pollinators: welcome, my darling new bees / May 16, 2014 by kelly heaton

First video of my newly installed nuc (one of two). The bees have settled right in to their new home in the upper Shenandoah Valley, a 10 frame hive with deeps for brood. After losing my two hives last Fall, I am thrilled to have new bees and will treat mites more aggressively this year. Powdered sugar treatments did not work last year, I am sorry to report, and both colonies suffered from deformed wing disease by mid-August (one colony died; the other disappeared).

My new honey bees have arrived! After losing two hives last Fall (both packages from Georgia that succumbed to varroa mites and small hive beetles), I purchased locally raised nucs in hopes that they will be stronger and better adapted to my environment. They moved right in to their fancy 10 frame hives (thanks Dad!) and are not bothered by photography. This unedited video was shot with an iPhone 4S balanced at the entrance to their hive. They are so cool. I love my new bees and hope that they thrive. Kelly Heaton, 2014

open studio: 05_07_14 / May 7, 2014 by kelly heaton

Top row: bees made from wire, resistors and beads; tiny leads for 100+ incandescent lamps; Bottom row: brass honeycomb; homemade capacitors (on styrofoam previously marked-up for resistors)

spirit world: la sirena / May 6, 2014 by kelly heaton

Costa Rican shallows
The Queen of Cups from the Rider Tarot Deck
Vishnu assumes his fish avatara, Matsya, holding the Shanka
La Sirena from Loteria

animal: help the bees / May 5, 2014 by kelly heaton

Beekeepers, please take this survey and help solve the cause of massive colony losses

wild card: costa rica / May 2, 2014 by kelly heaton

Photos were taken in Costa Rica's "Sensoria" nature park on the north side of Rincon de la Vieja; and nearby the village of Cabuya (canton Puntarenas). Kelly Heaton, 2014