Bees!!!

 I started my venture in amateur beekeeping with what I thought was a massive failure. I removed a very established hive from a well pipe on my jobsite. It did not go smoothly and I made some pretty stupid mistakes, but it was a very difficult extraction and I did the best I could. I got the girls home and into their new hive but within days they got raided and I thought the hive was lost. I chalked it up to lessons learned and started planning my next hive that I’d start when there was pollen flow and minimal risk of being raided. 

The other day I went out to start cleaning out the hive in preparation for my new hive season and when I opened up the top, lo and behold, the bees were still in there! They are much diminished in number but the hive is there. I’ve ordered some pollen patties to bulk them up and get them healthy and I’ll be picking up some mite treatment and beetle boxes to improve their health. I’m absolutely amazed they survived being moved, raided, AND winter with no help from me. Those are some strong girls I’ve got there, I’m just amazed. 

Yesterday, I removed a very juvenile hive from my jobsite. No sign of a queen but a drone was present so that’s actually quite promising. I placed their young comb in a frame, but it didn’t even fill one frame. I set that frame in my second hive and left the hive next to the wire reel they were living in. As I shifted the reel to lean against the hive to create a bridge, the reel fell apart and I REALLY pissed them off. Bees EXPLODED and I felt awful, even more so because the husband was standing away at a very safe distance observing and a bee flew right into his hand, stinger first. He was fine, no allergy, and joked that he hoped it helps his arthritis. I’ve been thinking back on what I could have done to have prevented that and I realize I should have taken the reel apart, slat by slat, instead of trying to lean it over in its half disassembled state. Lesson learned. I’m going to go back this evening and see if they transferred over on their own, when I leaned the reel over, before it broke apart, they were marching into the hive in a nice line, so I’m hoping they go in and all I have to do is close off the entrance and lid and pop them in my trunk and take them to their new home.