Pleasant Oaks Farm: For the LIFE...and LOVE of Bees

Just a quick post to remind us all of the importance of bees in our lives.

I read this article https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/05/20/poisons-mean-extinction-bees-and-humanity, written by Dr. Vandana Shiva earlier this week and once again was reminded of the role that bees play in our world...our whole world.

Though we're not beekeepers as such (we have tenders that visit our property), we have always advocated on their behalf, wether it was educating people on the toxins that can kill bees and/or damage the health of their hives, or sharing the many benefits of honey and how it can help keep us healthy.

I can still remember the first hive my husband caught north of us in the Eugene area. I was visiting my hospice patient and came home to find his beekeeping hat and gloves on our deck. I remember the excitement when he met me outside to tell me about the experience and how he reacted quickly to make them secure in a new home.

Yesterday my husband was lucky enough to catch a another swarm, this being his 4th.

A welcomed swarm

Once again I was off the homestead but was met by another big smile. While pruning the lower branches of our fruit and nut trees he noticed a clump on one of our filbert trees and knew instantly that it was a swarm.

Having our Top Bar hives handy from our Eugene beekeeping days, he quickly got the tractor and moved it close to the tree keeping it a good distance from the other nine hives we have on the property.

He called our beekeepers and left a message last night and this morning they were here to transfer them to a Langstroth box. It was great to watch the skill and how careful they were to not disturb them too much. They obviously know what they're doing as the bees took to the new box and comb as if they knew this life on our homestead would be protected and welcomed.