She Reigns

After months of searching, we finally found her! Every hive check from April showed the colony was doing great—larva, lots of nursing bees, drones, and brood. But “she” was the missing puzzle piece. Then, as fall approached, my daughter and son-in-law joined me for a hive check, and there she was, moving with some attendants. I was thrilled and my daughter was riding high! She looked healthy, and her calm demeanor passed right along to her bees—even during this check, they were totally chill."

She’s the queen, not of dragons, but of all the bees in the colony. She can lay up to 2000 eggs a day, but things are slowing down now as she gets ready for winter. In our last check, we noticed brood for the bees that will make it through the winter. I hope they’re healthy and strong.

With the excitement of spotting her, our “Sweet Bees” have stored honey to keep them going through the rainy and chilly months here on the #PNW @Washington’s Evergreen Coast. I’m still thinking about how to “over-winter” the bees here, and with my husband, we’re working on a tarp to protect them from the strong winter coastal winds and rains, while still letting them out on warmer winter days.

If you have any ideas, please share your thoughts and recommendations.

Bee well,

Beachbeesop