I’m seated, in the wheelchair, surrounded by one of our groups of eager students.

I spent a few hours in the bees today. This was part of our bee club’s beginner beekeeping course and I was one of the instructors, showing 50 new beekeepers the mysterious inner workings of our club president’s hives. The main actors in our show were cooperative – they were dragging in great gobs of orange pollen and enough nectar to moisten top bars when a comb was shaken above the hive. The colonies were doing well. In fact, below you’ll see one of the most perfect frames of brood I’ve ever seen.  As a pleasant bonus, the bees were so calm that I didn’t even need a veil to do the teaching. I’m still able to stand and walk a little, so I was on my feet for a few hours during the show n’ tell. I enjoyed it all immensely.

The student-participants were mostly new beekeepers and all had taken part in our club’s novice beekeeping lecture series. They were educated in the ways of the bee, but many of those present had never seen a hive up close until today. The participants were as eager and pleased as their new veils and whitesuits were fresh and gleaming under the bright Alberta sun. It was a lovely day to do bees and share the little bit of knowledge and experience that I and the other instructors – Neil, Liz, and Bert – could offer the students.

A near-perfect frame of brood.

Collecting bees for mite inspection.

Varroa mite check.

Bees were working dandelions in the apiary.

Leaving you with one more image of our lovely group!