adventures in bee-sitting: a thread
I'm in an unusually charming situation right now: bee- and cat-sitting in a country home. coziness levels are off the charts.
bee-sitting in this case involves feeding them colossal amounts of sugar water every couple days. you open the hives and pour the liquid into a feeder inside.
the owner and I I fed them day before yesterday. today's forecast said rain all day (not a good time to open the hive). but tomorrow's says it'll be chillier (also not optimal).
adventures in bee-sitting: a thread
it was warm/sunny/dry for a big chunk of the afternoon today. I figured it would start raining any second, so I did other things: late lunch, clean up kitchen, 1.4 mile walk to the mailbox & back.
but it's *still* dry & warm & I figure: all right. let's just do this. I start prepping the sugar solution, very focused on the process. there's a distracting noise. I look up. rain is pelting the windows.
well then. time to go complain about it on Mastodon I guess,
adventures in bee-sitting: a thread
ofc it stopped raining again, too late to feed the bees. but the non-rain was convenient for feeding the cats.
these are outdoor-only cats b/c one of the ppl who lives here is allergic. they're skittish ex-strays, so at this point they're still hiding behind things & staring at me like "who are you and what have you done with our humans" 
I'll win them over though. I always do. and then there will be cat pix, b/c I know you like those, Fedi
adventures in bee-sitting: a thread
yesterday I left the pot of sugar solution in a pan of water on the stovetop, so it wouldn't be covered in ants by morning. this also helped me re-melt the sugar without burning it. 💡
today wasn't cold after all -- 65F is a fine temp for opening the hives. but instead of popping the lid off like the owner (a newish beekeeper) demonstrated for me, I just slid it over far enough to reach the feeder, then topped it off with sugar water. 🍯
adventures in bee-sitting: a thread
it was very quick, minimally upsetting for the bees, no smoke needed. super proud of myself.
I'm no expert, but I try to always approach them in a calm state of mind, thinking of them with kindness and appreciation, usually humming a little tune or talking quietly to them. does it affect them at all? dunno, but it has a good effect on me, and that's enough reason to do it. 🐝
adventures in bee-sitting: a thread
(my previous beekeeping experience is limited -- I worked with an amateur beekeeper for some months, and tended two hives with a couple other new beekeepers for a season. all of this was at my commune home. we were not very successful, but I did learn the basics!)
adventures in bee-sitting: a thread
trick-or-treater report:
1 alien
1 grim reaper
1 Minecraft creeper
1 ninja mumble (couldn't understand what they were saying they were)
2 princesses (Rainbow and Merida)
1 parent wearing a crown who claimed to be a king (unfortunately I missed my chance to say, "Well I didn't vote for 'im!"
1 witch
and two of these incredible T-Rex costumes that I've only seen on YouTube before today:
adventures in bee-sitting (covid + food mention)
and yes, I do have reservations about encouraging unvaxed kids to go door-to-door rn, but the people I'm housesitting for asked me to give out candy, so I did. (I did cover my mouth and nose with a mask.)
this was an organized event for this rural neighborhood, & for most of the kids, the first time they'd ever gone door-to-door trick-or-treating. I have strongly mixed feelings about whether this is the best year to start that, but 
adventures in bee-sitting (covid + food mention)
@twistylittlepassages i figure its better than the alternative (celebrating with indoor parties) but yeah i was a bit :/ as well
