Moving Day: Bee Edition

 

Neighbor Sue, who has generously gifted me with two hives of bees, was up before the sun to help me transport the bees to their new home at the Nickel and Dime Ranch.

She helped load the girls into the back of the pickup and met me at our place. There, we carefully transferred each bar of bees into their new hives. In the photo, Sue is checking for eggs and larvae and for the queen. All looks good so far and the bees were quite calm as we made the switch.

The white netting surrounding the two hives is an electric fence connected to a solar charger. At least three bears roam this neighborhood, so the fence will remind them to keep back. Sorry, but there's no honey for Yogi or Boo Boo here. 

The hives are located away from any foot traffic, but I can keep an eye on them from the house.

When we lifted each bar of bees and comb, the combs seemed light, with little honey stored up.  I made up some bee tea,  a mixture of sugar, water, chamomile, lemon thyme, and a little mint. It tastes good! The bee tea went into some feeders and will act as a tonic and pick me up after all they have gone through: being divided from their previous hive and now moved down the road to our place. I will probably keep this up until it looks like they are making enough honey to last them through the winter. 

Will I harvest honey this year? Probably not, because the bees get to keep theirs first and all I get is the extra. But I might sneak a taste (or two) when the bees are too busy to notice.

The bees are local to our area, acclimated to the altitude and climate, and have a good temperament. Nonetheless, I need to drop by the local clinic and ask for an epipen prescription so that I have one handy if an allergic person is stung.

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