From A to Bee(54)

No wonder it was nerve-wracking – I simply didn't know what I was about to do. I was used to using traditional hives, and the Beehaus was something completely different, requiring a different way of working. Most of this was due to its size but it also makes you work a certain way. Whereas with the National hive I can work the frames from behind the entrance, the Beehaus forces you to work from the side which I suspect will feel a little awkward. This along with the fact that I was about to perform a manoeuvre I had only seen on YouTube didn't help matters – I would be flying by the seat of my pants! Not a good thing.



All day, in the quiet moments, I was working out exactly what I had to do and was trying to formulate a plan. I hadn't really had time to play around with the Beehaus since I built it. I still hadn't put any frames in or any cover boards on. I obviously haven't learned from my previous planning issues, or maybe it is just that beekeeping is not quite suited to those who have a child, a pregnant wife and a full-time job. I would like to think it is the former, personally.



Evening arrived and Sebastian was tucked up nicely in bed. Tentatively I made my way up to the allotment, reworking the plan in my head. I had made the feed in advance to add on at the end so I knew this was all OK but I was still worried about everything else.



I got to the hive and sure enough there was no activity outside so most must have been inside, which was a good sign. I laid out all the equipment I needed on the ground within easy reach and went to light the smoker. It lit first time. I smoked the entrance and the three or four bees poking their heads out dashed inside; I quickly popped in the bung and felt quite satisfied that part one of the plan had come off. I could now move the nucleus and prepare the hive for them without bees flying all over the place and wondering what was happening with their home; and more importantly, I didn't have to rush.



I got all the frames in place (the nucleus only comes with five frames and so I had to make sure I had more in the hive to fill it up and give them room to expand) and then started on the bees. It is funny; this was only the third time I was dealing with bees on my own and I felt so much more relaxed about it now. In fact that calmness that beekeepers talk about was starting to take effect. However, I had to be on top of my game here and so I continued.



After giving the bees a puff through the gauze hole in the lid and then struggling for a bit with the sticky tape holding it all together, the lid came off. They were so calm compared to what I was used to with the other hive. It was lovely, and so I started to slowly remove the first frame. It was only at that point that I realised I had done something incredibly stupid – I had left the hive tool in the shed! I am not sure how as I felt so organised, everything was laid out similar to the way that you lay your clothes out on the bed before you go on holiday. This was comparable to forgetting your pants. I had left myself open to the elements but I just had to get on with it.



Fortunately, the frames came out relatively easily. Slowly I inspected each frame and placed them one by one into the hive. It was all rather nice but I was desperate to find the queen. Nothing on the first four frames and yet I knew this queen was marked with a small dab of paint on her thorax to make her easier to spot; a common thing to do amongst beekeepers. I was beginning to think that it was my eyesight that was the problem.



However, on the final frame there she was. It was like a eureka moment; I felt so chuffed as this was the first time I had ever found my own queen and quite unexpectedly I shouted out 'Hey there, Queenie!' I was so pleased and yet also relieved as I knew that I did have the ability to spot the queen. My God, I thought, she is massive.



Suffice to say, I got them all into the hive safely and put all the bits back in the right places. My plan came together and I felt rather pleased with myself. I had worked out how to deal with a hive that no one locally has used and secondly I had found the queen.



On this lovely Saturday evening, therefore, I am feeling on top of the world – till tomorrow, and my attempt to change the floors on the other hive; that will take planning to a whole new level.





JUNE 27



There is something quite satisfying about going up to a hive after putting a new set of bees inside and seeing them flying around quite happily. It is nice knowing that I must have done something right for them as they seem to be carrying out their orientation flights to familiarise themselves with local landmarks, and I have seen a couple of them flying into the hive with pollen attached to their legs.



There is one slight concern, however; I am not sure if the Beehaus is 'bee-tight'. They seem to be sneaking in somewhere other than the entrance as there is a lot of activity at one of the gaps between the supers. I have closed up the gap to the best of my abilities and will see if it makes a difference. I must check this later.