The Bee-gining

Blink and you’ll miss it - somehow this summer season has flown by. From fence posts to queen excluders we’ve made some choices, learned some lessons, and have two hives of bees buzzing around Ocean Park, WA.

We lovingly refer to our hives as Sweet Bees, and Spicy Bees. The Sweet Bees are a nuc we got from a “local” beekeeper in Centralia WA, Wood Bee Co. They are calm, they don’t mind hive checks, and they just get on with their work. One thing they don’t like is dusk hive checks, as a new Beek, the only time I was stung!

Spicy Bees however are a nuc of local “muts” that I bought a beekeeper across the river in Astoria Oregon. He mentioned they are crossbred and I believe captured from a swarm. Spicy bees, are well, spicy, and do no like guests inspecting their hive, or frankly having anyone get what they believe is too close. They buzz around our suits looking for a way in, attack the smoker, and they made it known that although the powered sugar was tasty, being abducted and dunked in it for a mite check was not ok. Both our Sweet Bees and Spicy bees live in harmony just feet from each other.

On the tip of the Long Beach Peninsula sits Ocean Park Camp and Retreat Center. Next to their community garden lives our little bee colony with a safety fence around them - more as a warning to guests than for bee protection - but you know our local bears can get very curious. As a new beekeeper we are doing our best to keep them healthy and alive, make a sweet home for them, and hopefully we’ll get a sweet gift in return. Stay tuned for more updates from the hives!

Love,

Beach Bees OP

Buzzy bees