Preparations

After bee school and ordering the bees, my focus has shifted to collecting needed equipment.

I've gathered:

six concrete blocks for the two hives to sit on
two big rocks to put on top of the hives
a smoker
hive tools
two queen separators
extra hive bodies (assembly required)
shallow hive extenders for feeding the bees
a device to provide water
bee pants
bee jackets and veils
bee gloves
a bee brush
a frame grip
a frame holder

Hmm. Off the top of my head, that's the whole list. I'll provide pictures and explanations later, as well as links to my favorite equipment suppliers.

Gathering has been fun. Lots of catalogs, online stores, a field trip to the Dadant store in Florida while heading to the beach, a run to Lowe's for the concrete blocks and a foraging trip behind the garden fence for the big rocks.

I'm sitting in my bee pants right now, since they came today and I needed to try them on.

They are big and baggy, which decreases opportunity for stings. They are white, since one of the secrets to beekeeping is to not look like a black bear. No dark clothes. They also have elastic around the ankles, which is helpful for preventing the little ladies from climbing up my legs and causing hopping and cursing.

I'm a tad concerned about the drawstring top and the fact that I could fit two of me in the waist. It would be less than optimal for my pants to fall down while working the bees.

But having worn them around the house, the drawstring seems to hold firm. So far, so good.

The bees come later this month.