Here is a story that most of you who employ people to help you with your
bees will relate to.  Perhaps you have had this kind of a day yourself.
This story is about one of those days that makes other days look good.
 
I have two people working for me who are just terrific.  Dependable,
capable, etc.  One has been here for 4 seasons.  Anyway, they left with a
truck to move barrels, winter stuff and junk from old locations to new
locations and in general do a little clean up and check a few locations.
 
When they finally returned at the end of the day they had accumulated:
        1.  Got stuck - used a traction device we carry, and managed to get
unstuck only to lose the device in the mud.  Found it.
 
        2.  Lost a drum off the load.  Retreived the drum.
 
        3.  Backed into a pallet of hives and dominoed several hives over.
Damaged trailer in doing so.  Destroyed on of our nice new insulated lids.
Damaged a couple of supers.
 
        4.  Drove around a mud puddle and pealed off a side mirror.
 
        5.  Had difficulty with 3rd gear and started back to the honey house
in second (slowly).  We have had major transmission work and problems so
thought this was related.  Found that it was really an operator error and so
retraced the route again.
 
However, it seems no great damage was done except for the time lost.  In the
end they were able to solve the problems and keep going.  We will check the
knocked over hives in a few days.
 
Is it only coincidence that this is the first time I have ever sent two
women out alone like this?  :)      Not likely but it was an interesting
day.  What make it more interesting is that we were in touch by cell phone
throughout the day as the events unfolded.  Ulee never had so much fun.
 
Eric
 
 
 
 
 
Eric Abell
Gibbons, Alberta Canada T0A 1N0
Ph/fax (403) 998 3143
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