My New York City Bee Adventure... Day 1 and Day 2

Day 1
May 3rd 2012

WOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!! ... I got my Bee's.... Ok so here is the story:

At 4:30pm tonight I went to pick up my Nuc. I was told to bring my hive so I would not have to leave a deposit for the Nuc Box... So I packed my wifes minivan with a Deep , bottom board , inner cover , outer cover & Jacket and off I went...Then I realized I forgot my tiedown straps in my car... Quick stop at Lowes and got another set. I was excited like a kid on Christmas.. Had to drive about 40 min..Thank GOD for GPS ... I still blew past it.

So I pull in to the drivway and told to follow The Golf cart.. I pull up to about 20 nucs and 10 hives... Sally of Bee Hive Barn said that the first one is mine. and i should get my hive. as I get the hive she puts on her jacket and lights her smoker. She asked if I wanted to look for the queen and move the frames to my hive or wanted her to do it for me.. I said Nope I'll do it...

So I put on my Jacket and headed over.. She smoked the Nuc and handed me a hive tool. I got the cover right off. Then she told me to Remove the frames and look for the queen. No gloves and I went for it .She told me that she was marked "Yellow"... It was on the first frame.. Found her right away...COOL ... Very Gentle bees.. 1 or 2 buzzed me a few times but that was it.

I put the rest of the frames in the Deep put the covers on and straped them together. We then Taped an entrence reducer over the entrence and loaded it back in the minivan. And I drive back to the office to pay. I also buy a Hive Moving bag.. but keep that in the front seat with me...lol

Ok so I get home with out any issues... set up the hive in my yard and put the feeder I figured it would only take a few seconds.. I a beekeeper now... No gloves before so no jacket and no smoke now... Before everyone thinks I got stung .. I didn't.. But I wound do that again.... This is why...



Once it's all set up I go in the house to make the 1:1 feed... while I am in the kitchen I start to hear som buzzzzzing... Yep I found out that Bees like to hitch rides on shirts... THANK GOD the wife was not home or I would be sleeping in the car.. So I cought her and let he go outside... I fill the feeder and re-cover everything. ... Go in the house and sit down to eat some dinner... As I am eating I go to scratch my side and feel something under my shirt.. BINGO,,, another Bee. I take my shirt off and it looks like She tried to sting me because it looks like she is dragging her venom sack behind her. Grabed her and let her go out side too...



So I got my Bees ... had two close call near stings and had fun... Not bad for a first day...       

 

Day 2
May 4th , 2012

I woke up today wanting to run out and open the hive ( Dont worry I didn't..lol) . What stinks is I have been waiting months to get them and now I have them and I still have the high.. I figured It would go away but nope.. still excited... think even more ... I may if the weather is good on Sat pull up a chair and a book and sit near the hive just to watch whats going on...

Ok so day 2...@ 10:00 am, and more pics...It rained this am and there is an overcast.. just wanted to see if any of the girls were out.. and they Were ...I guess it was Orientation Flights.. about 5-6 out at a time gust doing a few passes around hive then back in

Sooo the story of Day 2 continues....It's about 2:30pm and I am getting ready to go in to work when my neighbor "Cathy"calls..

Cathy:" Michael, I just let the dog out in the back"
Me "Oh No what happend to Oreo"
Cathy " Nothing he is ok but whats in the White Box in the back yard, You have a bunch of bee's 

              flying around it"
Me (long pause.. never told them)...." Oh yeah its ok its a bee hive "
Cathy(long pause) "so they are going in there... ok...
Me "yeah... I am hive sitting for a friend..(lol)
Cathy "Your Crazy"...

So with that I go out side for some more pics... About 100 bees flying all around the box...