One of the chores at the farm is beehive inspection.
Hive inspection is done to determine the health and stability of the bee colony. We look for any warning signs such as hive beetles and wax moths. We check to make sure the queen is healthy and laying eggs, which leads into checking for royal cells.
A royal cell is the birth chamber of a new queen. A new queen is laid to produce a new colony or to replace the current queen, if she is old or unhealthy. The royal cell is also the sign of a future swarm. Since a colony can only have one queen, when the new queen hatches a swarm occurs splitting the colony into two colonies.
During a hive inspection and relocation this week, a royal cell was discovered. So while relocating the original hive, the royal cell was moved to a new hive, where it will hatch a new queen to produce a new colony of honey bees. Beekeepers split hives all through the spring to avoid swarming of hive.
Just like with our families, children grow and leave the colony to go forth and create a new colony. Although we are different from bees, there are a lot of similarities between the bees and us. Once a bee leaves, it doesn’t come back. Our children may leave but they often return home to visit and feel the family love.
The split is inevitable but it’s whether it’s a controlled or uncontrolled split that matters. Life changes, lives change, and the world continues according to plan. #welcome2serenity
Welcome to Serenity 