Today starts a new adventure. Twenty-six years ago I took an apiculture class at OSU. After a bit of a wait, I finally got my own bees. Four two-pound packages of Italian bees arrived at Glory Bee Honey on Friday. They were picked up by my neighbor Robert, who is also part of the Amazon Bee Co-op. One package was his, a second was Erik's (another neighbor), a third was for the Reach Center (which I will manage), and the fourth were my very own.

Robert and I had anticipated installing all four packages Friday afternoon, but it was raining, so we decided it was best to delay a day. Saturday morning we awoke to cold and heavy, steady rain. The satellite picture revealed cloud that stretched all the way to Hawaii. My heart sank. I warmed some sugar water to a very tepid temperature and sprayed our bees gently, hoping to keep them happy. I had read that cold, hungry bees could be nasty; although usually a new package of bees is fairly gentle.

We waited, I with fingers and toes crossed. With nothing else to do I read about Kenyan top bar hives (TBH). Our co-op had built a number of them this spring (see article on main bee page). This style of hive simulates a fallen log and doesn't require lifting heavy, full supers. Being a smaller-sized woman, I felt it would be easier to handle. These hives require more consistent management, removal of full frames when the hive is full, and moving honey to the back so brood can be nearer the entrance.

Saturday arrived. No rain, but the temperature was 40 degrees. Yikes! Would it rain before the temperature climbed enough for bees to be able to fly? We waited. By 11 am, there was still no rain. My neighbor Dan & Lise's bees were flying and the temperature was 50 degrees. It was time.

Robert & I assembled our gear. Robert had never handled his bees & was nervous. "Are you nervous?" he asked me. "Yes, but I'm trying not to tell that to the bees," I replied. Some bee keepers work without a veil. I however, stuffed my pant cuffs in my socks, tucked in my hair, zipped my vest to my chin, and donned both veil and gloves. With time, I may leave the gloves behind, but I will always where my veil. Stings to the head and face are serious.

I handled the bees. Robert helped with the sugar water spray, getting the cork plug out of the queen cages & the gummy bear plugs in. First I rapped the package firmly downward to drop the bees to the floor. Then I took out the sugar feeding can & removed the queen cage. We inspected the queens. All four were alive & looked good. We switched the cork for candy (this allows her workers to eat her out of her cage, but slows them down so they get used to her smell--she's a fertile queen, but they did not raise her).

After placing the queen cage on a top bar I poured most of the bees into the hive. We sprayed them with sugar water, replaced all top bars, and closed the hives. The package with some remaining bees was placed nearby & a sugar feeder was put with both Robert's & Erik's warre hives. I put loose sugar on the floor of both Kenyan hives & sprayed it to dampen (otherwise, house bees would remove it).

All four installations went smoothly, other than Robert's and my adrenaline levels. No stings, no lost queens. After several hours, all four hives looked active & the original packages were empty of bees.

Day 1: so far, so good. Happy foraging girls!