Worry

Saturday I rejoiced in my bees, watched them swirl about in the warm air....and began to worry. Are there too many bees swirling about? Are they swirling like they are supposed to, or are they in some sort of trouble?

Did I feed them enough? Will the cold weather prevent me from checking on them?

Is that left hive listing to one side too much? Why didn't I get the bubble balance out there before the bees came and get the ground level under the hives?

Will they build too much burr comb around the baggie feeder?

Will I do the right things? Will I get stung? Will they up and die?

And so it went Sunday and Monday. I then talked to a coworker who has kept a hive of bees for the last year, and she calmed me down. She reassured me that her bees poke along through life with little effort on her part. I settled down a bit.

Later I read Laura's comment on one of my earlier posts and discovered that new beekeepers all over Asheville are stressing about their little beasties, and it helped to know I'm not the only one with worries.

Today I'm feeling much calmer. The sun came out this afternoon and some of my bees were flying about. Some were visiting the fine little green flowers on the shrubs by the back door. They didn't seem worried at all.

So...taking a deep breath and remembering just to enjoy the sunshine and flowers.

Naming the Hives

"Left Hive" and "Right Hive" are awfully dull, so the plan is to give each hive its own special name. Top contenders are Lucy and Ethel, Lavern and Shirley, Thelma and Louise, and Leah and Rachel. The name Beulah has floated around, but without a second corresponding name. Please feel free to vote. For a thousand dollars, I will name a hive after you.

Bringing Home the Bees!!!

We rode to the 4H Camp in Swannanoa in the king cab of friend Brian's pickup truck, four of us up early on a Saturday morning. It is good to have friends to help with the bee fetching. Tommy had brought a truck load of bees, most in cardboard boxes (nucs) for beekeepers both new and experienced. A crowd of eager recipients gathered in the morning drizzle, waiting for Tommy to call out their name from his yellow legal pad.

My bees were not in a cardboard box, but screened into their hive body. You can see them on the screen looking for a way out. I am pleased to say that I did not drop them.

We put them in the back of Brian's truck and strapped them down and drove them back home. After putting them in place in the back yard, we went out for a celebratory brunch. Thank you Leah, Brian and Catherine!!

Then I used my hive tool and my smoker for the first time (hive tool in hand, smoker to right in picture) and gently pried the screen off the front of each box.

I added a ziplock bag of sugar water to the top of each hive with a shallow super (the skinny top box) around the bag to prevent the squishing, put a piece of wood in the front of the entrance to give them less territory to guard while they get established, and welcomed them home.

The Buzz Around the Back Door

Outside my back door are two prickly shrubs that scratch me to pieces every year when I try to trim them. For a week or two every spring, however, they are the delight of the local bee and wasp population. Tiny green flowers blossom, sweet in smell and irresistable to the bees.

For the first several years I lived here I dreaded the bloom because it was unnerving to run the gauntlet between the humming plants when they were covered with things I only thought of as "stinging bugs." Emphasis on the "stinging."

Tonight, instead of running past, I stood with my camera, nose practically touching the bees as I tried to take their pictures. Turns out, bees don't mind photography. They are quite tame when you leave them to their business. They could care less about me, since the heady smell of the flower has all their attention.

I also learned that it is very hard to take pictures of bees. They don't hang around. By the time the camera focuses, they are on to the next sweet smelling flower.

See bumblebee and neighbor bee entries below for results of tonight's shoot.

Neighbor bees

Somewhere within four miles of me, someone has some hives of honey bees. I know this, because there are honey bees on my blooming shrub, and my bees are loaded up in their hives, somewhere between here and Statesville, getting ready for their journey to my backyard.

These girls are neighbors, visiting for a favorite springtime snack. I was delighted to see dozens of these neighbors poking about the little green flowers, making themselves very much at home. Perhaps my girls will visit flowers in their back yard sometime soon.

Bumblebees and Carpenter Bees

These fat beasties are carpenter bees. While they are kin to honey bees, they are not what will live in the hives in my back yard. When I first posted these pictures, I labeled them bumblebees, but bumbles are hairier, with much the same round shape. Like dancing hippos, they float through the air, large and round. They nuzzle the flowers, peaceful creatures, huge unlikely marvels of flight.

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.