We have had drought and excessive heat here for a few years, and last year I had a hive kind of overpopulate itself in spring and had to split into 6, order a couple of queens. Once I got it down to 2 hives with queens, and my big hive ws good, I could not find a buyer for one of the requeened ones. Who wants bees to feed, there was no flow.
It was really hot last summer and I started bruising a lot, very easily, but I didn't go to the doc til my regular thyroid appointment november 1st. I told him about the bruising, they ran a CBC and told me I had thrombocytopenia, my platelets were at 8000, go to the hospital ER. Even wrote me an introduction letter to give the ER. I was down to 5000 when I had made arrangements and went to ER a couple days later, they admitted me. Meds just didn't work so they pumped me full of platelets again, gave me immuno globulin and sent me home. As an outpatient I was given different meds that also didn't work. For 3 months. Finally January 25th, with a nosebleed that wouldn't quit, although at least not a gusher, I got on the internet, and a friend helped me research and found a B12 deficiency could cause ITP. I started taking B12, nose stopped bleeding within a day. added methyl folate (I have a defective gene on B vitamin absorption - have to take methyls), Then some chicken livers for lunch and my platelets started coming back up. They are not quite normal now but still improving, I stopped the relatively dangerous meds March 25th and they didn't go down.
Anyway while I was in the hospital in November I realized my kids could not handle my bees, either to care for or find a buyer if I should die, which wasn't inconceivable, so I decided to sell them. in 13 years I had a honey crop 5 years because of our repeated droughts. In January the buyer and his wife picked up my hives. (much easier to find a buyer in winter than in May).
And now it's raining and there will be a mesquite flow so I'm hoping to catch a swarm. Anyway, without bees I haven't had much to say lately, I'm one of those old folks talking about their illnesses, lol.
