Swarms Don't Sting (But Nettles Will)

Nini called me. "Hi Bob! There's a swarm of bees at the neighbors! Where are you?"

"I'm working for at least another hour."

"Here, talk with Aaron."

"Bob, we're catching some bees. Can't talk now."

The bees had swarmed into a bamboo stand, about 25 feet in the air. Along with Jori, they cut the bamboo stalk and it became a long fishing pole with bees at the end. They dropped the swarm into Aaron's observation hive that's been empty for a bit. The bees are settling in nicely.


I'd planned to do some beekeeping already. Jori and I opened the other hive. a few dozen bees were left in it, without a queen, tending perhaps 8 pounds of honey. So we harvested the honey, some propolis, and I moved the orphan bees to the new swarm. They seemed to integrate very well.
On the left is the dark, pollen rich honey. Boy oh boy, does it give you a zing when you eat it.

The nettles are recovering all their being tramped on. The little girls rediscovered the nettle patch today.

"Mommy! I got stung by the nettles!"

"Yep, don't touch them."

"I'm going to kill those nettles!"

"Just leave the nettles alone and you can't get hurt by them," Jori explained. Because they are plants.


The garden is growing! We are already picking and eating many different colors of greens. These don't sting even if you do touch them. Except the mustard sort of stings on my tongue when I chew it up.