Bees, puppy, cat!

First off...

MR. CUTENESS!!!

Monty is such a good boy!

So, last Friday I moved six beehives from behind the barn to out in the field. They were facing the spot where we plan to put in a sand ring for our horses.  Bee stings and horseback riding don't mix! So even though it isn't a great time of year to be moving hives, my friend  Pierre helped me get the job done.

Me and Pierre in the Kubota

The hives are all moved, but I took this pic this evening after catching TWO swarms today...

...instantly taking me from seven hives to nine (two hives aren't in this photo.)

First I found this swarm when I went for a walk. It was easy to catch. I trimmed back the Manitoba maple sapling it was in, and whacked the whole clump of bees into a hive box under the tree, then put the lid on.

Because I succeeded in knocking the queen in, the rest of the bees marched in too! Even all those ones I accidentally knocked on the rocks, oops.

Bees are very gentle when swarming. I wore my bee jacket but didn't get a single sting.

Then no sooner had I gone into the house to change out of my sweaty clothes but Luc came running up to tell me about another swarm on the fence in the horse pasture!

This isn't huge, but it's bigger than it looks in the photo. Another easy catch...

... I just used my bee brush to sort of sweep everyone into the box in a clump. Once again I got the queen in on the first try, hooray!

Hopefully there will be no more swarms this week!

I came back to visit Monty...

I think Henry the pig used to live with a dog. He really likes to hang with Monty.

Monty is excellent with the goats and pigs. He's still learning that cats are not to be chased, not even a little! But he's a very good boy and I have confidence in him.

I started clicker-training him today and he is SO smart! He learned to touch my hand on command in five minutes or less. He really is a lovely dog. He seems quite content with his goats and pigs. I think he will mature into a great livestock guardian dog but I know we have lots of work and training ahead!

And Keaton...

...is quite happy just to be amongst the flowers!