Andy joins us in the Paramount nursery apiary!
June 18, 2020

Today we were joined by our friend Andy Sumner who is a beginning Beekeeper who I met at our last in person LACBA meeting. We have been chatting about bees back-and-forth over email and I noticed immediately that he is an engaging writer with a great sense of humor. He had offered to come along and help us so that he could gain some knowledge since he is just starting this spring with his first Nucleus hive and another package of bees. Today he joined us. Later, I asked him if he would be a guest author on our blog. He agreed.

Finally Getting My Gloves Sticky

The morning was slightly overcast and I had read that could mean a restless hive. When I arrived, Jeff and Mary Ann guided the way to their bee yard. The beautiful and peaceful scenery set the stage for a perfect classroom. As a brand new bee-haver (beekeeper once I keep them for a year) I have only dealt with my two hives and only for two months. This also means that most of my learning has come from books and online articles, including LACBA’s temporary online beekeeping 101.

When the club showed us online how to set up our yards and install the bees, they mentioned that gloves weren’t necessary as the bees were calm without a hive and bare hands made them easier to handle. And since there was plenty of space during the first few inspections, I thought I was safe and being cool to still go bare handed. Well, Jeff and Mary Ann’s hives were well established with plenty of bees buzzing by our heads and no room for bare hands in the hives. Finally, my pristine condition gloves were coated in wax, pollen, propolis and even a little honey. I looked legit!

From opening the first hive they allowed me to dig in and told me the specific things they were checking for. They were also more efficient than me and I’ll take that sense of urgency back to my hives so they aren’t sitting open longer than needed. Being able to see the temperament of four different hives was also quite a sight, they all had their own personality. The most aggressive were merely stating their presence while the calmest were too focused on their jobs to pay me any mind. Still, they knew I was the rookie by my over cautious yet clumsy handling.

I could have asked a million questions but the few dozen that I did ask will suffice until the next LACBA meeting or 101 class. There is always something new to learn and I plan on learning for a long time. Thanks again to Mary Ann and Jeff for allowing me to tag along today. I was more than happy to trade a little work for a lot of knowledge.

– Andy Sumner