Here are some video clips taken on Friday afternoon, January 6th. It was a warm 52 degrees - warm enough for the bee-girls to be out and about - perhaps with cleansing flights and a bit of housekeeping.
Ive stopped by the hive several times since we last saw them at Thanksgiving. Its been cold obviously and no one's been out - so Id put my hands on the hive and send them a "hello" and whatever warm energy I could - assuming, hoping, feeling somewhat, that they were okay inside. - huddled up as they do around the queen. What a treat then - to see them on Friday - alive and well in the winter!!
They drank all of the bee-tea left for them on Thanksgiving and I brought another jar with me - again a mix of nettle and chamomile tea with local honey - to help them get through their first winter.
It looks like they started to build onto the comb in the back - maybe a little during the warmer days? I did not take video of this - with the hive open as I was trying to be quick and not let too much of a chill inside. Perhaps a bit too quick - and one let me know it - giving me my first sting and sacrificing her life, ouch...
It was actually a very gentle sting - felt like a "baby sting". It didnt hurt - felt more like a little pin prick. "Hmmm... that wasn't so bad" I thought - I haven't been stung by a bee in ages so I forgot what it was like, and surprised that it didn't hurt much - although again, very sorry she had to sacrifice her life to get my attention.
The sting was on my ring finger. I put some mud on it - both to ease any discomfort as well as to mask any alarming scent left at the site that might attract more stings...
I slowed down a little, but still not feeling quite grounded in - not to mention now a tad leery that I had disturbed the colony. I was somewhat obsessed in trying to get the last dead bee body out of the hive - I had already fished out 3 or 4 - trying to help them with their housekeeping...
Ouch ! - there was a another sting -more like a bite - 10 x louder than the first!
This one on the tip of my index finger. Again swabbed it in mud - of which there was plenty - with our January thaw, regrouped and went back in - this time just to put the bee-tea in place and close up the hive.
I realize it was cold and perhaps I was perceived as a threat to their winter stores... but I like to believe these girls know me, and were, at least in part, helping me to work with and release some stuck energy of late ...
... so much is interconnected...
I thanked them and apologized again for the sacrifice of the two lives that day - feeling grateful for them - as I returned home to journal on the messages received -
they certainly got my attention !!
