On The Lamb

Nothing can stop you. The barriers in your life can always be overcome. Take this fence, it means nothing to me. I’ll be eating every last iris in your garden by morning.

—Juliet

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Here’s What’s Happening At Good Spirits Farm

It’s swarm season! The first swarm of the year happened this Monday. I’m taking the bee operation over from Chris, but since he’s still in the area, I called him for backup catching this first swarm.

If your hives are healthy, they should grow and split into two new hives. Swarming is a sign your bees are doing well. But: When half the hive leaves, they fill their little bee mouths with honey on their way out. That’s a big loss, and, if possible, you want to try and catch the swarm and turn it into a new hive.

This one landed on a fence post, which is a pretty ideal spot. In the past, we’ve had to cut swarms out of some pretty high tree branches, so this seemed like a promising start. We got a new hive box set up adjacent to the bee ball, and added frames of honey to try and entice them in. And then: We waited.

Bees usually swarm to one area, then send out scouts to look for their final relocation spot. They can stay on their first landing pad for an hour or for 24 hours. These guys stayed on the fence post overnight, trying to figure out where they were going next. A few marched right into the box, making us think we were going to be successful. And then: They were gone. Our perfectly crafted box pre-stocked with honey was not enough of a bribe to get them to stay.

That’s just beekeeping. Or, really, farming. You can try your best, and sometimes things just don’t your way. I’m hopeful we’ll have more swarms this spring and that I’ll have better luck next time!

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Here’s What I Loved This Week

Two friends and I spent Saturday completing a grueling 100-mile gravel bike race. I ripped the sidewall of my tire. My friend broke his chain. My other friend took a tumble into a mud puddle. We all went off course together for a 5-mile detour. There were dozens of stream crossings, many up over our knees. The mud got so thick our wheels wouldn’t turn. Together, we fixed every issue and kept on going. I loved the camaraderie of talking each other out of That Very Dark Place throughout the whole extravaganza. Friends truly make even the worst things doable!

(This is us at the finish. I don’t think I have ever been happier to be done with something.)