Our lawn watering robot keeps the grass growing at the field site.
The components for the hives arrive. We visit Home Depot
(our favorite store) to purchase glue, wood preservative, etc.
Hives are assembled by our master carpenter.
The site for our two hives is prepared. The hives
should be level from left to right, but they should
lean forward slightly so rain does not drain into the hive.
This hive is ready to receive a package of bees. The frames
in the center have been removed to accomodate the bees.
Now, we need bees!
We pay a visit to our friend P.N. Williams of Forest Park.
P.N. and his wife just drove down to south Georgia to pick
up 100 3lb packages of bees.
Here's a picture of the packages stacked up in P.N.'s truck.
Em air iz a lot of beez. We'll take two packages please.
Gunnar and Maria inspect the package of bees.
15,000 pissed off bees in a small box.
I took a course on beekeeping and they said package bees are "very docile"
because they are "homeless." Right.
I went and got my "bee suit" on as a precaution. Gunnar and
Maria have disappeared.
There was no one around to take pictures of me dumping the bees
into the hive. Let's just say they were not very happy about it and it
was a good thing I had the bee suit on.
15,000 pissed off bees in a slightly larger box. Notice the
remaining bees still in the package. If you put the package in
front of the hive, they will make their way home.
The other package was installed in the other hive as well.
Note the jars full of sugar water. These are used to sustain
the bees until a nectar flow.
The next day. The bees have calmed down. The near colony drank
a full pint of sugar water in one day.