Installation

I am not the beekeeper in the house. HE is.

This is what the hive looks like after you "dump" in the bees

So it was a bit alarming to discover that our bees would be arriving while HE was in Denver for a conference. This was not part of my plan.

Well, really I didn't have a plan, but if I did, "HE away when bees arrive" would not have been included.

The bees were to have arrived back in April, but due to the cold spring the entire country seems to be having, they were delayed by over a month.

I had no choice, but to install them into the hive.

Here is where courage, patience and information serve one well.

1. Courage.

I wasn't especially afraid of the bees. They are really quite docile. But I was well aware of the fact that if you get stung, hormones (and screaming, probably) draw more bees to the sting site. One sting--manageable. Multiple stings--not so much. So while I wasn't afraid, per se. This information remained tucked in the (many) recesses of my mind.

And after all, I did have the bee suit.

2. Patience.

In fact, I felt very calm and purposeful about the entire process. HE had walked me through it and it didn't really seem too difficult. One problem: it was a super windy day and major storms were heading our way. There were lots of ominous looking clouds out to the west. Thunderstorm and tornado watches/warnings--that kind of weather.

I needed to move swiftly. I wanted them in the hive before it started raining, lightning, thundering and hailing. Of course, if a tornado did come, all would be for naught. Yes, in fact I did have that thought.

Probably not the best conditions to work under.

3. Information.

Well, I love to read. And I had read all of our honeybee books. Heck, I bought 'em all.

[[Shopping. There's something I do well.]]

So I did have some knowledge about the installation process even before HE walked me through it. Repetition is good. It's really a great way to learn.

Repetition. Hand's-on learning. Trial and Error. All good.

Except when you are installing a package of thousands of bees for the very first time.

The bees come in a wooden box with screens.

So I asked my 11-year-old daughter to do it.

Well, really. What would you have done?

She loves bees. She has much more courage and patience than I do. And while she never read any of our bee books, she has been "in" the hives lots of times with her dad.

Erica and HE last spring installing both hives

Clearly, she's way more qualified than I am.

It was all going quite well until she got stung and announced: "I'm going back up to the house".

Wimp!

'Course, it did occur to me that over the past year, Erica has been stung by our bees more than anyone else. Perhaps since she is so interested and helpful with our hives, we ought to purchase her a bee suit?

Ya think?

Anyway, thanks to Erica's assistance and reassuring presence, our bees are home.

Aidan was our intrepid (read as: maintaining a safe distance from the hives) photogapher

We plug the hole in the queens "box" with a bit of marshmallow. The workers will eat away the marshmallow so the queen can get out and start laying her eggs.

Man, I love that kid!

Bee lover!