Swarms of Fun

Mary 25th

The Great Memorial Day Bee Ballet (and Other Unscheduled Programming)

Memorial Day started as one of those “wear your jacket to mow the yard” kind of days. The air was cool, the skies were gray, and the puddles were shrinking—ever so slightly—though the forecast promised rain just about every day of the week. Still, hope springs eternal on the farm.

Bob and Brad were busy prepping equipment, just in case the clouds took a break long enough to sneak in a little field work. Meanwhile, Gerri stayed back to work in the garden and tidy up the orchard—some light weeding, some quiet digging, and a whole lot of peaceful puttering… until the buzzing began.

A Swarm of Surprises
Late that morning, Gerri noticed a strange sound and looked up to find what can only be described as a cyclone of bees—nearly 25 feet tall and about 10 to 12 feet wide—hovering near the blueberry orchard. Equal parts awestruck and alarmed, she quickly tried calling Kim and Bob (no answer), followed by a text complete with a few bee-related adjectives and maybe some ALL CAPS for urgency.

Within 10 minutes, the cavalry had arrived. Sure enough, one of the hives had swarmed, launching itself up into an evergreen tree and forming not one, but two separate bee clusters. Whether both hives had swarmed or the bees were just trying out real estate options was unclear, but by lunchtime, the two groups had merged into one. Kim, sensing the bees were eager for a fresh start, decided it would be wise to relocate them sooner rather than later.

Brad returned just in time to assist with the operation. Kim and Bob were hoisted up in the JCB (a tractor that, on that day, doubled as a mobile beekeeper’s lift). With steady hands and one very brave cardboard box, they cut the branch holding the swarm and gently lowered them to safety. The bees were rehomed to a fresh hive.

Kelsey and Sutton even came down to spectate, turning the whole event into a farmyard field trip. If we'd had snacks and a sign-up sheet, it could've been a fundraiser.

Round Two?
Just when things had settled down, Thursday rolled around with another surprise. Gerri, once again working quietly in the garden, heard that now-familiar roar and walked around the corner to see the green hive looking suspiciously empty. Cue the deja vu.

Once again, Gerri found herself the lone witness to the event, which was starting to feel personal. Kim came by after work to take a look and determined this swarm might’ve been more of a temporary cool-down than a full exodus. The bees had likely stepped out to beat the heat, then decided the hive wasn’t so bad after all and went right back in. Still, Gerri is starting to get a complex about being the farm’s unofficial bee magnet.

Final Thoughts:
From garden chores to bee-wrangling, Memorial Day brought a flurry of unexpected activity—and a few more reasons to always keep your phone close and your cardboard boxes closer. As always, there’s never a dull moment (or a quiet one) here on the farm.