The bees are here!!

 This past week was very exciting for our homesteading venture. We picked up the bees and now we having thousands of livestock living here with us!

Mara went with me to pick up our bees. We had to drive to a place about 45 minutes from here. Because we were going in the direction of the grain mill where we get our wheat and corn we went there as well. We got our grain first and then headed over to get our bees. When we got there was saw a bunch of people mostly all dressed up in bee suits and then nuc boxes all over the place. There were also a bunch of bees in the air.

  Mara and I suited up, paid for our nucs (We had to pay $75 dollars per hive- I am curious if that is similar to the prices others are paying.) and got in line to pick ours up. The bees had been brought up from Texas. We took our hives (which I had prepared but nailing the bottom board on using little pieces of boards and then filling the doorway with screening so they couldn't use it right now) out of the back of the van and a man came over with a nuc box and put the 4 frames, which where completely full of bees and eggs, into our deeps/hives. I had already removed frames at home so there would be space. I also put the feeder inside put I hadn't filled it yet.

 When the Bee guy was putting the bees in we were standing within a huge swarm of bees. I was so happy that it didn't bother Mara or I at all- we weren't afraid, just terribly excited! We didn't get any stings either- none of us have yet in our beekeeping experience of 5 days. :-)

  We had been told we would probably have a few bees lose in the van with us when we went home. I think the few was more like quite a few! We did leave our bee outfits on and had fun looking at the bees that came and sat on us. We started naming them. :-)

 The next day we suited up. Aaron got to wear Mara's outfit and Jonathan desperately wanted to help so we made some other stuff work (I need to make some more good outfits soon!).  We successfully used the smoker but then it didn't really seem like the bees actually needed it. They didn't seem at all bothered by us looking in on them.

 I filled their feeder with sugar water and the medicine that prevents Nosema (Fumagillan). I also put 1/2 of a pollen patty on the top of the frames, sprinkled medicine to prevent American Foulbrood around the edges and put in a beetle trap. I did lift a frame out to show the boys all the bees but found out later from my mentor that I shouldn't really have taken them out of the deep quite yet.

  The bees have been very "well behaved" and we are loving watching them! They are finding tons of pollen and we love seeing them come back to the hive with the bright yellow pollen on their legs.

 We have done some other homesteading projects as well.

 My Dad had a bunch of extra Garlic plants and so we planted a bunch here. My friend Irindee came over to help us several times this past busy week. She was helping to plant garlic in the picture above. (If you notice the barrettes in her hair- that is not her normal style but she had a special stylist that day- Megan.)

We also put up a fence for our bee yard.

 The kids are digging a trench for the electricity for the fence. It is needed to make sure that bears and skunks stay away.

 It was a fun week and I am looking forward to another fun one this week!