Day 6: Eggs!

Teeny tiny bee eggs, as seen on black Pierco frame inserts.

Ted and I opened up the hive today to look for evidence of freshly laid eggs. With the recent wet weather, it was impossible to find any dry fuel in the yard for the smoker, so I used some junkmail. This approach worked imperfectly for a very short amount of time. Due to a weekend away, we also opened up much later in the day than would have been ideal, so the inspection was kept to a minimum. I loosened the center frame and pulled it up to see dozens of eggs in lovely new white comb. This quieted my fears that I had squished the queen last time I opened the hive :) Ted also spotted the queen with his flashlight, who is marked with a yellow dot. What we saw looks very much like this image I borrowed from the Peace Bee Farmer blog--though clearly they were performing their inspection at a more appropriate time of day.


Today also marks my first sting from one of my own bees. Somehow a bee managed to sneak up my pant leg while we were closing up the hive. Ted gave a puff of smoke up the cuff once I discovered that there was a waylaid bee, however it was too late. I came inside, and immediately took of the pants--the felines were delighted to bat at and chew the dying bee.

Day 3: Queen has been released

This is not my cage, but you get the idea.

Opened up the hive quickly this morning to see if the queen had left her cage. It was in the low 40s, so I tried to be quick, but I was so very curious. Separating the center frames with my shiny new hive tool, I was able to wiggle out the cage. There were three workers inside, nibbling at the remains of the candy plug, but the queen was out. I closed the hive back up, and crossed my fingers that I didn't squeeze the queen to death. I certainly squished a few workers putting back on the inner cover--but I am counting on the 9,000 plus bees remaining to keep the queen warm. Unfortunately, when on my own in the hive it is tough to take photos...more to follow soon.

Day 1: The big shake in!

After one night spent in the basement, and during a break in the rain, it was time to get the bees into the empty hive. The shake in was much less scary than I had feared, but midway through Ted put on his hoodie too--confirming that the bees were out and about, and buzzing very loudly!

Sporting the attractive new bee hoodie and brush.

Bees were clearly excited to leave the shoebox.

Here is a video of my fearless beekeeping teacher, Rick Reault, installing a package of bees. I had a much easier time removing my nectar can than he did, but he had significantly more confidence with the shake! I set up my hive with one brood box (minus one frame), a frame feeder filled with syrup from Rick, and a nice sturdy hive stand made by Ted.