Karl invited Racheal and I over this week for a tour of his permaculture garden and beehives in the juniper hills of Gallup's outskirts. We came away inspired and more determined than ever to start keeping our own hive. And after our peek into the hives, Karl predicted the first good honey harvest in three years.
In the midday heat-- a preferred time for opening a hive -- Racheal and Karl donned the light fabric suits, mesh veils, and gloves common to beekeeping. After using pine-straw smoke to calm the bees, we looked at honeycomb in the top two supers, separated from the brood supers below by a queen excluder. Karl quickly shed his gloves as he started working the hive, Racheal forgot to put hers on, and I risked it without a suit or veil. I did fine until the camera drew me in close and I forgot to watch where I was exhaling-- inviting a bee into a predictable pattern: "First they buzz you; then they bump you; then they sting you." Karl's words echoed in my head as a bee repeatedly bumped my head while we closed the hives back up. I started dancing. Lucky, that bee only got to second base and we all came away without a sting.
Karl has been beekeeping in Gallup for 20+ years. First learning the craft as his father's beekeeper's assistant-- a smart prerequisite, it seems, to beekeeping-- he's provided Gallup the valuable community services of swarm removal (bee finder, bee keeper), apprenticing new beekeepers, and occasionally maintaining community hives that fall into disrepair.
A frame full of capped honeycomb
People need bees, and honeybees need people now more than ever. The unexplained Colony collapse disorder continues to decimate honeybee populations worldwide. Backyard apiaries like Karl's are a first step to countering this decline and helping maintain genetic diversity in wild honeybee populations, in addition to the more obvious pollinating and honey-producing benefits.
hey .bees! why not that is something you would be into .looks like your having some fun in gallup..say I have a friend comming to the down town theater around the 29 to play the blues mato and his band indinjnes not spelled right but they rock! the base player is a son of my good friend ,, his name is derick post hope you can catch the show should be a good one ....glade to see you are so happy!..........Rick Fettig
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