A whole lot of buzzing this morning as I installed our bees in their new, homemade Warre' Hive!
We were very selective about where we purchased our bees. The apiary we chose, BeeWeaver, has been chemical free for 10 years! The FDA allows organic beekeepers to use antibiotics, and fungiscides to control disease and pests. Chemicals are not the answer! Whatever chemicals are used in the hive will end up in the honey and will weaken the bees.
Installing bees begins with prying up the can of sugar water that feeds the bees while enroute. The bottom of the can was stuck so Will, the love of my life and camera man extraordinaire, wearing only jeans, a tee and baseball cap came to my rescue. He had bees crawling on his face, bare hands and everywhere else while taking photos and assisting me. It took the two of us to get the can loose from the travel box while holding on to the orange tab the queen cage was attached to. When bees are first introduced to a new hive they have nothing to defend so they are very docile. You don't need a smoker and that's why I chose to not wear a bee suit. I loved just using my hat, veil and my old rose gloves. It's such a rush being in the midst of all those beautiful bees! I know I wouldn't want bees crawling on my face though!
Removing the syrup can and the Queen.
Queen cage covered in worker bees.
Taking the cork out of the queen cage and piercing the candy plug.
Installing the Queen.
Shaking out the bees into their new Warre' Hive.
Organic 1:1 sugar water syrup installed.
We were very selective about where we purchased our bees. The apiary we chose, BeeWeaver, has been chemical free for 10 years! The FDA allows organic beekeepers to use antibiotics, and fungiscides to control disease and pests. Chemicals are not the answer! Whatever chemicals are used in the hive will end up in the honey and will weaken the bees.
Installing bees begins with prying up the can of sugar water that feeds the bees while enroute. The bottom of the can was stuck so Will, the love of my life and camera man extraordinaire, wearing only jeans, a tee and baseball cap came to my rescue. He had bees crawling on his face, bare hands and everywhere else while taking photos and assisting me. It took the two of us to get the can loose from the travel box while holding on to the orange tab the queen cage was attached to. When bees are first introduced to a new hive they have nothing to defend so they are very docile. You don't need a smoker and that's why I chose to not wear a bee suit. I loved just using my hat, veil and my old rose gloves. It's such a rush being in the midst of all those beautiful bees! I know I wouldn't want bees crawling on my face though!
Remaining bees exiting their travel cage.
The bees have settled in well in their new home. We took many trips out to the hive today to watch them doing the waggle dance, a way of giving directions to each other, and also taking mini flights to become familiar with their surroundings. I brought them their own Easter lily plant so they would have access to pollen close to their hive! Will took a little video for you to meet the bees ... It's been a very buzzy day . . . Over at Julie's!!!
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