Well today has been an eventful day. I got an email Sunday that my package of bees was ready for pickup. With the rainy weather, I was not sure how it was going to go. Fortunately the sun decided to come out so I took a peek at the Apiary. When I got there my initial hive looked like this.
I gave my mentor a call and we determined we would probably need to add another box. I took a peek and they had drawn out 6 frames of comb. Normally a box is added when 7-8 frames are drawn out, but by their actions, I think 6 was that magic number.
So the next activity of the day was to transfer the Nuc from my split into a full size box. They had drawn out comb on the two frames of foundation I put in with them. So with five drawn frames, I put an additional box of foundation on top to ensure they had plenty of room.
With all that business taken care of, I rolled out to Gaithersburg, MD to pick up my bees. There was a stack of packages and I just picked the one I wanted. Since the package came before my most recent order from Brushy Mountain, I had to purchase some new wooden ware. I got a new inner cover, outer cover and bottom board.
Then as I was checking out, I heard the unmistakable sound of a car being hit by another car. Unfortunately one of those cars was mine. Another patron backed straight into my car. The result looked like this.
After exchanging information and finishing my transaction, I was headed back home. Fortunately my car could still be driven but the window will not roll up. Does not bode well with the rain in the forecast. Once I got home, Ronan and I installed the package. We took video of the process and you can find it on my YouTube channel at THIS LINK.
I now have three active hives. It is more than I had planned on for my first year, but that is the life of a beekeeper. I had to close up shop quickly so that I could get Ronan to all his evening activities. When I got home, I was able to get this shot of the Apiary.
That about wraps it up. Next thing to do is to check to see if the queen has been released. I will do that next week. If she has not made it out or the queen cage I will have to release her myself. I am hoping that is not the case and she makes it out and starts laying eggs in the next couple of days. Thanks for following along.
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| Lots of Activity |
I gave my mentor a call and we determined we would probably need to add another box. I took a peek and they had drawn out 6 frames of comb. Normally a box is added when 7-8 frames are drawn out, but by their actions, I think 6 was that magic number.
So the next activity of the day was to transfer the Nuc from my split into a full size box. They had drawn out comb on the two frames of foundation I put in with them. So with five drawn frames, I put an additional box of foundation on top to ensure they had plenty of room.
With all that business taken care of, I rolled out to Gaithersburg, MD to pick up my bees. There was a stack of packages and I just picked the one I wanted. Since the package came before my most recent order from Brushy Mountain, I had to purchase some new wooden ware. I got a new inner cover, outer cover and bottom board.
Then as I was checking out, I heard the unmistakable sound of a car being hit by another car. Unfortunately one of those cars was mine. Another patron backed straight into my car. The result looked like this.
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| My Poor Car |
After exchanging information and finishing my transaction, I was headed back home. Fortunately my car could still be driven but the window will not roll up. Does not bode well with the rain in the forecast. Once I got home, Ronan and I installed the package. We took video of the process and you can find it on my YouTube channel at THIS LINK.
I now have three active hives. It is more than I had planned on for my first year, but that is the life of a beekeeper. I had to close up shop quickly so that I could get Ronan to all his evening activities. When I got home, I was able to get this shot of the Apiary.
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| The Apiary Grows |
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