First Package Install

So today went ok.  After having a spectacular soccer game (Kaiti) down in the Springs, I shot all the way up to Loveland with my trusty 6 year old companion, Ashli.  She was a trooper!  Although she wouldn't get out of the truck at the bee pick up site, on a count of the thousands of bees that greeted us and surrounded our truck, she did great and was soon touching the bees with her bare finger.

When we returned home with the two packages of bees we opened the back of the truck and they came rushing out.  Although our bees were in two wooden boxes, it was very apparent that a lot of bees had hitched a ride on the outside of the box and were now in the back of my truck....Zeke moved to the front...dogs and bees don't mix well.  It was truly amazing how these bees were non aggressive, very gentle, and not interested in us one bit.  Here's a video of one pack in the back of the hive after I took the other tow the back yard:

VIDEO LINK - Bees in the truck

Kaiti and Ashli went with me to the Kois' farm to install the first package.  I was kind of in a hurry because the weather was turning on us and it looked like it was going to rain in about 15 minutes.  So I pulled out the bees, sprayed them down with a little sugar water, and started to work the can out of the box.  It wasn't very easy, but once it came out I was able to pull Queen Latifa's cage out of the box.  It has a little piece of metal attached to it that is great for hanging in between the top bars of the hive.  I got her hung and here's a little ditty that Kaiti, my videographer took, of the process:

VIDEO LINK - Queen Latifa

So with Queen Latifa safely in the hive, with a marshmallow instead of a cork in her doorway, I started to spray down the bees in order to shake them into the hive.  Rather than explain it, you should really watch this video, cause the end is really funny:

VIDEO LINK - Pouring in the Bees

Ok, with most of the bees in the hive I thought all was well until the temp dropped 20 degrees and Jaimi got a weather alert that said 2 inches of snow coming tonight!!!  I'm sick of SNOW!!!!!!  So I made sure the feeder was set and the most of the bees were in the hive.  Then I set the box with the remaining bees outside and that's what I'm worried about...the bees outside the hive.  Probably lose a bunch of bees tonight to the cold weather.

So that's package one install.  I put the other box in my yard hive and will install them tomorrow or Tuesday.  Hopefully better video of that install since it will be at the house.