Derby Bees

We had an exciting day today!  David got up first thing and mowed the grass here at the cottage before having breakfast and heading over to work on the house. That left me and this little man to spend the rest of the day together:

We went to the farmers market and I did a little shopping with some birthday money:

24 weeks this Wednesday!

For the first time EVER I liked every single item that I tried on.  I didn't buy myself many maternity clothes during Ayden's pregnancy and regretted it.  Trying to make non-maternity stuff work when you are pregnant just made me feel blah.  The clothes just didn't fit right (understandably enough) so this time around I have set out to make sure I am wearing comfy clothes that accentuate the bump and fit my growing curves properly.  Old Navy must be where it's at for me because I loved everything!  

Today was the Kentucky Derby!  We watched it at my parents house and while we were there I got a Facebook message about a swarm of bees.  I called my mentor and he dropped everything to come help me catch it right away.

About twelve THOUSAND bees right there...

Cutting the branch
(don't worry, David was ready to catch me if needed)

Just before I made the last cut my mentor raised the box up over the swarm so they wouldn't have far to fall.

Me and my vodka box full of bees!
(My mentor says that liquor boxes make the best swarm catching boxes... who knew?)
Hello hive #3.

When a colony of bees gets too big for their hive they split.  The bees that stay raise a new queen and the old queen takes half of the hive and they fly off to find a new place to call home.  The queen can't fly very far so they stop to let her rest in clusters like the one pictured above.  They don't usually stay long so if a beekeeper hears about a swarm they have to act fast!  The term "swarm of bees" sounds menacing but they are actually never more docile than during a swarm (notice I was not wearing my gear).  They engorge themselves on honey before they leave because it will be a while before they have any again so their abdomens are so full they really physically can't sting.  They also have no hive to protect so there is no real reason to aggressively sting anyone.  I suppose if you were to corner one or make it need to defend itself in some way you could get a sting but other than that there are no worries.  Catching a swarm was on my bucket list for this summer and it was as exciting as I thought it would be!  Now we have another hive to build...

Here are house progress photos from today:

1. finished securing the beam
2. installed the rim joist

3. laid out all of the floor joists

What a beautiful and exciting Saturday we had!

Did you watch the Kentucky Derby??  Ever seen a swarm of bees?

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "A Day 'Off'"
And two years ago today: "In Charge"

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