Thursday, May 12, 2016

Install Day: Part 2

As you can tell these posts are happening after the fact, significantly. Install day was May 7th. As of May 11th we have done our queen check but those posts will come in time.

So here goes:

After the less than perfect start I was seriously doubting if I could do this. It was definitely not as easy as all the videos made it seem. Were the bees traumatized by all the shaking? Were they going to leave due to my rough handling? Would the bees left in the package ever leave (I'm not sure they ould have with our the rain) and why were there so many left in he package? My first instinct was to go inside, collect myself, perhaps medicate with a little G and T or wine but I knew I just had to push through and keep going, lets I just give up or the smell of my "medication" offend the bees. So we went to the next hive, the Genovese (or De Medici for my mom, who doesn't think the mob thing is funny, and the first hive is called the Borgia). There is no video of this install as I really needed an extra pair of hands so Jack wasn't able. Plus I'm sure no parts of a video of this install would have been internet appropriate due to the fact that I was already in swear mode.

 I tried to remove the feeder and quickly realized that this package did not have an easy to remove syrup can. While the syrup can slid easily out, this contraption (a multi-level system of circular troughs) had several bees feeding out of it and no way to get them out. I could feel/hear their bodies slicing in half as I tried to slide it out to access the queen cage. With each sickening crunch my soul flinched. I didn't go in to beekeeping to kill bees and I felt each death, also practically each bee life is important until a queen bee is laying so I was highly upset by this development. Possibly there was a way to remove the feeder without such carnage but I hadn't seen such a video.

The next awesome thing that happened was that I realized that the queen cage had broken off and was inside the cage.... That's right I had to reach down into the writhing mass of bees and fish it out. Thank god I was wearing gloves. (I regret that there are no pictures of this) The vibration was weird and my hand/cage were covered in bees who really wanted to be there. It must of taken a full minute to get them off so I could de-cork the cage and put in the candy plug. I then smacked the cage with more force and Jack jumped in to help me shake it really hard. As a result almost 100% were out in two shakes. I quickly closed up the hive, slapped on the feeder and done. After we brushed off all the bees clinging to our clothes and went inside where my dad had a nice cold G&T waiting.... (for medication purposes of course)
The Genovese (notice the really empty package?)


PS: I fussed over the bees or several hours including freaking out that they didnt have enough oxygen, that the feeders might not be working (starvation) or that they'd never leave the package and go into the hive, until the rain came. The next day it rained a lot which comforted me because I knew they were trapped and couldn't go anywhere.

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