What kind of dummy...

I decided to do a little problem solving with the bees today. I decided to do a little artwork so it would be easier to talk about which hive was which. I was getting too confused talking about left and right. It was really very arbitrary given that I often took pictures from different angles, so the left was often on the right. I couldn't call them the "good" one or the "bad" one, because constantly in a state of flux. So now, we have Luna and Dia: Luna for night, Dia for day.

Oil pastels. Perhaps not the best idea. I didn't have any paint. 

There will be a little more artwork later on. I was forced to retreat a little early. 

I also decided to add a new super to both hives. They had been getting really full and I wanted to give them a little more room. Crowded bees can lead to a couple of different problems. #1: Swarming. #2: Swarming. They had really been hanging out on the front of the hive quite a bit. Of course, the heat index has been over 100 degrees earlier in the week. However, the front of the hive had been getting increasingly populated and I saw a couple of weeks ago that both hives were pretty full.

Pretty durn full. 

I added a new super to give them some room to grow. Also, MAYBE they will bring in a little honey during the fall honey flow. I would love to taste the "fruits" of "my" labor this year (so not really MY labor, but whatever). 

You may be wondering, "Do you not have any honey now?" Technically, we do. The formerly top super is pretty full of honey. However, this honey is mostly made from the sugar water I had been feeding them and would not really be good for eating. Also, that is food for the bees. Hopefully that will get them through the winter. 

This was going to be a pretty easy job- just take off the other top, put on the super. So I suppose I got a little cocky. No smoke, no socks, no problem. Right? I felt one of those little girls get in my suit, and crawl up my leg, right up the leg of my shorts. I know that as a bee keeper, getting stung in part of the game. However, if possible, I would rather not be stung on the rear. I decide to abandon ship and get her out of there!

I did successfully avoid getting stung on the rear, but she got me on the calf. Lesson learned. Good beekeepers wear socks.