With the arrival of 30 NEW queen bee colonies, staff at Gakwi:yo:h Farms have been busy! On the morning of Saturday, April 23rd, youth workers Nathan Warrior and Dustin Mohawk volunteered to assist with unloading the bees to their new homes at 7am sharp. Conner – Gakwi:yo:h Farms Laborer, and Jack – Gakwi:yo:h Farms Agriculture Coordinator, explained how to maintain, care for and transport the beehive boxes and informed them of what roles the queens, worker bees and drones jobs are in each colony. Nathan and Dustin loved the experience and are excited to come back and work with the farm again.
Prior to the arrival of these new colonies, Gakwi:yo:h Farms had 24 hives on site, with the addition of these 30 new hives, that brings their total to 54 on-site hives.
When asked if this is the best time of year to transport the bees, Gerry Fisher, Gakwi:yo:h Farms Project Manager said “You can transport them any time but the best time to transport bees is in the evening, when the bees are back in the hive or early in the morning. If they are traveling via transport for a long distance, their entrance should be blocked and they need proper ventilation so the hive does not overheat. Therefore the time of day is very important regarding transport, not the time of year.”
Gerry also noted that the staff at the farm is excited to launch the sale of honey this season at Gakwi:yo:h Farms Market! Stay tuned!
