My new package of bees arrived on Monday, May 16, 2011. Just as last year, I ordered them from Rossman Apiaries in Moultrie, Ga., and they were shipped through the U.S. postal service via Priority Mail. I find that people are either amazed, amused or horrified when they hear that live bees can come in the mail. Trust me, they are well packaged in a screened box and separated from the mail that comes to your residence, so no worries.
The installation went much smoother this time with a year's worth of experience under my belt. I now know that the bees are in swarm mode and fairly docile during this process, so I was comfortable using my bare hands.
The queen was in her little cage fastened to the top of the box and the rest of the bees were clustered around her in a cone shape hanging downward. I doused the package of bees with the simple syrup (sugar-water mixture) to keep them busy and happy while I removed a few end frames from the hive box. Using a nail, I removed the cork from the end of the queen's cage and placed it, screen side up, on the bottom of the hive under the middle frames. The worker bees would be able to see the queen and would eat through the candy "plug" on the end of her cage to release her.
Next, I banged the box on a brick paver to shake the bees down and away from the top. Using the hive tool, I pried up and removed the can of syrup from the box. The can serves as both a food source (there's a tiny hole poked in it to release small amounts of syrup for the bees) and a seal during transit.
Now the bees were ready to "load." Turning the box upside down, I shook it hard, dumping the bees out through the opening where the syrup can had been and down into the hive box. It took a good bit of shaking and banging each side of the box with my hands to get most of the bees out. As I replaced the removed frames down into the box, I was amazed at how easily the bees moved aside to accommodate them. Finally, I set the box down on the ground in front of the hive so the bees that were left inside could eventually fly out and into their new home.
Next the inner cover and cover were placed on the hive. I used the contents of the syrup can to fill the feeder and inserted it into the hive. And there you have it, new hive installed.
Today, almost a week later, I wanted to check and see if the workers had released the queen from her cage. (Rule #1: ALWAYS have the smoker going!)
The girls had done their job — the queen's cage was empty! A quick inspection of the frames showed lots of pollen and sugar-syrup storage. I didn't see any capped brood yet but thought I saw some larvae, so I do think the hive is "queen right."
Apollo and Rocky were both busy. I removed the entrance reducers I'd put on during the swarming and robbing weeks, so now they have better ventilation. There's comb being built out in the top boxes but no honey yet. Maybe in the fall! The swarms taught me that I'd chosen to make bees rather than make honey, but that's not a bad thing — our environment can certainly use more pollinators.
Currently soliciting suggestions of names for the new hive; winner to be announced soon!
