--- /dev/null
+Title: Weekend Update, September 14, 2019
+Date: 2019-09-14
+Category: misc
+Tags: beekeeping, hacking, events
+
+
+## Bee Journal
+
+Two weeks ago we had our first honey harvest, pulling out something to the tune
+of 13lbs. of honey. This was our first and last harvest of the year, being a new
+colony and pretty much the end of the foraging season in the Rockies. It is
+still plenty warm and the bees are still out and about, but the pickings are
+getting slim. We'll be supplementing their food supply soon.
+
+It's remarkable how much honey 13lbs. really is, though we can expect even more
+next year since our first colony is established - assuming it survives the
+winter, fingers crossed - and we expect to add a second. We found ourselves
+filling every jar we could find and still having some left over. It is also
+remarkable how fast it goes, because it is so fun to share with friends, family
+and neighbors. Still, we have more honey for ourselves than I expect we've ever
+consumed in a normal year.
+
+We don't yet have access to a honey extractor, as we haven't yet joined a club
+where we might get to borrow one. Because of this, we opted for manual
+extraction, where we took the honey and the containing comb off of the frames.
+This really just involves cutting the caps from the comb before scraping the
+honey and remaining comb wholesale off of the foundations. Having done so, we
+can return the frame briefly to the hive for cleaning. The bees are excellent
+housekeepers, they will recover any lingering honey and move it downward into
+the brood supers. Once they are done, we'll once again remove the frames and
+store them for the winter.
+
+Today, we had an especially important chore to perform on behalf of the bees: we
+had to treat for [Varroa
+destructor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varroa_destructor) mites. What a
+horrifying name! These pests are ever present in North American bee hives, but
+they must be kept under control, particularly when the bees are vulnerable in
+the fall, mid-winter and early spring. For us, this is the first treatment.
+We've opted to treat using an Oxalic acid vaporizer which was included in the
+pile of gear we purchased at the beginning of the season. Oxalic acid is not
+harmful to the bees but should do some damage to the nasty mites. Once the
+treatment was complete, we returned the to-be-cleaned frames to the hive. We
+also had one remaining frame that I'd removed from a brood super as it was heavy
+with honey and no brood at all. Being a tall super, the frame would not fit in
+the shallow supers we use for honey, so I put it outside several yards from the
+hive.
+
+A few hours later, I realized my error. The frame left in the open was covered
+with bees, and they weren't all ours! There were representatives from every
+colony in the area as well as their nastier stripey cousins, such as wasps and
+yellow jackets. What's more, it was evident at the entrance to our hive that
+attempted robbery was afoot! Our girls were defending their territory admirably,
+but having that frame sitting open attracting so much attention was not helping
+their cause. I suited back up and knocked off all of the gathered swarm and beat
+a hasty retreat, putting the frame away in a tote to be recovered later. Within
+an hour the colony had successfully fought off all attackers and life was back
+to normal. A healthy colony is more than capable of defending itself, but there
+is no reason to cause undue burden. I'll not be open feeding again!
+
+## BSides Denver!
+
+Friday was [BSides Denver](https://www.bsidesden.org/), our local version of the
+community-driven, security focused un-conference. This is the first time have
+been able to attend as tickets, though free, tend to go very quickly. This year
+was touted to be smaller than usual with fewer tickets offered. Small it was,
+surely not more than a couple of hundred attendees all in one room with only
+one presentation track. As I've been prone to do lately, I immediatly found
+a [capture the flag](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wargame_(hacking)) event
+to join with my friends and focused the majority of my energy on that pretty
+much all day. Though we were slow to start, our team did manage to pull
+second place before running out of time.
+
+There's often a period near the end of a conference where I feel a bit sad. I
+think this time I've finally realized what this is. I've only been attending
+security and hacking events for a couple of years now, starting with the
+inaugural [Wild West Hackin' Fest](https://www.wildwesthackinfest.com/), but I
+don't know that I can call myself a member of the community. Am I? Perhaps.
+However, there are people who put time and effort into the community and they
+are rewarded by warm smiles and hugs when they see each other. I think I envy
+them this, and there is a part of me that wishes I had similar relationships. I
+am fortunate, however, in many other ways such as close friends and family. I
+realize everyone's lot is a little different and that I am beyond blessed, but
+perhaps I could find some time to give to the hacking community. Like anything,
+I'll bet you get out of it what you put in.
+
+## All Them Flags
+
+Speaking of capture the flag, I've been a bit obsessed with them lately. Partly,
+this is just for fun. I really do enjoy having something like that to do at a
+conference when I just can't sit for another presentation. Additionally,
+however, I have found the idea of participating in a bug bounty program like
+[HackerOne](https://hackerone.com) appealing. I guess I hope that continued
+practice on CTFs will help build my skills enough to do some hunting, perhaps
+even joining a [red team](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_team) someday.
+
+There are a few programs of particular interest to me right now:
+
+* [Hacker101 CTF](https://ctf.hacker101.com/) - this is a free CTF run by HackerOne
+* [Over the Wire](https://overthewire.org) - in particular the Bandit wargames
+* [Hack The Box](https://www.hackthebox.eu) - just getting started here, you need an invitation code to join, and you are encouraged to hack the site to get it.
+
+I've managed to gain some ground in both Hacker101 CTF, which is really about
+web hacking in the earlier levels, and Over the Wire which really leans on your
+Unix knowledge to progress. I just acquired my Hack The Box invitation today and
+haven't set up my environment yet, so I'll have to report back another time.
+
+Ĝis la revido, kaj feliĉa kodumado!
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