The Girls Arrived!

Picked up the package of bees tonight after work. It was the neatest experience to walk into the garage at Free State Bees and hear the hum of thousands of bee wings! The odd loose bee would slowly buzz around our heads and I'm totally enthralled with these little creatures.

Holding the package for the 6 mile ride home allowed me to really study the bees up close in a way that I never have before. Most of the girls were clustered around the queen and the swarm seemed to almost breathe as one, moving with the sway of the vehicle. I could easily pick out the drones with their larger size.

Installation of the package into the hive will have to wait until tomorrow as I had a class tonight. The bees are settled in on the floor of the garage. Checking on them after dark and in the cooler temperature, I got a good sense of what they will be like once inside the hive. Where this afternoon there was much movement, tonight the bees are nearly all still. I watched them for some time as I know this was a rare opportunity to experience the bees in this state.

So, the hive body has been readied, the stand is in place in the garden and I've reviewed how to install the package of bees. Tomorrow is move-in day!