!!
* Drove to Piggly Wiggly for ice - too late for gas
*watched movie (via batteries)
No comments:
Post a Comment