We’ve actually been beekeepers now for a few months… We had been talking about getting bees… And by “we” I mean Mike… He had done all the research, watched the videos, read the books… and convinced Kathryn and I that it was a great idea (I mean, honey! AND, Beeswax that we can make ALL KINDS OF STUFF with!!)… Sean, on the other hand, was NOT convinced… But, he’s 13, and generally not convinced about any of the crazy ideas we have. So… We ordered 2 NUC’s and the hives to put them in, went to pick them up and so, we were proud keepers of what seems like a gajillion bees! We got just a couple of pics… I had grand plans for pictures and video of the installation of those hives, but my cameraman (the one who was NOT convinced that this is a good idea) chickened out on me and taking video on my phone requires you to take your hand OUT of your glove :) Anyway… 2 hives were CLEARLY not enough… and as of today… we might have 5… ummm, yeah, OK, we have 5… 5 beehives… we might be crazy… but in our defense… well, we don’t have a defense, we’re crazy… It’s ok :) Here’s a (very short) video from this evening of our happiest hive :) 2 of the hives are NUC’s so they were established, and got going pretty quick, one was quicker than the other still… The other 3 were packages, so had to accept a queen and establish themselves, so slower going, but doing OK (the last package is brand new, ordered months ago, just came in now, we have fingers crossed, it was WAY late, we would NEVER order from those clowns again… live and learn)…
and just a couple pictures
This is a pic of the 2 NUC hives, the one of the right has a honey super on top :) the package hives are on the other side of the shed, so you can’t see them in the pic…
a close up of the entrance to the hive :) Happy busy bees :) coming and going!
Literally, they just do their thing… We go out and check on them to make sure they’re ok now and then. But, they just do their thing! We inspect the hive to make sure that there’s no bad things (like mites etc, so we can take care of them appropriately) and that’s it. We look for good brood pattern, and honey etc. We know better what to look for :) we reach in comfortably :) and aren’t afraid of the gagillion bees that are in there… it’s really, really cool. And, soon, we’ll have some of our very own honey! Plus! Mike and I have been going to bee school! It’s the first thing we’ve done together without the kids in years, and NO we are NOT lame :) just in case you were wondering :) Anyway… We love bees!
Might I suggest, and I speak from my Tyngsboro neighbor’s experience, that you place these hives up on something very sturdy and behind at least chest high protective fencing. Bears, yes they do even populate Tewksbury, will come through your yard and knock over (and eat) your gathered honey. They can be, especially wandering juvenile Male Bears which can roam for miles throughout Massachusetts, so destructive and they will cause the Queen to fly away and your beehive colony will collapse or go into shock and sadly die. I don’t want any other critters, nor humans, to get at your precise bees either.