Magic of our first hive

What a gorgeous day for a mini road trip, while picking up our grouping of bee's. High 60's F. Sunny clear skies. Could not have asked for a better day to travel the hour drive to Mantua.

The drive home had my car filled with the buzz of our bee's and the intense joyful scent of bee's wax from my new hive set up.

I quickly got to work setting the hive up and making the sugar syrup before the kids got off the bus. I never noticed before how light can be seen through their little bodies. As I peered in watching their movements, I could see their little bodies light up a brownish orange as the sun sat behind them in the Eastern sky. Amazing! 

As soon as I had everyone tucked in, well most of them anyway, Lil Man crept in for a closer look. There were some stragglers in the screened box that would just not let go, after I "knocked" the lot into the hive.

There were a few things missing from the set up I bought. I was unaware they were not with the hive until I began setting it up.

No entry reducer which I quickly found a proper width piece of wood & whipped the reducer up with the jigsaw. And then ...there was the Feeder setup. Rain was on the horizon so I had to brainstorm quick. No waiting around or buying one in time {which could take days if not a week or more.} So I grabbed 2 of the chick waterer's, filled the reservoir with gravel and screwed on the sugar syrup filled jars. I also placed the can, of their water feed, inside since it still had a good half of the liquid left.

They quickly converged on the queen in her cage, completely covering her from any recognition of even being there. Beautiful and amazing.

So now we wait. 1 week before we take a peek inside to ensure the queen has been released from her marshmallow corked chamber. The problem with waiting is...I am not known for patience. Add in  inexperienced bee keeper.

I have gone out every hour since their homing, to assure myself they have not run away. My imagination got the better of me and I would picture them slowly clinging to a branch, more and more joining, leaving the queen behind. Leaving me with an empty hive. I was afraid I had read the Book wrong and should not have left that finger width space open on the reducer. Maybe it said to keep it closed for the first week? Reread and of course it says nothing about bee's swooping out as soon as the new beekeeper walks away. Of course there is nothing in there saying it wouldn't either... So like a new mother checking on her sleeping baby, I would pacify my worry with the hourly visits. Only to find they are accounted for {not that I counted but the stragglers were still inches from the entry & plenty of buzzing & guarding going on}.

I am sure as I lay down to sleep my over active mind will bring dreams of an empty hive or chasing a swarm of bee's  like a runaway flying chicken, too high to reach in the tree's. I will try to sway the dreams with a few chapters of garden chatter. Maybe stories of country life. THAT should help my mind focus on something less stressful. But just in case, I might take a quick look through my Beekeeping book.

Just to reassure myself  this sort of thing is not likely to occur ....

Sweetest dreams,
~Tammie