Bees are remarkably therapeutic. We went out to check our backyard hive this morning. Ron got all inspired by Queen Latifah in The Secret Life of Bees and decided to work barehanded. I went him one better and went without gloves or suit — just my hooded jacket with built-in veil that we bought from Dadant a few weeks ago. He got stung once; I escaped unscathed.
Aside from a minor hive beetle infestation, the hive looked pretty healthy. The population is down a bit, but this early in the season, it probably should be. We put a Feed Bee patty between the broodchambers to encourage the queen to build up her numbers a bit. I expect they’ll be strong and sassy in short order.
It felt good to be out there with my girls. When you’re handling bees, you just forget everything else. You have to. They leave you no choice.
It’s good to be a beekeeper.
Emily
Red Fork Hippie 
Wasn’t that a great movie? I loved the book and then I loved the movie. I think Queen Latifah has the potential to be as significant an actress as Cicely Tyson. Glad your bees are hale and hearty and ready to get to work this spring.
I loved that book, haven’t seen the movie. Glad to hear your bees are well.