Showing posts with label Bowie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bowie. Show all posts

5.22.2008

Checking on (and Naming) the New Hives

On Saturday, Wren and I took a quick look inside the two new hives to make sure the queens had been released from their cages and that all was well in bee-ville.
In both cases, the queen had been released. Above, you see the cages with a couple of dead attendant bees.

Both colonies had built an impressive amount of comb in the week since we'd hived the packages. Interestingly, the bees in both hives were building along just one side of each of the top bars, rather than across the whole top bar.They seem to be using the vertical guide (intended to reinforce the combs so they don't break) as a brace for the comb. I hope that as time goes on, they'll start working the other sides too. But who knows with bees? In any case, they're just getting started—all will bee revealed in time.
By the way, thanks to all who suggested names for the two colonies in keeping with the David Bowie theme. Wren has decided to name the colony she hived last weekend SERIOUS MOONLIGHT, a phrase from the David Bowie song, Let's Dance. I've been debating about SUFRAGETTE CITY, but have decided on MOSS GARDEN—a favorite of mine from "Heroes". I like the calming influence of the phrase Moss Garden, and I hope the bees will too.

We need to get into Hive Orange (our surviving hive from last year), but the weather has been uncooperative. With luck, we'll get a look next week.

4.25.2008

Help Us Name Our New Hive

Rebel Rebel is (as reported earlier) no more. Last weekend, I painted over the scribbled sign that adorned the hive. A larger top bar hive will now sit in the spot Rebel Rebel occupied, and in a couple of weeks, we'll install a new package of bees into this hive body. Aside from the bees themselves, the only thing we're missing is a name for this soon-to-be colony.

Rebel Rebel hive was so named because it was occupied by a spirited swarm that issued from either Green Hive (now deceased) or Hive Orange (which rocks on). I'd like to name the new beehive along similar lines—invoking a song or lyric by David Bowie, one of my cultural heroes.
What would you recommend we name the new hive? Besides Suffragette City, of course. Post your comment below.