Closed Bonesnapping Breezes (Job thread)

[Molly Barlow]

Day 1 of Winter, 514AV

Bees did not like the winter. Molly didn't either. It was cold, there was no honey and the store was hardly open but Molly still had to be there everyday. Open or close, rain or shine. In this case, it was winds strong enough to while her cloak around her like a great tornado of cloth, strong enough even to push her back two steps for every one that she took. To give her more things to complain of later, Molly and Leo had moved farther away from the main Barlow residence, which in turn meant being farther away from the shop.

"Kill him, I will." She seethed, words ripped away by breathless winds, "Breaking his leg so he doesn't have to walk with me, I swear!"

He hadn't but at that moment she'd go to court saying he had. Her complaints went on like this for the entire bell or so it took to walk to the shop. As soon as it was in sight, Molly knew there was trouble. She broke into a wobbly run against the wind, rushing to get inside the brief safety of the store and straight out to the back. Just as she thought a hive had been knocked clear over. Debris covered some of the hives entirely, burying them within old plants and preventing any ventilation. It was a disaster area. "Gods!"

The season had started out just to spite her it seemed. The chill hindered her greatly though worry overrode it for the time being. Her immediate problem would be righting the hive without causing more damage than there likely already was.

She struggled for just a chime, pulling up the hive to have it lean against her heavily, frames slid in and out. Her cloak toppled over her head and forced her to drop it when she couldn't see. But the cloak gave her an idea, she wrapped it around the frames and pulled it up in the direction of the wind. She dragged it until it was braced against the wall. As soon as it was she pulled open a frame.

"Don't be dead. Don't be dead. Don't be dead."

Thankfully the bees were shaken but huddled. Feed was still present and accounted for. All I'd have to do, Molly thought, is ventilate it again. She did, pulling extra insulation and recovering the funnel top so they could still get air.Mentally she scolded herself and her mama, they'd both agreed the hives needed covers in winter but neither had gotten them.

As fixed as she'd be able to get it, Molly moved onto the next hives. These ones she checked to ensure that some of the colony was visible, there was one that she worried the Queen might be dead but it was just a nut stuck in the vent, covering the colony. She plucked it out then moved on to her next task, but not before yanking her cloak back from the wall hive.

[Molly Barlow]

"Gardening in winter! We don't even have winter plants." Molly raged, as she dropped a pile of mulch leaves onto the ground. They cluttered around, over and even in the space under the hives. Once more she retreated to her squatted position, yanking up anything that dared grow near her precious hives and threw them into a growing pile. Her fingers were numb, and Molly stopped often to blow air onto them and bring back any feeling. It left her with pins and needles down to her toes.

There was nothing for it though. Weeds and such underneath or even near hives could invite small critters to hide beneath them. If the little beasties would then sneak up into the hive and eat away the queens, honey and destroy it until it wasn't even fit to be a rats nest. This served as a reminder that next year they would be buying animal traps, funds be damned. Especially when Molly gripped one particular root and found herself staring up at the sky, befuddled. Gardening tools, she thought, they'd need those too.

It did not take long for Molly to give up on things stuck in the hardened earth. There was no point and she'd be there forever. Mentally she went over her winter checklist:

• Pulling plants
• Checking insulation
• Checking feed
• Ensuring colonies queen was alive
• Curing for mites

She'd done all but one but they had nothing that would be usable in winter for that. Molly made a note to ask her mama about it. While she thought of other little things to do before she forgot Molly began returned to the damaged and fallen hive. Leaning against the wall like such wasn't good for it, especially not after the tumble. Her best bet would be to combine hives before she lost the hive entirely but if the queen in the fallen hive was still strong then she'd lose a queen...

The beekeeper groaned and made to go inside and think of other options first. Although, beside combining her only other choice was to try and repair any damage and place in new feeder frames. But if that didn't work she'd lose the colony entirely. Molly groaned. She really hated winter.