Shop Vacuuming Bees

Today we are recycling honeybees. It has been so warm that we have been waiting for a cool day to do this but we just don't want to wait anymore because workers can develop ovaries and start laying eggs. How can you tell if a worker is laying? You will find multiple eggs in cells. The problem with this is that these are unfertilized and will all become drones. The comb becomes drone comb and next year's queen will lay drone eggs in all the cells that became drone cells. We filled our shop vacuum half way with water, filled the generator with gas and when we are done will dump the dead bees in our compost because they are some of the best vermiculite in the world. Their soft organs become rich soil and their exoskeletons don't decompose as fast so they aerate soil beautifully. It is 53* here in downtown Fairbanks.