Just got back from a trip with Avry and the 8th graders (they say, High Schoolers) from Unity Middle school. We went to DC. While we were walking around the grounds of the White House we saw the well manicured-
perfectly manicured-kitchen garden and to my surprise, two beekeepers. The men were suited up and messing with the bees.
Cool right? So they had out their boxes all up on stilts. Stilts look good for show. Then I counted boxes. We were standing pretty far away, so I used the zoom on the camera. There were six shallow boxes to this hive. Odd. No deep brood boxes. Then the guys started shuffling the boxes around. One had bees all over the box. ONE had bees all over the box. Two of the shallows they tipped and there were no frames at all.
In concept, very good idea to have bees near the kitchen garden. But no bees? No brood? Not so good. Bees won't go around stinging tourists. They rarely will leave a 1 mile area, and that is only if there isn't anything to pick up near them. AKA nectar or pollen. So next to all those flowers? It's not like Ive ever seen a president walking around the kitchen garden for a photo op.
Yet, everyone else in the group was impressed with the bee boxes and the two guys in white suits. They snapped up pictures right along with me. We all looked like tourists!
