Thread by @rossy65, tweet.I never in a million years thought I would be a bee [...]

tweet.
I never in a million years thought I would be a bee keeper. My first memory of bees is being stung at 5 on my tricycle which ruined an otherwise great day of cruising up and down the sidewalk.
1/

My wife & I were on a nature hike and the local bee club and city sponseeed a “pollinators” event. Showing kids bees hives etc. and we started chatting about this in June of last year. By the time we decided it would be a good idea to start, it was too late to start a hive.
2/

But I purchased some cedar hive kits and built them with my grandson. Bought a bee suit, joined a bee club to learn.
And the smoker etc. learned to place the bee order in November December and pick up in April. Cool. Bee classes are in Feb/March.
3/

Feb/March sick. Missed Bee classes due to ?cold? And COVID19 lockdown canceled hands on bee classes.
Bees? Oh bee seller figures a way to comply with no contact social distancing and payment. I paid remainder of $250 bal. 4/

April 4 (Saturday) I force myself to wake up at 5:50. Still with mild cold symptoms and drag myself into the shower. Face mask and car head to bee pickup. I’m thinking here we go bees loose inside the car is worst case scenario, bring bee suit. 5/

Bee pickup undventful. I’m exhausted on drive home. What was I thinking? I have to transfer bees today! Actually was told I could wait 1-2 days but chance of bee swarming if bees outgrow the small cardboard box they are in. Great, I can delay, but get SWARMING. Cool.6/

Get home uncork box. Couple of bees fly out and say Hey FU! Get the hell away we’re uncomfortable! Then the bees just chill. I take a much needed nap.
7/

Then after the nap I figure better today. Suck it up and bee suit up. With my added COVID-19 pounds...suit doesn’t fit. Hint ‘they sell just the veil.’
Learned Saturday that to make things look easy, bee keeper videos edit out the required 10 minute wait between 8/

Smoking the hive with the smoker and opening the box to play with the bees. This gives them time to react to the smoke and ‘Netflix and chill’.
Ok so I transfer the 5 frames but have lots of PISSED OFF bees by frame 2. No way am I going to take time to find the queen. This 9/

This was not going like the video.
Bees gout into the veil (2 bees)
Got stung under the nose.
But bees moved into new home. Whew. Now I have 7 days before I have to open up the hive again to inspect.
Oh yeah...everything wants to kill your bees, so you have to check on them /11

Mites, bacterial parasites yuck yuck yuck. But as a result beehives are not a set it and forget it Ronco Honey Making Machine.
Ok so now you are up to Saturday.
That’s when all hell appears to break loose in front of the hive.
Lots of bees

just like in the cartoons Buzzing 12

So I google and think ROBBING! OMG the Beehives near the Blueberry orchard have found the sugar water here and my poor bees are under attack. Went back outside..no. Lots of bees but no fighting. This could mean they have already killed the guard bees and queen! OMG?
Naw. /13

OK I e only had one cup of coffee. So this thread is hosed.
What is actually going on is bees at about 20 days enter their last phase of life and leave quarantine to head out into the big wide world. There are helper “instructor bees” they fan pheromones into the air 15/

That say “home is this way!”
The new student pilot bees walk out on the porch...and launch fly out about 18-24 inches turn 180 degrees and hover around like drunk sailors or just new airplane pilots. Trying not to run into each other. They are learning both to fly, and to /16

Latest Threads Unrolled: