This year's Allium blooms have drawn the bees right in

The New Queen Reigns...

 See her there on the bottom?  The bee with the long abdomen and stubby wings?  

She was reared and hatched in this hive.  The old queen and half the bees in the colony swarmed and 

this new,  lovely has taken her place on the throne.

 Her enlarged abdomen is the clear sign that she is mated and should start laying eggs soon. 

Shown here are a few drones (fat, big-eyed fellas) standing near Her Ladyship.  

Drones need these giant peepers to spot a queen on her mating flight.  When a drone 

mates on a flight, it is, sadly, his last flight.  

The queen will mate with 15 or so drones in one or more mating flight attempts until she has a sufficient amount of sperm stored to last the rest of her life.    After she is successfully mated, if she is well fed, she will lay 1500-2000 eggs per day from early spring through mid autumn in these parts.  She will do this every year throughout her life.  A healthy queen's life expectancy is thought to be 4-5 years these days. 

  

Almost ready to swarm

last bar of the newest comb

a few of the several virgin queen cells

close up of queen cell

I haven't seen any foragers coming in with pollen for a few days, there's lots of drone, several queen cells and a whole mess of bees hanging out on the outside of the hive.

The queen cells haven't been capped yet but I think it's almost time...

The newest conundrum: A pair of little wrens decided to move in to one of the two empty baited hives.

Not the tenants I was hoping for but pretty special nonetheless.   I removed the twigs once already before  this egg showed up.  They wouldn't take no for an answer.

Bee Chain teamwork

Winter Cleansing Flight for the Bees

                                                          (I am so happy to see them)  

The hives are buzzing... minus the sweet hum of a few fallen heroines

                                                            
                                                                     the bee field deer runs....

Week word- Lacuna

Week word- LACUNA (so sorry I am late, busy holiday week!)

-an unfilled space or interval; a gap

-a cavity or depression, especially in a bone.

- a missing portion in a book or manuscript

I love the derivatives of this word and how they sound-

lacunal- adj.

lacunary-adj

lacunate- adj.

lacunose-adj.

There is something about an unfilled space that often calls for filling it in...

or constructing it to do so...

sometimes Lacunae? Lacunas? are cozy and fun

sometimes essential...

they can feel safe....

they can protect...

sustain life....

become remnants....

There is something beautiful, maternal or womblike even, about this word (to me... it is the way I want to see/feel/interpret it.) Thank you Carmen for a great word.

Please see visit Carmen @ Tails of a Biomouse to see more Week worders' interpretations of LACUNA . Join in on the the weekly word yourself by visiting the blog of the next host of weekword (who will be revealed on Carmen's blog) Week Word is announced on Mondays. More people playing = more inspiration. :)

~Gina