The activity in the Benedictium seems low, so I figured I would put in four pounds of syrup, just to help out the hive, in case it is short of foragers. Right now, the hive has a shallow super on top of the inner cover as a useless attic; it's just there to even out the height of the with the Valentinium, since we have that shade over both of them. I didn't bother with the smoker, since I did not plan on removing the inner cover.
First I took off the outer cover from the Valentinium in order to add a shallow super to it as an attic to even out the heights. Unfortunately, the inner cover went with it, and I could not get the two apart. So now the Valentinium was open, and the bees were defensive, and I got stung on my right wrist. Immediately I was beset by a couple of defensive bees who followed me at least 10 yards before letting me go.
After this, I was in no mood to fool around with the covers any more, so I just added an empty shallow to the top, and put the two stuck-together covers on top. I'll deal with it tomorrow when I have a smoker going.
I put the feed bucket into the Benedictium without incident. After it was all done, I realized that I forgot to flip the inner cover, or crown cover, as it is known, upside down. So it seems I have two jobs to do tomorrow.
That is the fifth sting of the season, the apiaria got the first one, I got the second and third and Brenda the fourth last week on Friday, and I got the fifth today. They have all come from the Valentinium, except, maybe, for the first.
Ora pro nobis Sancte Valentine, ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
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