Day 2: Installing Newly-Made Nucs

I barely slept the first night after installing the bees. And when I did, I dreamt about them with great joy. First thing Tuesday it was time to install the the two new nucs. Zaga came out, and while the contractors worked around us, we suited up and rehomed bees. The contractors unloaded the minivan for me and took out my new hybrid hive--it is so pretty! We set it up so that I can get to all the appropriate sides as I need to (viewing window in the back, top bars in the front, and Langstroth brood in the front left). Then we leveled it, and prepared it for its new occupants. First I took out five frames and replaced them with the divider feeder 2/3 full of sugar water (with sticks floating in the bottom of it so the bees have something to climb out on if they fall in), and the four frames. I carefully smoked the bees as I went and when all the frames were in, I gently took the cork out of the bottom of the queen cage (by the candy) and tacked it between two of the center frames. Then I moved on to the Flow hive.

The Flow hive is what kickstarted me into bees (pun intended) though I have wanted to keep them--or have them keep me--for years. The Flow is essentially a Langstroth brood box with a super duper honey super on top that can be cracked open so the honey just flows out. I am looking forward to seeing that flow, but it's probably going to be next year before I have any surplus honey. For the Flow set-up, I did everything just as I did for the previous Lang, and then I removed the Flow honey super on top so there was only the brood box left. I did that for all of the hives as you don't want to give the bees too much hive space to have to manage--that's a good way to get a hive beetle infestation.

So Day 2 felt pretty good, like I had everything under control. But then came Day 3 and everything went to hell. Stay tuned...