Busy As Bees

This weekend I pulled coriander, parsley, and dill to dry - and my kidney bean plants, in advance of the rain that I worried would start them moulding where they sat.  I also pulled the cucumber and squash vines from the hoophouse, since the temperature is starting to drop, and I didn't want to close in the tomatoes with a potential for mildew growing right next to them.....

The last of the potato crop was finally gathered (and we had some lovely potatoes with chives and butter for dinner), and the plastic that was protecting the tubers from rot went down on either side of the hoophouse, to slow the uptake of water from the rain - so that all of those green tomatoes don't burst before they ripen!

 

It's like they're taunting me in there!

 

The bees are putting away pollen (you can see the various colours) and nectar, though their reserves of honey are not where I would like them to be.

 

We observed the queen again - the lady in the middle of the pic with the long body.... She's still laying eggs, but there was also a queen cell being built (not occupied), that I broke off of the comb.  We added an additional bar to show them they have lots of room right where they are.

We banded the cherry trees with plastic, smeared with Vaseline, in the hopes of deterring pests from taking up winter residence and damaging the canopy again this spring.

We moved the families into large, outdoor cages and everyone seems to be settling in.

The little kits are learning how to use the water bottles, and are also starting to eat alfalfa pellets.

 

 

Some are a bit more enthusiastic than others.

 

 

And some want to eat with mom.