This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Summer insects.’ See more responses here.
In addition to their vital roles in the world, insects are also food for other creatures. Here, a House Gecko snags a good-sized moth.
A little over a week ago, at the warehouse where I work, I had to get a spool of wire from the top shelf of an outside rack. I brought it down with a forklift and ran it into the warehouse to measure the wire. When I went to prep the spool, what I saw was the second photo!
I jumped back on the forklift and took the spool outside again, trying not to bump anything. It was then I noticed bees buzzing around the shelf where the spool had been, no doubt wondering what had happened to their queen and home!
I put a warning sign on the spool and began looking for someone who might be able to collect the bees, with not much luck. I enlisted my wife in the effort and she found JD at Superbees, a juice bar in Kona that uses their honey in their drinks. He said he’d come by and take a look.
When JD saw the situation, it was obvious the first thing that needed to happen was to remove the top of the spool to access the interior. The goal was to locate the queen and move her to the hive he’d brought, and then the rest of the bees would follow. He donned his gear and set to work. Luckily, the nuts on the rods holding the spool together came off easily. He then eased the top off the spool. It was immediately obvious the bees had been there for a considerable time. The underside of the lid dripped with honeycombs. He set the lid to one side, examining it closely to see if the queen was there, but he couldn’t find her.
Next up was an examination of the interior. This wasn’t easy as it was thick with bees and more combs. He spent quite a while looking, pulling more combs from the interior, but still he couldn’t find the queen. He said it was possible the queen had drowned in honey dislodged when the lid came off.
In the end, he gathered some of the bees and some brood combs and said to let him know if a new hive was forming.
Next morning, I found a bunch of bees clustered under the remains of the spool. Was the queen amongst them? If so, she should be easier to find. I let JD know and he said he’d come by. A while later, I looked out and the bees were all up in the air, buzzing around. Five minutes later all was quiet again.
When he arrived, the bees were quiet, but he still had no luck spotting the queen. The remains of the spool were pulled apart and examined closely. Still nothing. In the end, he set his hive down and gathered as many bees into it as he could. he said he’d leave them to settle in if they were so inclined and he’d pick them up the next morning.
About half an hour after he left, I looked outside and saw the bees swarming as they had in the morning. But this time they were moving over the parking area. I went inside for a few minutes and when I came back out they were gone. I wasn’t sure whether, as in the morning, they’d returned to the hive. But when JD returned the next morning his hive was empty. The bees had gone. What I’d seen the previous late afternoon was them relocating. It’s possible the queen was amongst them. If not, and if there are enough bees to sustain a hive, a new queen could be developed. (I wanted to say elected, but it’s a much different process!)
I thanked JD for his efforts. I was hoping he’d get a new hive for his efforts, but maybe some of the brood stock he got will do well. He was kindness personified, treating the bees with as much gentleness and care as was possible in difficult circumstances. And he left us with some honey. It was quite pale, which he thought meant it was from plumerias. There’s a row of them across the street so that’s likely the case. And the taste? It was a little smoky from the smoker he used, but he said that will fade quickly.
Posted for this week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme of ‘Smoky.’ See more responses here.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Reflections.’ See more responses here. Captions of the photos.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Animal or Bird in farm or zoo.’ See more responses here.
Pana’ewa Rainforest Zoo, in Hilo, is the only zoo on the island. It’s quite small, but is definitely a family-friendly destination. We like to visit once in a while to see the zoo’s star attractions, Sriracha and Tzatziki, a pair of Bengal Tigers. Captions are on the photos.
This is one of the many benches in the zoo representing animals that live there. These are ‘Alalās, the endemic Hawaiian Crow. There are no longer any ‘Alalās in the wild and just over a hundred in captivity. The building behind this bench is one of the few places where these birds are bred, with a view to reintroducing them in the wild. So far, attempts to do this have failed, for a variety of reasons including disease and predation. One of the current projects is a release on Maui where Ios, Hawaiian hawks, a major predator of ‘Alalās, are no longer found.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Groups.’ See more responses here. I’m going under the water for this. Captions on the photos.
This week’s Sunday Stills color challenge theme is ‘Red, White, & Blue.’ See more responses here.
Yesterday marked the 250th anniversary of Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States of America. This photo encompasses some of how Hawaii came to be part of this nation.
The statue is of King Kamehameha 1. He was born in Kohala and was the Aliʻi (chief) who, in 1795, united all the Hawaiian islands under one ruler. This rule, under him and his successors, lasted until 1893. It was overthrown in a coup by the ‘Committee of Safety,’ who were mostly of U.S. descent, and supported by the U.S. military. The Committee declared a Republic of Hawaii with the intent of having the U.S. taking over, which it duly did in 1898. It remained a territory of the U.S. until August 21, 1959 when it became the 50th state.
The flag on the left is the USA’s stars and stripes. On the right is Hawaii’s state flag, featuring the British Union Jack in the top corner. That’s there because of the British influence with the Hawaiian royalty. This dates back to Captain James Cook, who was the first European to make contact with the Hawaiians. Subsequently, British advisors and support helped the Hawaiian Kingdom come about and survive. There’s a story that in 1812, when the U.S. and Britain were at war, King Kamehameha designed this flag with elements of both nations’ flags, so as not to offend either. Alas, there’s no evidence for this assertion!
So how do Hawaiians feel about celebrating July 4th? Well, I’m not Hawaiian, but any day that’s a public holiday is welcomed, and any excuse to set off fireworks is popular too, though it was surprisingly quiet here last night! I know some Hawaiians who served in the U.S. military who are proud of being part of the U.S.. I also know there are others who want to see Hawaii restored as an independent nation. No doubt, there are many in between. However, I don’t expect to see the return of the Hawaiian Kingdom any time soon.
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Future.’ See more responses here.
These days, our photos and videos are in the cloud, our music is in the cloud, our backups are in the cloud, our records and files are in the cloud. One day, it’s virtually certain, we will end up in the cloud too, which will be a good thing, as it will give Earth a chance to recover from everything we’ve done to it!
This week’s Sunday Stills challenge theme is ‘Wild Animal or Bird of the Month.’ See more responses here.
Pu’u O’o Trail is a few miles east of the saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, on the south side of the main cross-island highway. It’s all above 5,000 feet and can be cold, wet, and windy, but I’ve had good luck picking warm, sunny days. These photos are from a couple of recent hikes I took up there. Captions on the photos.
The trail crosses old lava flows from Mauna Loa, but there are kīpukas, areas of old-growth forest missed by the lava, which are home to several kinds of native birds.
On my last visit, I was lucky enough to see an ‘Akiapola’au, an endangered native species, which is only found on this island these days. This one was high up in the trees with the sun behind it. While my photos weren’t great, I was still able to see this industrious bird foraging for a meal. The shorter lower mandible is used to drill into branches and then the curved upper mandible digs out the grubs hiding within.
These native birds make this trail popular with birders, but it’s a good hike for anyone. A 9-mile loop is possible, but I usually do an out-and-back hike through the first two or three kipukas, which totals about five miles.
Also posted for Jo’s Monday Walk. See more responses here.
Graham's Island 