I installed my first package of bees! Alan dropped the bees off around 6:30 tonight. I thought it would be too late to install them and that I would have to wait until Monday (rain tomorrow). But Alan said I could do it tonight, so that's what I did.
I made a video, which I will eventually get uploaded for your comedic enjoyment. But basically, the bees come in a little wood and mesh cage, which includes approximately 10,000 worker bees, a tin of sugar syrup and a protected queen bee, who is separated from her subjects by a tiny cage with a cork stopper in the end.
I took a few of the top bars out of the top bar hive to make a space to shake the bees into. Then I removed the tin of syrup, which blocks a big hole in the top of the main cage. At this point a few of the bees started climbing out. Next, I removed the queen cage and set it aside. Then I picked up the cage of worker bees and shook for all I was worth to get them all to drop out of the hole in the top of the cage and into the top bar hive. Another example of demo videos making it look way easier than it is. You really have to shake those bees!!! Poor things.
Next, I replaced the cork in the queen cage with a marshmallow and rubber-banded the queen cage to one of the top bars. Then I tried to get as many bees into the hive as I could, and finished by placing the tin of syrup, which has holes in the bottom, over a hole in a specially designed top bar, which allows the syrup to drip into the hive where the bees suck it up.
It's going to rain tomorrow and possibly tonight, but I couldn't put the lid on the hive because the sugar syrup tin was sticking out the top. So, I taped plastic kitchen bin liners over the top of the hive. Ain't no water gettin' in thar!
I think I deserve a big glass of wine now:)
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Good job Jessica.
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