Amazing~

It was an amazing day,

last Saturday,

when a couple of us joined the local beekeeper,
who has been teaching our class,

to pick up bees 

and then place them in their hives.

It was an absolutely

I.V.A.L.U.E.A.B.L.E

experience!

We picked the bees up at a warehouse~
I was amazed at how many local people
are keeping bees~and doing 'backyard beekeeping'.

We picked up ten 'bee packages' altogether
for different people in the class...Each package contains
about 10,000-12,000 bees.  We had 10 packages~
100,000 bees!

This close up of the 'bee package' shows the tin can
syrup feeder that you pull out of the top.  Also
there is a little metal clip to the side of it that
you slide out that has the queen in it.

The beekeeper demonstrating how to take
the feeder can out and remove the queen box~
The queen stays in her box, until the bees eat through
a candy plug.  They have to 'familiarize' themselves
with her, otherwise they would immediately kill her.

Bottom screen to help with mites~
I'll add this next year.  I'm using apple cider vinegar
and trying some essential oils I've read about
in their feeder this year.

The beekeeper demonstrating adding the sugar water
mixture that is used until the pollen is 'flowing' well.
I had never seen this type of feeder before.

This hive location is at a local farm~

Here's our set up down by the pond~
We chose it because it has way less wind than
on the ridge where our home is.
Why fencing?
Since we are on greenbelt we have cows 
most of the summer along and various herds
of deer...we're adding small fencing around
the bottom to help keep out the smaller 'critters'.

Setting the package box into the bottom 'super'~
Jonathan & I checked on the bees yesterday, as
the beekeeper suggested.  We saw that the queen
had been 'freed' from her little box and we
removed the package box.  All the bees were 'loose'
and we added frames to each super.  At this point
we're two supers high.

Removing the queen~
Why aren't we 'suited up'?
Well, the beekeeper said, and it was true,
that the bees are very disoriented and aren't on
the defense because they aren't 'guarding' anything yet.
But you can be sure Jonathan & I suited up
when we checked on them yesterday.  They were in the
'protect the queen' mode for sure!

We had bought some 'pollen patties' for them
to help with building comb since the wildflowers
are just starting to bloom here in our neck of the woods~

A close up picture~
The rubberband on the left frame is where we
tucked the queen box.  Then we set the
package box inside instead of shaking all the bees
out.
This was removed yesterday and more frames
added.

There they are~
Two supers high at this point with top feeders.

They immediately started to orient themselves
to their new home~

We can see them from the house (it's on the ridge)
and, I suppose, they can see us.
It's nice to pull the binoculars out and see how
things are faring~

Thankfully down by the pond, the wildflowers
are blooming :)

Well, we're on an adventure!

 The whole family

has been learning about bees and all their 

interesting facts~

like, they never sleep,

and one honey bee only makes 1/12 tsp. of honey

in her lifetime...

Wild!

We've found out that bees like sage & bitter brush, 

too, 

and that they can fly three or even up to five miles

from the hive!