July Hives

Here's a view of my expanded bee yard.   We doubled the size so I could put in that extra row of hives.    I'd like to maintain eight to ten hives all the time to get four or five hives through the winter and enough honey for us for a year.   It's an experiment.

That's Clyde, the rusty vulture, guarding the bees.   He makes me laugh.

Beehives

© Robin Edmundson, 'Beehives #1', watercolor on paper,  10 x 14 inches.

As you know I am a beekeeper.   Most beekeepers paint their boxes white, but we decided we wanted something a little brighter.   So I went to the store and bought paint in magenta, cyan and yellow, with some white to lighten things if I wanted.   Every time we get a new box, I mix things up and paint it a different color.  Though I didn't depict it here, many of the boxes also have a design on them as well.   Strong graphics help the bees orient to their own hives.

My favorite color is the bright green and I use a lot of it to help unify the crazy stack of colors in the beeyard.   All in all it's a beautiful little area and a fun subject for a painting or two or three.  More of these are in the works.