Answer to Yesterday's Question

All of your guesses were right. And you all earn a coupon for a free wine tasting! Kathryn will e-mail your coupon next week.

Isn't this one of the most amazing things you've ever seen? From time to time a swarm of bees stops for a rest in the vineyard before gathering up its forces and moving on. What you are looking at is a shelter made of bees. It would be like humans piling up on one another to build the floor, walls and ceilings of a house. Deep inside this mass is their Queen. Even though they are probably Africanized bees, they are fairly harmless right now. Their one mission in life is to protect their queen. It's kind of like when the President travels in his motorcade. If you leave the bees alone, they will leave you alone.

The first time I heard a swam when working among the vines I thought it was a small plane off in the distance. As the noise got closer and closer I realized it was a living thing noise and I automatically ducked. When I looked up I saw a mass over my head with lots of little legs hanging down as it flew on by. I don't know how the bees would have reacted had they wacked into my head and I hope never to find out. As I've gain vineyard wisdom I've learned to listen for the hum of a swarm, the rattle of a snake and the train whistle of a dust devil. The dust devil has been the only thing to get me so far. One threw a stick at the back of my head as it roared by.

Tomorrow, another vineyard quiz question. Stay tuned!