We did pick up the package of bees in Navasota this morning. We had a beautiful drive up there-blue bonnets everywhere! We got back before noon and got to work hiving them right away!
The queen cage-the workers will eat their way into the box she's in and let her out in the next few days.
Shaking the 10,000 worker bees into their new home-with Tim's help.
All tucked in and ready for their new lives on Yeager Farm! Sugar water feeder full and hay stuffed into opening to help keep robbing down until they get established and strong!
Then on to bees #2 for the day. Our county commissioner had let Jeff know several months ago that he'd cut a tree in his pasture that had bees in it-he even captured some and brought them to church in a jar to make sure they were honeybees! So we went over to their house to check on getting them. Our friend Tom, who used to have many, many hives, went along to help out and give MUCH needed advise!! Above is a picture of where they are going in and out of the tree.
Jeff is beginning to cut away the tree on either side of what they determined to be the hollow part. This is where all the excitement started. Note that he is in t-shirt and cap!
Immediately after taking that picture, the bees went on attack!! I had to get out of there very quickly with Kaytlynn and Jordan. They were all in his hair and did end up stinging him right in the middle of his forehead. Kaytlynn and I didn't get stung, but Mac and Jeff did as well. You have to understand, the bees were very docile up until this moment. We had even been sitting on the log next to the entrance!
Remember me mentioning the cap and t-shirt? Now notice the longsleeve shirts and bee veils!! LOL! They continued with the cutting and also got out the smoker which REALLY calmed the bees down. Hindsight is 20/20-should have got all the equipment out FIRST!
Jeff giving Kaytlynn a hunk of honeycomb fresh from the hive-Yummy!
Jordan got a special treat-a lesson on how to work a backhoe. He was in hog heaven-even after being stung by a bee! He got to dig a hole-then fill it back in.
Is this not the face of sweet? No, really, she had honey all over her hands and face-it was dripping off her fingers and here we are down in the woods with no water to rinse off with. It's a wonder the bees weren't after her! We keep telling people she's our little bee-charmer. She's never really been scared of them and even when we were trying to make our hasty retreat, the bees weren't after her-only Jordan. She will tell you real fast, though, that one was in her hair!
We left the log in the woods and will go back on Monday evening to try to hive them. They have a plan on what they are going to do, but it will have to wait til nearly dark when most of the bees will be back in the hive and settling down for the night!
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