September 23, 1982 - Autumn Day on the RoadC
SECOND SECTION
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Autumn Day on the Road
Saturday and Sunday gave us two
splendid fall days. We filled every minute
of the day with some activity, and we were
not the only ones. Everywhere people were
busy. Weekenders and daytrippers were
trying to squeeze every bit out of the clear,
cool, brisk autumn days.
We had planned a long time ago to attend
a bee meeting in Wading River but had
second thoughts because it seemed . sinful
to sacrifice a beautiful afternoon for a
meeting. Yet, we had committed ourselves
to it so we prepared to go. Usually it is just
up and off, but this time we were
babysitting our grandson and so extras
had to be packed for him.
On the road it was like no other day.
Everyone was out from the west end.
Roadside stands were booming with
business and yet there was an air of leisure
everywhere.
When we arrived, I headed for the
meeting while Barbara and her mother
took our grandson for a walk in the
stroller. The topic of the day was fall bee
care, a subject I didn't want to miss. Bees,
like squirrels, have to prepare and stock
away food for the winter. Unlike other
insects, bees stay active in the hive all
winter long and continually venture out
whenever there's a warm spell.
What to do About Hornet's Nest
Just the other day a good friend called
about a big hornet's nest hanging under
the eaves of her brother's house. These
nests as big as a basketball have rather
ornery occupants and so the question came
up, "What should we do about this living
bomb that hangs above us ?"
Actually there is nothing they should do,
for while the honey bee stays active in the
hive all winter, the big black and white
female hornet leaves her grey paper
mansion in the fall never to return. All the
other hornets in the nest perish when the
cold weather comes -- except the females,
who have burrowed in the ground to
hibernate over the winter. In the spring,
they'll come out and start new paper nests.
Therefore, by doing nothing, the problem
is solved as soon as the cold weather
comes. The nest can be taken down or
handled without ever being concerned.
Inside the beehive, the bees must have
food and so the most important item in
their survival is an adequate supply of
honey. If that's available, they can eat,
which generates heat and therefore they
can keep warm.
One problem a beekeeper might have is
that mice know a good thing and often hole
up in the hive for -winter. You have to
prevent this, and so a piece of 1/2 -inch wire
mesh over the entrance usually keeps
them out. They know a warm place where
there's plenty of food to eat. Like most
animals in their own world, they're not so
dumb.
The third item for good wintering over is
good ventilation. Moisture can build up
from the warm inside and the cold outside
of winter and this moisture can raise
havoc in any hive. A good air space at the
top, vented to the outside, and an opening
at the bottom usually do the trick. You can
see this in nature when a wild hive builds
in a tree for here the bottom and top are
usually wide open. In olden days before the
advent of beehives, special people were
assigned to locate wild bees because honey
was an important part of our early
settlers' diet.
Meeting Held in Backyard
It was a good meeting and was topped by
taking apart the host's beehives for
inspection. There were people of all ages
standing around, while the bees, quieted
by a smoker, milled about by the
hundreds.
Yes, one or two people got stung, but
that's part of the game. A quick scrape by
your finger nail removes the stinger and
it's soon forgotten. For those who are
allergic to bee and wasp stings, a veil
should be worn, but by an large the
majority of folks there didn't wear them.
The men who were opening the hives had
no gloves on and wore no veils. Yet none of
them that I could see were stung.
The hives had good young brood and
plenty of honey in them. By spring these
young bees will become the builders of the
hive. By the time the trees blossom, the
hive will be ready to send out its new
collectors.
It was getting near four when the
refreshments arrived. Now the hospitality
spilled over and everyone got together in
his or her group and swopped experiences
about their bees. I could see this could
last well into the afternoon and by now the
rest of the family had returned from their
walk and were ready to move on.
As we headed home along Sound
Avenue, we made a few stops here and
there to see a cow or some horses. That
made Robby's day.
We all had a good afternoon. Our
countryside was overflowing with fall
produce. The pumpkins, cauliflower,
sprouts, potatoes, squash, peaches, pears,
apples and a host of others told of the
abundance of our land. No wonder the
thirsty hordes from the west came out to
see and experience the good life and take
home samples of its goodness. We had
much to be thankful for as we had
experienced the East End at its best.
PAULSTOUTENBURGH
TWOMEY LAIT[ANI
TOaI Ron
TWOMEY PIKE
STEVE SHEA KEEL
LATIIAJi 11 KELLEY
.IOIIN
SHEA
AMY
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September 23, 1982
HORNET NEST - -These basketball size paper mache nests are made by the
white -faced hornet. Left alone they will leave the nest forever in the fall.
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
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