-Posted by Isaac

They're home!

All the pollination hives are now where they belong. It took a bit longer this year to get them to their out yards. Weather difficulties. As usual.

Last week Mason had some friends over. The idea was stay out in the camper, but three inches of rain that night put a stop to it. Still, the next day they helped us to celebrate Ohio's awesomeness. 

It seems to be shaping up about like last year-- rain and more rain. Flooding and chaos in the heartland. Like a drum major in front of the parade, high winds preceed each storm . About once a week we circle the yard and pick up downed branches. One of these days we'll have a hell of a bonfire.

About a half mile away a big branch broke off the hickory tree and fell in the corn. Bridger and I went to cut it up, but the chainsaw was out of gas. No matter, we'll just drag our prey down the road.

All the weather worries have sort of prevented us from doing what we should be doing- extracting honey. It's time to pull the spring boxes. Unfortunately there's not a lot of it, so I guess it's no rush. As I said in an earlier post, we sold too many nucs and I sort of split myself out of a spring honey crop. Too bad, because it could have been pretty decent. Every now and then I come across a hive that was left strong enough to take advantage of our spring flow. 

Wish there were more!

I have learned some things over the years. Like, no matter what, keep your comb honey yards strong. Don't split those hives hard! Our spring honey flow is both intense and reliable. It may be short lived, but if you have some comb boxes on decently strong hives, you're sure to fill them. 

And we did.

So we got that going for us. Comb honey, check.

And the June mite treatment is well under way. Check.

I'm back into that good old formic acid. Missed those vapors! You can see that the bees also love this stuff. (Sarcasm) After applying the strip and putting the hive back together, the returning foragers seem to be stopped dead in their tracks:

This time I won't preach about mite treatments. Most of you beekeepers know how important this is. Here's a post from last year where I was a bit more preachy: TREAT YOUR BEES!

But let's not set preachiness aside totally. I can't help it. I know full well I should just stick with bees, but it's Father's Day and this week we bumped up against an issue that set me on fire. It's political. So it's dangerous for someone like me. Normally, as you may have guessed, I lean a little left. Not hard left, just a little. (Just enough to piss off my father.) And I don't argue left. It's not worth getting red in the face. I just shrug. Mostly I sympathize. Everyone is a product of their background. Their parents. Their community. Their education. Their media sources. Their own stubbornness. Bigots will be bigots. Racists will be racist. Homophobes, homophobic. Haters will hate and deniers will deny. I shrug. It's beyond me to try to change a set mind with facts. Or logic. Or reason. Or rationality. Or empathy. But...

It was empathy that put this week's hot button issue on the forefront of my mind. In fact, I was so out of sorts about it, I had to run it by Jayne. Should we actually do something?

It's this deal of taking kids from their parents as a deterrent for illegal border crossings. Some 2000 kids now. What the hell? This is one issue that is so clearly cut and dry. So clearly right and wrong. How could anyone be on the wrong side of this? And let it continue? Yet you see memes and arguments on both sides. Is this actually a law of the United States? What kind of heartless bastard(s) put that through? Surely not fathers and mothers! Surely not God fearing Christians! Could any "God of Love" forgive such a thing? 

I know Colbert isn't everyone's cup of tea, but he nailed it on this one. This was yesterday:

Can you imagine the hell these people are going through? Put yourself  there- you are leaving the hell you came from. You didn't want to, it's all you've known, but you're desperate and hopeless. There's no future here. So you have your kids with you because you're doing this for them. The future. It's such a risk, and it may not succeed. And even if it does, the best that you yourself can hope for is a life in the shadows. In the margins of a marginal society. Picking strawberries? Hanging drywall? Living in sheds and basements. But your kids... your kids will find their way. They'll learn the language. They'll learn the customs. They'll assimilate. A bright hope for the next generation. Sure it's a risk. But the future is always a risk. And always worth it.

You're caught at the border. It's always been a border of hope and despair. And you got caught. You lose. Despair. You are handcuffed and herded. When just the day before, you were a hopeful father. You had your family, forging a path to a better life, running from crime and poverty and hopelessness. Running from criminals. Now you're the criminal. A criminal? Now at the mercy of the courts. But at least you're still a father. At least you've still got your kids.

And then the worst possible thing happens. Worse than torture, worse than death. This new country decides to enforce a law.

This is so clearly a case of right and wrong.

I'm happy to hear that there seems to be a rising tide of protest. A very justified protest. I will gladly lend my support to these people. 

Happy Father's Day. I hope you fathers get to enjoy your kids as much as I enjoy mine.