The Ladies are settling in

[Daddys Girl]

I drove to pick up my bees from R. Weaver's drop-off point in Central VA.  The friend who recommended Buckfasts to me rode along and then followed me home to help me get the package installed.

The bees were very calm in the package, and were only really noisy at all when we were carrying them around and out to the car.  We put them inside a cardboard box on the back seat of my van, and once inside, they settled right down.  Except for when we handled them, there was nothing but the gentlest hint of buzzing from them the entire 3 hour trip home. 

We made a single stop at my friend's house in NoVA to pick up my friend's car, gear, and gave them a spritz of syrup to make sure they were doing okay, then continued the trip.  He's been keeping bees for years, and both he and his wife commented on how calm the girls were.

It was raining lightly when we got home, so we made quick work of the installation.  Sprayed the bees lightly again with a 1:2 soluton of syrup, and then got to work.  They weren't ill-tempered or put off in the least by the rain.  No smoke was used.  No stings in my suit.  No one stung at all. 

We used John Clayton's install method and it was quick and painless.  My friend had never done that kind of install before, but it was quick, to the point, and done!  The cluster of bees flumped into the hive and started about the business of setting up shop while we did a direct release of the queen.  Put the syrup feeder on top of the frames, closed up the hive, and we were done.  Closed up the apiary enclosure and put the tools away. 

The girls are out there doing orientation flights right now.  I can see them flying above walls of the enclosure.  Sweet.

http://s17.photobucket.com/albums/b89/keaeris/Package%20Install%20April%202008/?mediafilter=imagesPictures:

There are some lessons identified, which I will report later.  However, EVERYONE who had advice, websites, or videos is truly appreciated for the help!  :)

[JP]

Good job, way to go! Welcome to beekeeping!


...JP

[Daddys Girl]

Good job, way to go! Welcome to beekeeping!

Thanks!  It's a nervous-making joy, but a joy nonetheless.  :)

Today I went out to the hive to peek into the apiary and found an odd beard of bees on the hive.  Hrm.  So I suit up and start investigating and find this:



Under the hive were thousands of bees.  Took about two hours, start to finish, to gently remove the bees from the underside with the bee brush and dump them into a cardboard box that I had rubbed a little lemon balm on the inside of, and then transfer them into the hive.  I so didn't want to open the hive up, but there was really no other way to get the job done.  Bother.  :(

Lesson Identified:  I should have inspected the joints on the hive much more closely.  If I ever even saw the crack to begin with, I must have assumed that bees couldn't squeeze through, and I was wrong--wasn't like the hive entrance active, but there was a steady dribble of bees going through there.   My bad.  I also put a strip of wood over the crack so that isn't an issue again.  When Betterbee sends me that slatted rack, I'm going to nail the screen on the bottom and swap it all out.

Overall, I am hoping that I did the right thing.  The Ladies were very good natured about the whole thing, and the hive settled down again as soon as I closed everything up.  I'm staying out of the hive until Wednesday, when I am going to swap out feeders and check where the cluster settled.  I'lll only go looking for the queen if someone thinks that it's worthwhile.  Otherwise, I can content myself to wait another few days to let things settle down again.

More pics:  Todays Pics

DG

[Cindi]

DG, looked at your pictures, very nice, you are doing just great, and yes, it is a nervous kind of joy for sure!!!  Have the best of this  beautiful day, we are all deserving.  Cindi