Bees are becoming aggressive

7/30/10 Friday
The bees under our house have become more aggressive. A few weeks ago I saw an angry seeming hoard of bees buzzing in a cloud where they go in and out from under the house. Now I wonder if a different swarm of bees invaded and took the hive over. Cherie got stung two nights ago while in the house. We never found the bee but the stinger was in her arm so we know it was one. Don’t normally find bees in the house these days though there was a time they were finding their way in a lot. Yesterday, as I walked past where they go in and out from, a bee stung me. I’ve noticed that they bump at me more, a practice I read about while researching Africanized bees. We had been contemplating a technique where we lure the hive out from under the house into a regular honey bee hive where we could harvest the honey but I think that won’t happen now. If the feral bees are Africanized then there is nothing desirable there and in fact they have become dangerous. So I’ll buy some foggers and poison them like we did the previous four swarms. We never had the money to buy a bee hive to use to lure them out with so it’s the way it has to be. Always frustrating to not have the resources needed for basic improvements around here.

This morning I’ll focus on pruning and training tomato plants. It’s something I should have been doing all along but like so much it got neglected while I attended other needs. I pull weeds while caterpillars devour my crops. It’s one or the other. They are making lots of tomatoes now that we had some rain and it got a little cooler. Fall is looking better when it comes to what we are growing. But I’m under the gun to plant more seeds and install irrigation on top of keeping up with weeds. It’s a one man show that requires two or three people. There’s money waiting to be made here, but it requires work and resources to happen. Farming can be, and is a lucrative business but all businesses require basic resources to thrive. So I’ll keep pushing to get to where I know we can be and little by little, or perhaps with a giant leap, we will get there. The giant leap will come when we find those with resources who will partner with us to grow this enterprise. Ultimately it’s in God’s hands.

That’s it. I’m still debating with myself going to Fort Stockton for the Kairos prison ministry tonight. There’s so much that needs doing here. This tears at me, my desire to help and minister to others versus our needs at home. We would leave for Fort Stockton at 7:00 or 7:30 in the evening and by that time of the day I’m pretty worn. Actually by then I’m on my second wind and am usually back out working after resting and eating dinner but am certainly pretty stinky from sweating and working all day. If I go to Fort Stockton I would need to quit early and clean up. So there is quite a conflict here, do I neglect what needs doing on the farm so I can attend Kairos? I still haven’t decided. Will go out and work and think about it as I do.
Last nights sunset, another view as it's the same sunset as the first picture.