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Author Topic: Today is the day!  (Read 4049 times)

Offline ZuniBee

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Today is the day!
« on: April 09, 2007, 07:38:21 am »
I'm off on the three hour drive to pick up my four packages of bees. I have been waiting for this day for a long time...I will finally actually be a "beekeeper". The hives are ready, the syrup mixed, video camera is ready, and my back is even half ready. I'll post pics and video later tonight.

Have a great Monday!

Offline Understudy

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #1 on: April 09, 2007, 08:07:37 am »
Congradulations.

Have fun.

Sincerely,
Brendhan
The status is not quo. The world is a mess and I just need to rule it. Dr. Horrible

Offline MarkR

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #2 on: April 09, 2007, 09:54:04 am »
Have fun!  And let us all know how it goes.

Mark

Offline pdmattox

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #3 on: April 09, 2007, 10:46:35 am »
congratulations and good luck. Can't wait to see the pics and video.

Offline tig

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2007, 10:51:58 am »
best of luck!

Offline Cindi

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #5 on: April 09, 2007, 11:57:50 am »
Zunibee, you got us on the edge, waiting to hear your story and see your pictures.  Best of a beautiful day, good health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service

Offline ZuniBee

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #6 on: April 09, 2007, 03:02:05 pm »
Well I just made it home with 4 packages of buzzing bees so I guess I am officially a beekeeper!

Talk about being overwhelmed! My first thought was "I'm going to dump all these bees out of this cage..am I crazy!"  :shock:

But the more I look at them I can hardly wait to see them in the hive. However, I'm going to wait about 2 hours letting them eat sugar water with honey b healthy that I am spraying on them. Hopefully I will get them nice and full (and very sticky) before putting them in their hive.

Dadant in Lynchburg was expecting over 500 people picking up bees today. Took about an hour to get in and out with the bees.

More to follow......

Offline ZuniBee

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2007, 07:37:30 pm »
OH MY GOD! What a rush! My experience is totally different than what the books and videos tell you. I mixed my sugar water and then added honey bee healthy. I sprayed the bees in the cage and they started eating from the screen. I sprayed and sprayed. They were extremely lively.

I made videos and am CONSIDERING adding them to ZuniBee.com.....maybe under a new section of Americas Funniest Bee Videos! Nothing went as planned. Thank God I hurt my back. I was going to install the packages without a bee suit since they are supposed to be very calm; however, after reading about AlanJ's experience and knowing that I can not run with my back...I decided to wear full gear without gloves. Well, without gloves for the first package. I opened the first package and took out the queen cage. I had everything ready to put her in the queen muff and mark her. To my surprise, the queen cage had about 8 bees in it. I thought the queen was much bigger than the bees but she really wasn't. Anyway, I went to plan B...not marking the queen!

Hundreds of bees were flying and it was nothing like the videos I saw. In my haste I put the hive together without making sure the frames were tight. So I went back and did that later.

The second one was much better, with gloves! Shaking the bees in the hive. THEN, I remembered BeeMasters way. So for hive three and four I did his method. MUCH easier. Anyway, all four hives are in and the bees are flying everywhere. We sat for a long time watching. I will get some video ready as soon as I can. I am now a beekeeper!

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #8 on: April 09, 2007, 07:57:50 pm »
congratulations!  you now have the equivalent of an outdoor fish tank :-) (or 4)
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2007, 08:25:22 pm »
Hey!
I just got my bees(2 packages) on Thursday!Its Monday afternoon right now and I just finished peeking at them! I got it all on camcorder too! My wife did that part. So far my bees in one hive are flying around a little and the other hive isnt doing much of anything, just a big glob of bees. I didnt see the queen, or any drawn comb or much of anything in either hive, but the glob of bees.We did go from about 80 degrees down to where it was snowing on Saturday!It snowed and was about 45 degrees! Shoot, I dont even know if the queens are still alive!. I'm using the Dadant ez frames but, as you probably already know, there's tons of different opinions on different types of foundations/frames to use so I'm at a point that I dont know if I've done anything right!..One thing I do know....My wife, my neighbor Paul and myself are having a great time walking around in the yard with our bee suits on!
I REALLy am having a blast with the bees though..I mean, I was even about to ball when I was going to the post office to pick them up!
 Ok,...I hope your fun is as much as mine! I cant wait till I get stung like everyone else!
 Eventually I will be able to write to people and do pictures here but theres a "probation period" sort of and I cant do that stuff yet.
your friend,
john

Offline AllanJ

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #10 on: April 09, 2007, 09:16:24 pm »
Great job ZuniBee.. it really isn't like all those video's and books. Everyone I watch prior to install made it look like they just fall out and take up home, and with a smile.

Offline buzzbee

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #11 on: April 09, 2007, 09:24:46 pm »
Great Job Zunibee!!
Welcome to the world of beekeepers.
Johnnybigfish.
Your queens are probably at the center of that Blob of bees. Are they still in their cages or did you release them?If it's cold and they are clustering,I wouldn't bother them other than to fill a feeder.

Offline MarkR

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #12 on: April 09, 2007, 09:33:23 pm »
Fantastic Zunibee!  Can't wait to see the video. 

Mark

Offline Mklangelo

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #13 on: April 09, 2007, 11:10:20 pm »
I'm off on the three hour drive to pick up my four packages of bees. I have been waiting for this day for a long time...I will finally actually be a "beekeeper". The hives are ready, the syrup mixed, video camera is ready, and my back is even half ready. I'll post pics and video later tonight.

Have a great Monday!

I'm excited just reading about the beginning of your adventure!  If your half as hyped as me, you'll be high as a kite all the way there and back!


Good luck!

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Offline Cindi

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Re: Today is the day!
« Reply #14 on: April 10, 2007, 09:42:31 am »
Good jobs, guys.  Enjoy the world of beekeeping, you will always be excited about all the new things that you are going to see and learn.  Have the best day, and wonderful health.  Cindi
There are strange things done in the midnight sun by the men who moil for gold.  The Arctic trails have their secret tales that would make your blood run cold.  The Northern Lights have seen queer sights, but the queerest they ever did see, what the night on the marge of Lake Lebarge, I cremated Sam McGee.  Robert Service