The last post was about getting the hives ready, and the bees arriving. Now we are going to get the bees off my kitchen table and out to their new homes! I have to admit, I was pretty nervous about taking the bees, who were tucked away in a little screen box, and releasing them into the hive. I mean really, if you believe what you see in the movies, all bees will instantly attack and turn you into a lumpy, bumpy, calamine covered mess!
But, Dad said no, that that was not going to be the case, lol My bees were going to love me, and I was going to love my bees. He was right of course!
Eat up little bees! I made sure they had a little more sugar water before we took them outside, They were so hungry!
Eat up little bees! Big things are on the way!
After they had a snack we took them out in the yard. The packages were attached by two wooden strips and we needed to separate them so we could put them IN the hives. If you have never met my Dad, let me tell you, he does not mess around! He is like Sonic the Hedgehog, zipping here and there, so I did not have time to be scared! I was too buys just trying to keep up with him!
Prying!
Dad and his trusty pocket knife! I swear I thought he was going to lose a finger! Those cages were really stuck together, but I guess you would not want them coming apart in the mail. Yikes!
Prying some more!
Finally!
And with a crack! It happened, the two cages were separated and we were ready to take them to the hives.
The Bee Whisperer!
Here is Dad packing his box to the hives. Dad is so gentle with the bees, and they just ride along buzzing softly! He really is the Bee Whisperer!
Here you go little bees! Home sweet hive!
Here we have walked out to the hives and now we open them up. I am starting to get a bit nervous. After all, we are about to release thousands of bees.Dad is cool as a cucumber! For me it is a normal reaction to start slapping and slinging when a bee lands on you, but Dad says that is bad, lol That we need to move slowly and gently, and they bees will not get upset. They just want to check us out!
Yikes! Look out! That is one sharp knife!
Here is Dad with his knife again,! That thing s a multi purpose tool I tell you! I will say, he did end up bleeding just a tad. We were glad that bees were not like sharks, and go crazy over a drop of blood, lol
Tada!
We have the cage open, and now you can see the can of sugar water included to keep the bees fed while they are in transit. We will also leave it in the hive for a while so they can have easy food while they build their combs and learn the best places to forage.
Easy now!
Now, how DO you get that can out?! Dads knife of course! What else?
Here is a video of us taking the jar out, and also the queen in her cage. A little warning, I look terrible, AND, I talk really fast. Especially when I am excited! Ok...so I talk REALLY fast all the time..
See! How cool is that!! So after that, we put the lid back on the top box and wait for them to get out of the package. Then they will get busy and liberate their queen! It took three days for both queens to be freed and get to work laying eggs. Here they are down in the frames pulling out the wax out to make combs. I imagine the queen is somewhere in there busy laying eggs. Yay!!
Aww!
I go out and check on them often to make sure all is well. Then a few days ago I took the top box off the one hive, gave them an entrance feeder, and now they are doing awesome! They are out foraging so they can bringing back lots of pollen and nectar. Here are a few of them returning to the hive!
Landing gear down!
Incoming!
The other hive was a bit testy when I checked on it about noon. There was a small hole in the top box and they decided that was the entrance. So instead of coming and going out the front, they were buzzing in and out the hole in the back of the hive. Dad came by today to check on everything and make sure all was well, and I was so glad!! He took the top box off the testy confused hive and we installed their entrance feeder. They were so thrown off that a bunch of them balled up where their "entrance" used to be and were looking around all lost. BUT, Dad assured me they would find the right door, and they did. When I checked them before bed they were all tucked away in their hives doing what bees do at night! Maybe watch B movies?. Hehe
Well, there you go! I am so enjoying my awesome Beeventure and I hope you are finding it as cool as I am! I will definitley keep you updated with their progress. :)
Early June we will be getting a nuc of bees. Yea, that is 5 frames filled with all stages of bees! Woo Hoo! Of course I will bring you along with me for the experience! So keep an eye out, we have some exciting summer plans here on the Backwards Homestead!
Shout out to Katrina for taking all these awesome pics and videos! Her, Pud'nin and Joy were all there cheering us on during the process. Quietly of course! LOL!
Also, Leave a comment and let me know you were here, I love hearing from anyone who happens to stop by!. :)
We have been wanting bees here on the farm for SO long! But truthfully, the thought was a bit intimidating! I mean, we have all see those movies, with the people trapped in their cars by an angry swarm of killer bees...I did not want to be those people! Besides, it is a given that if you have bees, you WILL be stung. *Shivers* But, the more I learned about bees, and the more I realized that as a whole, the world needs more bees! So, I ordered the bees...and waited!
To get a package of bees, you usually have to order in the fall, and then they will come in the spring when the nectar flow is at a peak. This allows your bees to get a good start towards building the stores of honey that will feed them through their first winter in their new home! So the first step after ordering, is to get the hive ready.
I was so blessed to have my Dad help me with all things Bee! Growing up some of my earliest memories are my Dad taking care of his bees. So I knew that I HAD to have him help me through this exciting project. The hives I have, were actually HIS that I am sure he actually built. They are priceless to me!
Here is a picture of Dad and I at Lees wedding. He is such an amazing man. Love you Dad! Without all his help I am sure my beeventure would not have been a disaster!
Ok, for this post I am going to go through all the steps we went through to get the hives ready for the new tenants! Then, next I will detail the process of putting the bees INTO the hive and their first few weeks.
Now, to get the hives ready for the bees! First, I had to go through and put fresh wax sheets in each of the frames. I had one hive sitting out in the field for a couple of years hoping that a swarm might see it and make it their new home. But, no such luck, lol SO, since the bees would not come to the hive on their own, we decided to bring them in ourselves..Here are the old wax sheets.They were pretty brittle and mice had been having a snack it seems! Bad mice! Not to mention there was all sorts of pill bugs and creepy crawlies living inside. Eww!
Crickly!
Easy now! Do not want to break that tiny little wood thingy!
So I had to pry this little strip of wood off the top of the frame. It
will go back on to hold the wax sheet on the frame. I will admit, I was
pretty nervous as I am quite the queen of mishaps when I am doing stuff like
this..Not exactly a job for someone who has been told that they go about things like a bull in a china shop.
And peeeeel!
Ooooh! Cool! The wax sheets smell SO good! Almost hard not to take a bite! Look at those cute little hexagons! I will say, some people do NOT add the wax sheets, butI like to think it gives the bees a head start on making their comb. They will take this wax base, and draw it up until it looks like a traditional honeycomb. Bees are just so darn talented!
The wax sheets, also called the "foundation) has little wires that butt up against the top of the frame to help hold them in securely. This also helped me keep them straight.
Ok, now to put the little wood strip back on...hmm
Then, I replaced the little strip, making sure that it is nice and secure and the wax sheet is centered and straight. I was finally getting a little more confident by this point after doing half of the frames. Back in the hive they go! Easy peasy!
Putting the wax into the frames!
Half way done! Don't they look cute all nestled in the hive body.
All done! Ready for the BEES!
Dad cleaned an extra hive body that will go on top of the hive. It had been sitting out behind the shop so it was pretty dusty! I will put the sugar water can there and let the bees have a little room while they work to free the queen.
Dad cleaning the top boxes
The next apart is to get the hive all set up. It has to be clean and
level so the bees will build comb that is straight. Bees build straight
down. If the hive is not level, then the bees may build a crooked comb
that can stick all of your frames together, YUK!!
Has to be JUST SO!
And then the top box
Perfection!
And here they are! The star attraction!
Bees are sent through the mail. Yes! Through the MAIL!! I got the call that they had arrived and we quickly went to get them so we could feed them since the trip is hard on them. Although, the Apiary adds a really big can of sugar water to tide them over during their journey. See how they are all balled up? They are clustered around the sugar water, and also, in the middle of that pile of bees is their QUEEN! She is safely ensconced in her little cage along with approximately 6 attendants. After all, she is the Queen!
Look! You can see the can of sugar water there in the middle!
So, I had bees. Now what?!?! I did what I do to everything, I fed them! Woohoo! I made a sugar water solution and painted it on the sides of the cage. They LOVED it! You could actually hear the change, they started buzzing happily as their little tongues sucked up the yummy sweetness!
So, now we have the hive ready, and the bees are here, and now it is time to get them IN the hive! Whew! This has been quite the adventure! Stay tuned and the next post will tell you how we got all these bees, into the hive and settled! I sure hope this has been as interesting to you as it has been for me. I am beyond happy! Go bees!
