Dad’s beekeeper socks grew today, as mom and I enjoyed the late afternoon sun on the deck.
I love these socks and how perfectly the colors come together to create just the look I imagined. Thank you, Amy - the genius behind the yarn. Have you noticed that many of Amy’s Spunky colorways take their inspiration from nature?
The beekeepers couldn’t be more perfect for my dad. And from the looks of recent activity at the farm, he will be getting plenty of use out of them.
You see, the bees have been multiplying like crazy. I guess the winter was good to them. When there are too many bees in the hive, a new queen is born and the hive divides. So far, this has happened to my parents’ hives 3 times. The last time was today.
When the new hive first emerges, they swarm in a frenzy of activity - it looks almost like a tornado. Then, they all settle on a nearby branch and go into a sort of trance while the scouts seek out a good location for a new hive.
Here is a shot of today’s swarm settled on a branch high in a tree.

This particular group is too high up for my dad to reach, so he can only hope they will like the hive box he set out for them under the tree. Scouts have been in and out repeatedly, but only time will tell.
A few weeks ago, another swarm settled on a lower branch.

Ok- seriously - how cool is that???? It is like something out of National Geographic.
And look at that pic next to the socks:

Perfect.
Back to the beekeeping.
In order to save the new hive, dad suited up in his beekeeping gear. (Which will be greatly improved by the addition of a fabulous pair of socks. ) And he cut off the branch holding THOUSANDS of BEES.

Like I said, the bees are in a trance at this point. Otherwise, this would be a very foolhardy enterprise and we’d probably be visiting dad in the hospital. And remember, he has the fancy suit. Don’t try this at home.
See how they still cling to the branch as he carries it to the new hive?
Once he got the branch over the new hive box, he just tapped the branch and the bees fell right in.

Incredibly cool.