Thanks, Cindy.
Okay part two.
IN the coupe of weeks i have been invilved with beekeeping and beekeepers, I have discovered that no two beeks do things the same way. Forexample, te guy wo sold me my bees does not believe in saving honey for the bees. So he took every last drop off the hives and we loaded them into my truck, The way he figures, honey is worth more than sugar, so take the honey and feed the bees. So my bees went a week with basically no food reserve. The first thing I had to do after moving the bees was to feed them. So followed recipe for syrup and made two candy boards for the "super" hives, that had no frame feeders. After doing this I oticed that there was one hive lef that had ot received ood and so I made upa quick gallon and went back to the hive to feed them.
I removed the cover and then the queem excluder. I set them down beside me and poured the syrup into the feeder I had brought. I the realized the feeling of insects crawling up my pant leg. I had set he excluder, which was full of bees, right next to my foot, and the pant leg had not been "taped -up". As I felt the first stig I instinctively grabbed at my ankle, drawng the attentin of dozens more bees! I made a run for it! After a hundred yards or so, most of the bees gave up, but about a dozen or so chased me as far as I wanted to go. Another sting on my ankle, ouch!
Because of this experience, I realized a few things. First, I will save some honey for the bees next year so I will not have to bother them so often. I am not looking forward to being attacked every week for the next four months. Second, I think I'll simply make up candy boards next year for all of my hives. One visit takes care of them for some time. I also will make sure not leave myself "open" anywhere, especially if I have been messing with them too often. I simply do not at this point understand people who tend bees without protection on. Had I not been protected no doubt would have been stung a hundred times by now.
BUt honestly, I think as I figure things out, this should slow down some. Maybe the bees will trust me more if I would stop disrupting them so much.
Thughts?