Bee Day Part 2, 2019: The Bees Are Home
Now, we didn't just go drop some money and try to figure all of this out on the spot. We have been studying for months, talking with other bee keepers, reading the literature, watching the YouTube videos. Everything we could do to get ready. And when the time came? It was all about confidence. I couldn't be prouder of us. Well, almost all of us. Bailey decided that honey bees tasted good so she pronounced around in her doggie way snatching up strays for snack.
Bee Day 2019
We decided to buy our bees the old fashioned way, from an apiculturist in Hudson NH named B-Line Apiaries. We had ordered the packages back in November, and were of course waiting patiently for the day to arrive. This afternoon I pocked top the girls and we made the one hour trip with a pitstop on the way. (More about that later.)When we arrived, there were quite a few other folks ahead of us, and we had a chance to poke our noses about and check out the operation. I must say, I was impressed. They run a family business just like us, and had their stuff in order. After checking in at the folding table desk in the garage, we were given our pick up confirmation slip. Then, we headed out to the truck where we collected 10,000 Italian honey bees and their queen, who as of this post has not been named.
We picked up some pollen packs, got back in the truck, and headed home for the install.
Installing the Bee Package
We decided to go with pre-waxed frames. In between these, I placed the queen cage after poking a little into the fondant plug to encourage her helpers to get her free. We are feeding a 1:1 mix of sugar syrup to help them build up, so once the lid went on, so did the filled mason jar. A pollen patty went on top of the frames as well.
Bees Everywhere
It's true. Confidence won the day. Now, Italian honey bees are supposed to be docile to an extent, and our bee day transfer proved that point. Not a single sting that we know of, though I cannot imagine Bailey walked away without a couple the way she was behaving. What dog snaps honey bees from mid-air for a snack?The plan is to let the bees drain the syrup before we open up to check on the queen. If she was already pregnant, as she should have been, we might even see some eggs. At the least we will see how well the bees are doing building out their comb. And you can bet we'll share that when we see it.
The clover is sprouting, the tress are budding and the forsythia around us is in full bloom. I think our new Italian colony is going to like it here. In late May, we're getting our Carniolans and can't wait!
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Comments
Cheers!
No signs of vary yet, but we do have some treatment strips ready if they do show up-
Cheers!