Good times in Varina! Wow. I actually noticed a Training Flight (Orientation Flight, really) at Hive 2 today! I have probably seen it several dozen times at the stronger hive, Hive 1, but not a single time at Hive 2. Today marks a first! They are still weak and need tending, but this is a good sign. They were all over the front of the hive, buzzing around and doing figure 8’s in the air in front of it. Things were good.

Of course, I initially thought something was wrong (it doesn’t matter how many times I see this event, I immediately think that disaster is pending for some reason…) Regardless, I sat in front of the hive and watched intently. No fighting was going on (although sometimes they clean one another off with such vigor that you wonder if there isn’t a little malice between sisters!) and everyone seemed happy. As always, I worry that I killed the queen the last time that I opened the Hive. I cannot shake that worry, even though it has never come true so far. It’s a constant process for me. I open the hive, find the queen, am happy about that for an hour and then worry that I might have squashed her for the rest of the week until I open the dang hive again! It’s about two hours of feeling good and the rest of the week worrying… Such is the life of a new beekeeper!