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Published on April 21, 2008 By Frogboy In Beekeeping

So last year I started beekeeping. I got 3 bee hives. 1 died off and the other two survived the Winter. One of the two has egg laying workers which means the hive is probably doomed.

Yesterday we got 4 boxes of bees to install into new hives. Now, we're talking 2 to 3 pounds of bees per box (mostly 3 pounds each).

So how do you get the bees out of the box? You shake them out. Which, of course, means there are bees all over the place.

Here are some pictures.

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Alex helping with the bees

 

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I was covered with bees. Here's one hanging out behind my ear.

 

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I dropped the queen box into a hive accidentally and had to grab it.

 

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I typically had on me around 50 to 100 bees.

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So you shake the bees into the hive and then some of them in front of the hive and let them walk into the hive (the queen is in the hive and her pheromones attract the others). Then I put the box next to it and hope for the best.

I only got stung 3 times.


Comments
on Apr 21, 2008

Ok, that bee behind the ear pic really freaked me out....

on Apr 21, 2008
Bees dont bother me. Wasps do!

Hope Alex did not get too many stings.
on Apr 21, 2008

Alex didn't get stung at all. The bees preferred me as their pin cushion!

on Apr 21, 2008
I've only been stung twice in my life.

You can keep the ear bees, though...I hate bugs around my ear. I always think they're going to crawl in and get stuck.

~Zoo
on Apr 21, 2008
Alex didn't get stung at all. The bees preferred me as their pin cushion!


There is no greater love than for a father to get stung for his son.
on Apr 21, 2008

I'm allergic to bee stings so we'll have to leave this important job to you.  BTW, I wondered if you are an organic bee raiser.  I read that they organic bees are not having the hive collapse problems. 

on Apr 21, 2008
organic bee raiser.


How does a bee become "inorganic?" Steroids?

~Zoo
on Apr 21, 2008

I'm allergic to bee stings so we'll have to leave this important job to you. BTW, I wondered if you are an organic bee raiser. I read that they organic bees are not having the hive collapse problems.

I don't tend to believe int he whole colony collapse thing and neither do most beekeepers. Bees sometimes abscond. Just usually not with journalists around.

on Apr 22, 2008
Bees sometimes abscond. Just usually not with journalists around.


Damn! No film at eleven!