The bee dresscode is getting ever more casual.

This weekend's hive check proved to me that, much like the garden, the bees really don't need me for their survival.

Because even with all my OH MY GOD THERE'S A HIVE BEETLE IN HERE and other crazy screamings from last week, the bees soldiered on as though I hadn't thrown a fit outside their house and were AOK when I checked on them yesterday.

Handy thing, having an enthusiastic non-bee fearing neighbor who shares a dutch door gate, by the way, because I actually have some photographic evidence of the non-freakish hive check where nothing terrible happened.

Dutch door gate = way for awesome neighbors to come photo my bees for me. Also, a way for their garden to sneak into mine in the night like teenagers at camp. SEXY.

Also, at no point was I found shrieking or predicting doom and the end of days for the hive.

Miracles!

But, for the photos:

I've decided that the bees prefer flip-flops, and so, I oblige.

But you can see that darker yellow area on the frame, which is all the comb they've built up since April 7.

And that is the Boss Lady herself, laying eggs and being PRESENT rather than being in a tree.

And that is the probably 100% unnecessary Beetlejail and my bare hands which are much more adept at checking a hive than, say, stupid too big gloves.

That's about the sum of the hive check.

Set-up: 2 deep 10 frame brood boxes, 1 empty shallow super with hive top feeder 
Bees: Calm. Eating sugar syrup and collecting pollen. Flying in and out of the hive like normal bees without any entrance restriction. Listening to their Boss Lady.
Boss Lady: Present and accounted for. Laying eggs. Keeping these bitches in line.
Comb: Built out on 5-6 of 10 frames. Capped honey. Uncapped brood. Stored nectar and pollen.
Pests and Scourges: 1 hive beetle and me with my smoker.
Feeder: Nearly empty. I'm ready to ditch the feeder and let them fend for themselves when this jar goes dry. 
Stings: 1! I had my first sting on Saturday when I, like a full on retard, knelt down in front of the hive to OH MY GOD HOW CUTE at the two bees feeding one another at the entrance and then bzzzzzzzt! a bee flew out of the hive and into my hairs.  During the gentle shaking of my hairs and trying to comb the bee out with my fingers, she got me right on the finger crotch. Sadness. Though I did confirm that I am not allergic to bee stings. Helpful, I suppose.

Now - prepare yourselves for me to change the subject next week. Think bikes, Bubba, some of the uglier parts of CA and a lot of spandex. I'll explain more tomorrow-ish. Get excited, now.