I've been waking up with bee planning going on in my head!
It's like being a new teacher, waking up with lesson planning happening in my dreams.
I think it is a mixture of anxiety and nice excitement.This Thursday the theme of the class was mainly varroa mites, the virus they spread, and a few of the more traditional infections, chalkbrood, American foulbrood, and like that.
Bees are just like keeping sheep or cows, if years of watching and reading James Herriot stories taught me anything. Thank the gods there are no prolapsed uterus with bees!!! You don't have to milk bees twice a day either...that's another thing in their favor as far as I am concerned.
But proper hygiene, nutrition and protection from the elements are key to any animal farming. Bees are no different. They are a domesticated animal, not native to the United States, with a heavy load of strength sapping conditions that can get the best of them if not kept in check. That was the nut of last Thursday's bee school...be vigilant and timely with treatments and care routines. A notebook is essential!
After typing the above advice that I got...I went online for a beekeepers notebook and found this!
Free for tiny backyard keepers like me!! beetight
I dutifully filled in the hive descriptions and histories. I am ready.
(By the way, when my other insect pals get too many mites, the common answer is to put them in a bag with coarse cornmeal and shake them! It knocks the mite load down. Mites on hissing cockroaches are symbiotic, they keep the roach clean and the roach takes them to where food is. Sometimes they get out of hand and make your pet look dusty. For an excellent article on this go to http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/roachmite.htm )
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