Bees' demise and hiking

Last week, I finally got the courage to clear out the two dead beehives in our apiary. I had known for a month that in all likelihood there was no life left in the two colonies that braved our fierce winter. But in a childish way, I kept a deep inspection off as if that would offset a sad conclusion to my beekeeping.

When I prepared the hives for the winter last fall, I felt confident we had two strong colonies. Unfortunately, the population in both colonies dropped too low for the bees to be able to thermoregulate.  The remaining bees died from exposure to the cold. It was sad to clear out the dead bees. I was reassured that they still had plenty of honey to draw from; we hadn't over-harvested honey last summer. But still, all my care was not able to ward off a fatal issue.

I have kept bees for over five years and I don't get used to losing colonies of wonderful, complex, hard-working little beings. I have decided to let go of beekeeping for the foreseeable future. We, as a society, are making it difficult for pollinators to survive and thrive.

I applaud the European Union's decision this week to ban all outside uses of all neonicotinoids. Maybe the environment will become healthy enough for pollinators again once we do the same here in the States. What are the chances of this current EPA doing that anytime soon?

I thank all those of you who have enthusiastically encouraged our beekeeping ministry with prayers and donations. For now, we are keeping the beekeeping equipment in case another monk (or this monk in the future) decides to retry this helpful activity for our eco-system.

In the years we have kept bees, they have done a lot of good to our gardens and nearby orchards. They also gave some honey to their caretakers. And we still have reserves of beeswax to render and turn into votive candles maybe.

We will continue to support pollinators by planting lots of single flowers (double flowers produce little nectar and are hard for bees to visit) and encouraging wildflowers in our meadows. I am thinking of installing "wild pollinator hotels" around the grounds. After all, hospitality is one of our important ministries, right?

On your side, you can let your representatives know that neonicotinoids have to go. And you might support the not-for-profit organizations that work towards a neonic ban in this country too.

*****

On Monday, seven of us hiked in Black Rock Forest in Cornwall, NY, about a 45-minute drive South of the monastery. The weather was perfect; sunny blue skies but cool temperatures and barely a breeze to notice. We hiked for about 5 hours, stopping often to enjoy the views and chat together. We had lunch on the side of a beautiful reservoir. After our hike, Vance treated us to ice cream (they had one sugar-free flavor for me to enjoy).

From top, clockwise: Matthew Wright and Yanick Savain enjoying a romantic break:
Bros. Josép and Aidan and fellow hikers enjoying a view.

From top left, clockwise, Matthew, Yanick and Aidan at lunch break: Br. Josép orienting us on our hike with Yanick's encouragement: Vance Greenway and Br. John Forbis (front left): the Aleck Meadow Reservoir. 

*****

This Saturday morning, the third crew of monks went out cleaning up the sides of 9W on the mile we have adopted. Bros. Roy, Robert Leo, Bob and I picked up 6 bags of trash and collected 6 dumped tires! Now we're hoping that if we go out regularly, keeping the road tidy will be easier (to be determined). This time, we used a couple of grabber sticks. It reduces the amount of bowing which can lead to some dizziness after an hour of bowing and straightening up.

A pair of grabbers like this one greatly improved the efficiency of our trash pick-up

We got back home just in time for Diurnum. Br. Bob who was our bell-ringer just had time to doff his hard hat before ringing the Regina Coeli sequence. One has to be able to do all sorts of service when one is a monk.

When we pick up trash on 9W, as per DOT requirements, we wear hard hats and visibility jackets.
Here, Br. Bob demonstrates how monks sometimes have to do double duty.

Eastertide blessings to you. And Peace.