Our bees arrived last Tuesday and we “installed” them on Wednesday morning. (Installation is the process of putting the bees into their actual hives.) I will admit that at times my heart was racing slightly and my hands had a hint of a tremble. But lots of deep breaths and the calm presence of Dan and my father allowed the process to go quite smoothly.

The end result is this amazing hum of happy bees flying all around our farm now. I knew I was excited about having honeybees here, but I didn’t realize just how giddy I would feel watching them. Pollination is just such a beautiful thing!

Here are some glimpses at the process. The bees arrive in a wire cage:

They get sprayed down with water to slow them down.Here was one of the trickiest parts: lifting out the can of sugar water they traveled with – it’s flush with the wood and difficult to get out.

Here’s the cage-within-a-cage that holds the queen. Getting the piece of cork out of the end so that her workers can eat through the candy plug to release her was THE trickiest part.

We hung her cage between two frames…And dumped the bees over top. Done! (Almost.)

This nasty looking thing is a pollen patty – supplemental feeding just to help during the transition period. Think of it like a new neighbor delivering a casserole dish to your family the day you’re moving into your new home.

Same deal here – sugar water in a hive-top feeder to give them a boost.

A few bees remained in the cage but found their way out soon enough.This is what they found waiting just outside their new doorstep! Delicious crimson clover. (This picture was taken Wednesday afternoon.)

A whole field of it. I think it’s just beautiful. (That’s the greenhouse in the distance.)

Here you can see their hive in the background, looking out onto this field of bounty. We get to take our first peek inside the hive on Monday to see how they are doing. Stay tuned! Here’s hoping for a good queen…