Rain, Rain, Go Away.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider is totally boned.
Image by Thomas Shahan.

Ick.  It's raining.  It will still be raining tomorrow.  The roads I take to get to Red Hook are under a foot and a half of water.

So.

No bees tomorrow.

The FREE Public Hive Inspection at the Added Value Community Farm in Red Hook for Saturday, September 24th is officially CANCELLED.

Sorry folks.  I guess we'll have to wait a little longer to find out how that requeening went.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Hurricanes

Apparently I wasn't joking about the end times. Earthquakes and now hurricanes? Jeez, it's like someone's out to get us.

So what should do you? If you're in a roof or back yard, get your hives on to a wide stable base. I recommend wooden shipping pallets. They're free and widely available. Using ratchet straps, you can cinch down your hives and keep them from toppling. They're what I use in Fort Greene, and I am pretty confident in the safety of those hives. If you are worried, you can also weigh them down with cinder blocks.

Hives cinched down tightly, around BOTH shipping pallets, and weighed down with planters.
As you can see, I also moved them very close to the wall to help block the wind.

As good as it's gonna get.

Chase Emmons, of the Brooklyn Grange, rescues my $10 lawn chairs.

If you're in an evacuation zone (Red Hook, Coney Island, etc) you might be boned. However, the NYC Beekeeping group has extended the possibility of providing temporary hive locations on high ground. However, their location may be in the Bronx, and you will probably have to move the hives yourself. Still, better than the alternative...

Unfortunately, I do not have the logistical capability to move the hives I maintain at the Added Value farm. Last year (before I managed them), the hives were destroyed in the tornado. This year, it'll probably be the hurricane. Because I couldn't move them to the Bronx, I did what I could to secure them in their current location. They're not going to get knocked over by the wind, but are still at risk of flooding. Cross your fingers, folks.

The hives were moved to a strong pallet set on cinder blocks and strapped down THROUGH the blocks using multiple ratchet straps.
Thanks to Karl, Maris, and Anna, volunteers at Added Value who helped me lift and secure the hives and got soaked and filthy in the process.  

A message from the NYC Beekeeping Group:

Friends -
As of 8.40 Friday morning August 26th, official word is that:

"While the forecast remains uncertain, there is a possibility New York City may experience hurricane or tropical storm conditions this weekend."

Hives ratchet-strapped down TO something, such as a shipping pallet from a local grocery store, are less likely to tip over in high winds. Loop the strap completely around the hive, and completely under the pallet slats, so that one end of the strap is hooked to the other, then ratchet down very tight.

IF YOU ARE IN AN EVACUATION ZONE PLEASE CALL THE BEE RESCUE HOTLINE: 917-740-4BEE (4233) ABOUT MOVING YOUR HIVE TEMPORARILY TO SAFER GROUND.

To check whether you are in an evacuation zone: http://gis.nyc.gov/oe...

We've posted the map of evacuation zones in case the official website is busy: https://docs.google.c...

To monitor official updates please see http://www.nyc.gov/po...

-or-

http://prtl-prd-web.n...

We hope all will be well, but recommend taking precautions.

If you CAN get your hives to the Bronx, you should. As Jim mentions in the comment below, the site is very secure. It's just a matter of getting them there.

The noblest sentiments of man.

Oh, the Humanité: Mosquito Spraying Continues.

I'm pretty sure that the DOH is just REALLY excited about spraying pesticides in residential neighborhoods. How many people in NYC get West Nile Virus?

Whatever.

Queens, you've won the lottery tonight (23rd of August) AND August 25th. Brooklyn, you only get sprayed on the 25th.

August 23 8:00PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Queens • Neighborhoods: Auburndale, Briarwood, Flushing, Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Queensboro Hill and Pomonok • Zip codes: 11355,11365 11358, 11367, 11415, 11418 and 11435 • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

August 23

8:00PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Queens

• • Neighborhoods: Auburndale, Briarwood, Flushing, Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Queensboro Hill and Pomonok
• • Zip codes: 11355,11365 11358, 11367, 11415, 11418 and 11435
• • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

August 25 8:00PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Queens • Neighborhoods: Bellerose, Douglas Manor, Oakland Gardens, Douglaston, Little Neck, Glen Oaks, Floral Park, Hollis Hills • Zip codes: 11362,11363 11364,11426 and 11427 • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

August 25

8:00PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Queens

• • Neighborhoods: Bellerose, Douglas Manor, Oakland Gardens, Douglaston, Little Neck, Glen Oaks, Floral Park, Hollis Hills
• • Zip codes: 11362,11363 11364,11426 and 11427
• • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

August 25 8:00PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Brooklyn • Neighborhoods: Coney Island, Sea Gate, Gravesend , Bath Beach, Brighton Beach • Zip codes: 11214, 11223 and 11224 • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

August 25

8:00PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Brooklyn

• • Neighborhoods: Coney Island, Sea Gate, Gravesend , Bath Beach, Brighton Beach
• • Zip codes: 11214, 11223 and 11224
• • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

I'll warn you now that if you have hives in or close around these neighborhoods, you will see some losses of your foraging bees. Most will likely die out in the field, but some will make it back to the hive and get tossed out by the undertaker bees, so you might see more corpses than usual. Don't panic unless you see so many bodies that the bees can't keep up and you start to see them collected in large numbers on the bottom board.

However, there are some methods to minimize the number of bees killed by the sprays. For the full write up check out my previous post on the subject- Pesticide Sprays: Keep Your Hive Alive.

If you can't be bothered, here's the tl;dr version:

The short version:
1.) In the EVENING BEFORE THE SPRAY: Close up your hives with screen mesh blocking the entrance and a wet, breathable cloth draped over the front of your hive. This will prevent direct exposure of the bees to the pesticide, and help prevent the hive from getting covered with chemicals.
2.) In the MORNING AFTER THE SPRAY: Open the hive back up by removing the cloth and screen. This prevents your hive from overheating.
3.) GORGE YOUR HIVES with artificial feed (sugar syrup and pollen supplement) before and for several days AFTER the spray. This minimizes (but does not eliminate) the number of bees actively foraging and being exposed to residual pesticides.

P.S.

Dear NYC DOH,
Why are two of the areas you are spraying shaped like penises? Is this a message of some sort?
Best,
Tim

Mosquito Spraying: Sign of the Rapture?

And so it came to be that the NYC DOH decided that spraying more areas with little warning was a good idea. Congrats to Queens and Staten Island! You'll get your prize TONIGHT, August 17th, starting at 8 PM (weather permitting)!

August 17 8:00PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Queens • Neighborhoods: Parts of Astoria, East Elmhurst, Steinway, Brookville, Rosedale, Bay Terrace, Beechhurst, Fort Totten and White Stone • Zip codes: 11103, 11105, 11357, 11359, 11360, 11370, 11377, 11413 and 11422 • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

August 17

8:00PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Queens

• • Neighborhoods: Parts of Astoria, East Elmhurst, Steinway, Brookville, Rosedale, Bay Terrace, Beechhurst, Fort Totten and White Stone
• • Zip codes: 11103, 11105, 11357, 11359, 11360, 11370, 11377, 11413 and 11422
• • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE LARGE QUEENS MAP SHOWS ONLY ONE OF THE THREE AREAS BEING SPRAYED TONIGHT. CHECK YOUR ZIP CODES AND LOOK AT THE SMALL MAP ON THE LEFT TO FIGURE OUT IF YOU WILL BE AFFECTED!

August 17 8:00PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Staten Island • Neighborhoods: Elm Park, Livingston, Port Richmond and West Brighton • Zip codes: 10302 and 10310 • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

August 17

8:00PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Staten Island

• • Neighborhoods: Elm Park, Livingston, Port Richmond and West Brighton
• • Zip codes: 10302 and 10310
• • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

I'll warn you now that if you have hives in or close around these neighborhoods, you will see some losses of your foraging bees. Most will likely die out in the field, but some will make it back to the hive and get tossed out by the undertaker bees, so you might see more corpses than usual. Don't panic unless you see so many bodies that the bees can't keep up and you start to see them collected in large numbers on the bottom board.

However, there are some methods to minimize the number of bees killed by the sprays. For the full write up check out my previous post on the subject- Pesticide Sprays: Keep Your Hive Alive.

If you can't be bothered, here's the tl;dr version:

The short version:
1.) In the EVENING BEFORE THE SPRAY: Close up your hives with screen mesh blocking the entrance and a wet, breathable cloth draped over the front of your hive. This will prevent direct exposure of the bees to the pesticide, and help prevent the hive from getting covered with chemicals.
2.) In the MORNING AFTER THE SPRAY: Open the hive back up by removing the cloth and screen. This prevents your hive from overheating.
3.) GORGE YOUR HIVES with artificial feed (sugar syrup and pollen supplement) before and for several days AFTER the spray. This minimizes (but does not eliminate) the number of bees actively foraging and being exposed to residual pesticides.

P.S.

Dear NYC DOH,
Thanks for not providing accurate maps of your spray areas. You fucking suck.
Best,
Tim

More Mosquito Spraying! OH BOY!

The NYC Department of Health has decided to spray a couple more neighborhoods with a very bee-unfriendly pesticide on August 10th. I'm on vacation so I don't have to deal with this shit, but y'all stuck in the city do!

August 10 8:15PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Brooklyn • Neighborhoods: Bath Beach, Dyker Heights • Zip codes: 11228 • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

August 10

8:15PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Brooklyn

• • Neighborhoods: Bath Beach, Dyker Heights
• • Zip codes: 11228
• • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

August 10 8:15PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Staten Island • Neighborhoods: Elm Park, Grymes Hill, Port Richmond, Randall Manor, Sunnyside, West Brighten and Westerleigh • Zip codes: 10301, 10302, 10310 and 10314 • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

August 10

8:15PM - 6:00AM

Spraying in Staten Island

• • Neighborhoods: Elm Park, Grymes Hill, Port Richmond, Randall Manor, Sunnyside, West Brighten and Westerleigh
• • Zip codes: 10301, 10302, 10310 and 10314
• • Pesticide to be used: Anvil 10+10 (Sumithrin)

I'll warn you now that if you have hives in or close around these neighborhoods, you will see some losses of your foraging bees. Most will likely die out in the field, but some will make it back to the hive and get tossed out by the undertaker bees, so you might see more corpses than usual. Don't panic unless you see so many bodies that the bees can't keep up and you start to see them collected in large numbers on the bottom board.

However, there are some methods to minimize the number of bees killed by the sprays. For the full write up check out my previous post on the subject- Pesticide Sprays: Keep Your Hive Alive.

If you can't be bothered, here's the tl;dr version:

The short version:
1.) In the EVENING BEFORE THE SPRAY: Close up your hives with screen mesh blocking the entrance and a wet, breathable cloth draped over the front of your hive. This will prevent direct exposure of the bees to the pesticide, and help prevent the hive from getting covered with chemicals.
2.) In the MORNING AFTER THE SPRAY: Open the hive back up by removing the cloth and screen. This prevents your hive from overheating.
3.) GORGE YOUR HIVES with artificial feed (sugar syrup and pollen supplement) before and for several days AFTER the spray. This minimizes (but does not eliminate) the number of bees actively foraging and being exposed to residual pesticides.