Bees

Monday morning, our bees arrived!

They always say the postman will call you at 6am. Well, ours called at 7am and we ran. We are so excited to start our beekeeping adventure. We, or should I say Steve set up all of the hives, we were ready. So, with Steve in his beekeepers outfit and I with our beekeeping 101 book in hand off we went. I read the step by step process out loud at least 3 times. We were ready.

Hive One

Step 1. Feed all bees and let them set in shade for at least 30 minutes.
Step 2. Separate the shipping packages. Now you are ready.
Step 3. Remove the panel on the top of the bee package.
Step 4. Take out the Queen cage, inspect it. Make sure she is still alive and well.
Step 5. Poke a hole in the bottom of the candy plug in the bottom of the cage. This allows a way for the worker bees to eat a hole through and get her out.
Step 6. Put Queen between frame 2 and 3.
Step 7. Slam bee container to ground and them carefully shake bees into hive.

A friend told us to leave the lid off the hive and all of them would be in there in 3 to 5 hours. It happened. Just the way he said it would. Amazing!


Hive Two

Everything went as planned just and in Hive one, except when Steve went to poke a hole in the Queen Cage it busted right in his hands. There went the Queen. Oh My! Yes we freaked out, well I might have, just a little. Steve looked around, and she was gone,just gone. So he put her busted up cage in the hive, dropped all the other bees in there too and wouldn't you know it she came back. Went right in on her own, My husband has eagle eye you see. Then she came back out and started to leave again, Steve grabbed her in mid air, no joke and put her back in the hive, and 3-5 hours later, all of her bees were in the hive too.

On the next day, some family arrived and we were showing them around, and Hive two was swarming in mid air. They were coming out of there by the thousands. They left us, for good. Learn by your mistakes I guess. So, now we are down to one hive, and despite the reality of a hive gone, we are happy to have bees.


Hive One is doing well.

2 swarms of Italian Honey Bees, Queens Included

Queen Bee Cage

Setting Up the Hives

Hive One, inside their new home.

Hive One on Day 3