Z's Happy Bees

Welcome to our Apiary Adventure! We are hobby beekeepers that do this as a family!
(4)

08/28/2024

Sunflowers for my pollinators!! I planted over a hundred sunflowers this year because they are so cheery and the pollinators love them! I see bumblebees, honeybees, butterflies, smaller solitary native bees and wasps visiting them. 🐝

08/21/2024

Throw back to when we took a family vacation to the Hoh rainforest and had to find this amazing example of tenacity in the face of insurmountable odds. This tree continues to live even though most of its roots are exposed to the sun and sea spray.

08/17/2024

An awesome example of mimicry. This is not a wasp or a bee, it’s a fly!

08/09/2024

Volunteering at camp…maybe red tie dye wasn’t the best choice 🤣 it will come off eventually.

07/30/2024

I have been growing dahlias in pots for a few years now. I really like the ones that have open centers and look more like daisies or cosmos. I saved seeds off my favorites and replanted them this year I noticed these dahlias have centers that are big and slightly convex. I might have inadvertently bred what I want for the pollinators…

07/28/2024

I really wanted a sunflower patch this year. I was determined! I replanted three times because of slugs and set a new soaker drip line. I am so happy to finally see these beautiful faces! Thank you for your amazing flowers!

07/08/2024

If you find this bug in your garden, be happy! It’s a ladybug 🐞 larvae! They devour aphids.

06/22/2024

A honeybee stinger that has splintered and is partially stuck in my glove. Most of the population in a hive are female workers and they will sting! However, their stingers are barbed and when pulled from their bodies will inflict fatal damage. The other smaller population in a hive are the drones, the males, which lack a stinger. The Queen has a stinger but it isn’t barbed. She can sting repeatedly. I have never been stung by a Queen. I have always found her to be more of a mind to run away rather than fight.

06/20/2024

Raise your hand if you had a tree swing growing up. This tree has three swings. This platform swing gets used the most. We love this huge maple!

06/15/2024

Speed limit swarm! I think this year is the year for swarms in odd places! I caught two swarms today. It was not a good day for them to swarm as it rained! These girls were very tightly bivouacked and did not want to be messed with! They were grumpy! While scooping them into their box I was stung at least a dozen times on my hands. 🐝⚡️

06/10/2024

I have 2 or 3 honeybee colonies for sale! Message me for details! (I can possibly deliver)

06/10/2024

05/29/2024

Summertime workers are growing up. It takes 21 days for an egg to become a worker honeybee. That includes metamorphosis. Like a caterpillar into a butterfly, bee larvae turn into honeybees!

05/28/2024

How many bumblebees can you see? The Elfin Thyme on my front steps is starting to bloom and the bumblebees are so happy!! 🐝

05/28/2024

We spent a wonderful weekend camping out in the San Juan’s.

05/22/2024

Walked into my bedroom yesterday evening to find this. Apparently my daughter tucked Honey into bed.

05/14/2024

Yesterday was my thirteenth Mother’s Day. I got to spend it with my husband and two kids. I also got to catch two swarms!!

05/09/2024

A Queen and her offspring. Did you know that it’s not really the Queen that controls the hive? It’s her ability to produce brood. Having healthy abundant brood(eggs and larvae) in a colony keeps the workers happy. If a Queen isn’t laying well, the colony will usually replace her.

05/08/2024

I am excited for dahlias!

05/07/2024

I gave the swarm pollen patties today. Gotta feed the larvae babies! The weather has been really unpredictable. Pouring down rain for days with brief sunshine. I want to make sure this hive has no shortage of food.

05/05/2024

Big ole Mama bumble sleepily foraging on one of our many dandelions. We are fortunate to host several species of in our yard!

Address

Mount Vernon, WA
98274

Website

http://www.zshappybees.com/

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Videos

A sweet bumble enjoying one of my dahlias. #bombus #bumblebee #nativebees

I put out a bucket that had honey residue on the sides. The girls will quickly lick it clean but become a bit sticky themselves. This girl was happy to use my hand as a safe landing spot to clean up for a bit. #honey #stickyhoney #honeybees #zshappybees #cleanup

Just a happy Queen.

I love to just observe my bees. These ladies are amazing! #honeybees #api #apiary #beekeeping #beekeeperslife #womeninbeekeeping #zshappybees

Another blessedly easy bivouacked swarm to catch. These ladies were a bit more active because of the heat but because I barely moved them, they settled into a new box very quickly! #swarm #honeybeeswarm #beesforme #beesinthegarden #zshappybees #womeninbeekeeping #thankfulforpeoplewhocallbeekeepers #thankfulforpeoplewhocare

I love bumblebees. I was inspecting this hive when I heard a louder and lower decibel hum/buzz. Sure enough I spotted this huge Queen bumblebee trying to get into the hive. The guard ladies were not going to put up with that. #bumblebee #bombus #womeninbeekeeping #zshappybees #apiarylife

It’s purple/black pollen time! My poppies are blooming and the bees love them. If you watch closely you can see this forager getting covered in pollen then hovering and cleaning herself to put it in the corbicula (baskets)on her back legs. #poppyflowers #honeybeeforage #honeybees #zshappybees #pollination #pollinatorgarden

Another swarm catch! This was a very easy and calm catch. I was able to nip the lilac branch and gently set them down on a brood box. I have never seen a cluster of bees crawl into a box so quickly! I was also lucky enough to get a video of the Queen crawling up then down in between the frames. This swarm was so calm that within 30 minutes I was able to take them home! #swarm #swarmcatching #honeybees #beeksofinstagram #womeninbeekeeping #zshappybees

When I catch a swarm I wait until after dark to collect the box to try and save as many of them as possible. Bees go to bed with sun. I tape the entrance for ease of transport and in the morning I pull the tape down they can orient to their new location! #honeybee #honeybees #zshappybees #swarm #beekeeping

This swarm was easily accessible but difficult to catch. It was clustered in amongst cherry tree leaves. Frustratingly difficult to scoop. Patience paid off. I very calmly scooped bees into the box until enough girls were fanning their nasonov pheromones to entice the rest of the cluster to march down in! #nasonov #nasonovpheromone #swarm #honeybeeswarm #zshappybees

Saturday I got two swarm calls. The first one left while I was on the phone getting information about it. The second call came less than thirty minutes later for this massive swarm in a cherry tree. I was able to drive my Humvee underneath it and kneel/squat/stand and scoop them into a brood box. It quickly became apparent that they wouldn’t all fit! I got them all out of the tree, then moved the box to the ground. I ran home and got a second box. The timing was perfect, all boxed up at dusk. They moved in and I brought them home! #swarm #zshappybees #honeybeeswarm #humvee #h1

I am always so appreciative when someone calls me about bees! I did quickly learn to request photos/video when possible so I wasn’t responding to a situation blindly. Plus, it occasionally saved me a trip! Today I received a call about a swarm in overgrown blackberries. After watching a video I was disappointed to see that it wasn’t honeybees. It was a Yellowjacket’s nests. I’m so glad the homeowner called me first and I was able to tell her exactly what she is dealing with. #yellowjackets #nothoneybees #falsealarm #maybenexttime

The swarm I caught at @dwaynelanesford has a Queen! She is big and beautiful and is laying eggs! I have the colony a second brood box and also gave them some sugar syrup to help them build comb and supply them in the upcoming dearth. #honeybees #honeybee #womeninbeekeeping #zshappybees #springbees

I picked up the swarm late last night and brought it home. This morning I pulled the tape and gloves out of the entrance. One lone forager emerged. It was still pretty chilly! When I checked on them again two hours later they were busy!! Thanks again @dwaynelanesford for calling and saving this colony! #spring2024 #zshappybees #swarmcatching

First swarm capture of 2024! These girls have been hanging around this area all weekend, this morning they bivouac on the tailgate at @dwaynelanesford in Burlington. They left flakes off wax all over the place! They were very docile and thrilled to have a new home. #beeswarm #zshappybees #womeninbeekeeping #honeybees