Take a look at these pics!
http://gothamcitybees.com/
Notice the "spare no expense" government contracted hive stands! Great shot of the beekeeper working the bees with the White House in the background - it's hard to tell are all the bees airborne or are some on him??
I think they're airborne, with some on him.
Funny the author's comment about wearing a veil to work with the docile swarm. Too bad responses aren't available for that one.
Those hive stands look like a government design....totally impractical and and not well thought out....you must have to do the hive inspections from a government contracted 10 foot beekeeper ladder.?..haha
Check out the little flags near the base of the stand. I wonder if that is for the Bees' own Marine 2 through 30,000. (http://www.websmileys.com/sm/crazy/1200.gif)
Quote.you must have to do the hive inspections from a government contracted 10 foot beekeeper ladder
The ladder costs the US Tax payers 40 grand a pop and they bought 2 of them in case they need to stack them on top of each other when they start putting 4 or 5 supers on.
I like the great water source to the right rear of the hive.
just the right hight so that when you walk by a bee can fly from the hive directly into your ear!
Bee Culture did a story on this. My first response was "can we not have some part of our lives that is not related to the Obamas?"
The White House beekeeper had to do some convincing to let him put a hive there. He had to build the stand up-high "so that the Obabma's dog would not get attacked by the bees". My hives are about 9" off of the ground and my dog hasn't had a problem with them.
The beekeeper built the stand. It is anchored onto a cement slab (specially poured for this hive) and the hive is strapped to the stand so that the wind from Marine 1 will not blow the hive over...Now I don't land helicopters in my back yard but I think that is also a bit of "over-kill".
They talk about having 2 hives but only show pictures of 1 hive, and I have not seen pictures of bees around the hive. the bees in this picture were from a swarm, not the hive.
All-in-all I guess I am glad that they have bees at the White House and that it is getting some positive press so that hopefully communities that have restrictions against keeping bees will be influenced to lift those restrictions.