Because my Sweet Hive friends will understand better than anyone, I wanted to share an excerpt from a piece I recently wrote for chicagoREgen.com titled The Heartbreak of an Urban Beekeeper.
When the second warm day of the year arrived nearly a month after the first, our hive was morbidly silent. My husband and I crouched in front of our hive desperate for a sign of life. We thought we’d done everything right. We’d left several frames full of honey. We added a few sugar-filled frames as a precaution. We were bereft and completely mystified. How could our hive have survived the worst part of the winter, then perished in the final days as spring and its promise of pollen was in sight?
In the end, it wasn’t enough. And I couldn’t help but think that we weren’t enough. We’d failed our bees just as I had feared we might since the day we brought them home.
…soon, we will start again with new bees in our hive. I remain an urban beekeeper.
Oh Bobbi, I’m terribly sorry to read of this unwelcome silence. It was such an unpredictable and ultimately, in this case, heartbreaking winter. You’re in my thoughts.
My sincere sympathy on your loss. I’m sure you’ll have agreat experience with the new bees. It’s sad to see the cycle of life up close.
I’m so sorry to hear this, but I’m glad to know you are giving it another go.
Thank you for the kind words. Funny how after only one season, we can’t imagine our life without bees in it.
Pingback: With a New Colony Comes New Lessons |
Pingback: A Little Tough Love at the Hive |