First Full Day of Bees

SFO Hive (West Hive) seems to have had its first Spring generation. Possible signs of orientation flight and definite crowding at hive entrance. Lots of pollen going in. We've removed entrance reducer for the moment and will go in after sunset and replace with larger opening.

Kennedy Hive (East Hive) does not seem to have survived. This was almost to be expected as they started with virgin frames last year. SFO had the benefit of built comb. We're hoping for a split/swarm from SFO. New East Hive will be Logan Hive. (We are naming our hives after airports and I'm firm that no hive will have the name of a failed hive.)

Several gardeners showed up: Jim and Adrian; Madeline and her partner; and Anne. Everyone appreciative of the pathway weeding and mulch project that I started in December.

Cucumbers in greenhouse seedtrays are sprouting. Greens in our shady plot also making an appearance.

News on the Marin Beekeeper Initiative

Apiarists hope to breed a better bee

After losing as many as a third of their bees in the past two years, Marin County's beekeepers are taking radical steps - including breeding a better bee - to save their remaining hives from destruction.

"The shift in population has been staggeringly negative," said M.E.A. McNeil-Draper, a San Anselmo beekeeper. "We need to be more vigilant about what we're doing, in less chemical ways."

Local beekeepers say the problems affecting their hives are different from the nationwide syndrome, called colony collapse disorder, that has threatened to wipe out America's honeybees in the past three years. But many believe the solutions they're helping to pioneer may one day help to save the larger bee population - as well as the food crops and other plants that rely on bees for pollination.

More at the link