Bees!

We were in the midst of a lazy Saturday when the doorbell rang. The next door neighbor had come over to tell us that there was a beehive in our tree. Sure enough, we walked outside to see this in the tree of our front yard. Let me tell you...those bees are fast builders. Bryan mowed the yard last Saturday and didn't see a thing. Even with all the storms and wind this week they built a big hive in less than a week. We called Terminex to come out and they were here within an hour. But, because they were honeybees, they couldn't kill them. So, we called a beekeeper. He was here within the next hour and put on quite the show even though he was here less than 20 minutes.

He cut off a couple of little branches and put them in a U.S. postal service box. Then, he cut off the hive and used a little broom to brush off the bees into the box. He held the box and gave the bees a few minutes to get in. He said any bees that don't leave with the hive will die within 3 days. He estimated our hive had 3,000 bees!

Then he carried the box and put it in the bed of his truck. Then he sprayed some smoke looking stuff on the branch and on the bees still hovering around. The whole thing took less than 20 minutes, and at $250 a trip, beekeeping can be serious money. But, he did tell us not to ever let a hive just hang out...he said if you see bees they are trying to get into the house. He said he was at a house this morning who had a hive a week or so ago. They let it go and this week saw another one. He told them that in all likelihood there were more hives and they had found a way into the house. Sure enough, he found more hives in their attic! Their house cost a lot more than $250. So, I'm glad we called right away!

Spring has Sprung

My favorite thing about Spring in Texas...definitely the bluebonnets! There is a little patch of them right outside the building I teach in at TWU. I was so excited to see them pop up a couple of weeks ago. It's fun to see them on the side of the roads, and I always laugh when I see tons of cars pulled off at weird places. That's a sure sign that people have their kids and dogs all decked out in their Sunday clothes to take pictures in the bluebonnets. Bryan planted a beautiful hibiscus in our yard a couple of weeks ago. I think the pink flowers are gorgeous.

Of course, even though the flowers are awesome, Spring is also a sign that wind and allergies will be bad for a few weeks too. We've had both this week at the Beck house. But that's okay...I'll take the warmer weather for sure!

Spring is also a sign that Adi's favorite are also returning. June Bugs! Hunting season for Adi is in full swing. Here is a cute shot of her staring down a June bug that she brought in the house. She is so funny to watch! She picks them up and tosses them in the air. Then, she puts her nose down right beside it to watch it wriggle around. She will let it flip over and crawl a few inches, but as soon as the bug gets a few inches away from her she will pick it up again. She doesn't eat them until they are dead...and by the look on her face I don't think they taste very good.