Bees!

On Saturday afternoon, during his hour long drive home from the cities, Steve had 15,000 bees buzzing in his car. 

 Good thing they were in a box! 

We had been thinking about starting a bee-keeping venture for the past couple of years, but always seemed a little too late to place an order.  Colony collapse has also made bees difficult to obtain.  This year however, Steve was encouraged and directed by a bee-experienced friend as to when and where to purchase, so we finally made good on our intentions!

We let the bees rest for a day after their trip home and sprayed their screen-sided box with sugar water to feed and calm them.

The next day's weather (rain, wind and thunderstorms) was not ideal for setting up a bee hive, but the extended forecast (snow!) didn't seem the best choice either, so we decided to deal with the rain!

We chose a spot not too far from our house, but one  that also doesn't see regular traffic from playing children.  Shielded from northwest winds by our barn, near to our pond, and in the shade of a willow tree, we think this just might be the perfect spot for our bees to thrive.

The lower box holds 9 beeswax frames. The upper box is currently empty.

Not knowing exactly what to expect from 15,000 bees that have been living in a box for several days, Steve decided to suit up to transfer them to the hive.  

Smoke helps calm to the bees.  At this point they are all still in the box on top of the hive.

Here Steve removes the lid to access the queen.  She is contained in her own, smaller box with attendants.  She is "trapped" in her box by a piece of candy, which the worker bees will eat through to release her, once they are together in the hive.

The whole operation seemed to be a one-person job, so I stayed on the sidelines, just a couple feet from Steve, with the camera.  I didn't wear a veil or any special clothing and had probably 6 to 8 bees land on me. They were non-aggressive, and just sort of rested on my arms and back. Steve had maybe a dozen or so take an interest in him, and again, they just rested on his head, arms and back.  You can see them on his suit...those little black spots!  

The Main event...Dumping In The Bees!

Here Steve is holding the queen bee's box, preparing to attach it to the inside of the hive.  You can see  the bees clinging to the beeswax frames inside.  They are pleased!!!  On top of the frames is a bag of sugar water with a small slit  in it.  They will drink from this until there are flowers in bloom.

Finis!  The remaining bees eventually found their way inside .  We have to leave them alone to do their thing now for a week.  It will be hard not to check on them until then!

The whole experience was very reassuring of the gentle nature of the honey bee, but this may change somewhat come mid-summer when they actually have honey to protect!  I still think wearing at least a veil and gloves will be a good idea, because, for me anyway, instinct may over-rule reason if bees are crawling on my face!