Terrified
Today I picked up my “bee package” and parked it in a cardboard file box in my office until I could get it home.
For those who don’t know, a bee package is a shoebox sized cage with 10,000 worker bees (3 lbs) and a caged queen in it. These will hopefully be the initial core of a healthy hive that thrives in my garden; if you properly “install” the package in the hive following the 6 or 7 step sequence, there is a high probability that they will settle in to the nice new home you have provided. Still, sometimes, well, “nature happens”…. you just don’t know, they may bolt (actually swarm is the proper term) in search of another place to set up shop.
Truthfully, I was terrified of handling this mass of bees for fear of doing something wrong and blowing the installation. I’d studied the step by step instructions and watched countless you-tube videos and was comfortable I understood what to do.
Still, until you open the top of a 10000 bee box you just don’t know….
I think I didn’t screw it up (how’s that for a confident statement?). If when I check in a couple days the bees have not vanished and have started drawing honey comb out, I’ll call it a success. More to follow.
Who wants bees up their britches? Not me:
Done (the laggards will find their way up into the hive as dusk approaches.)
Behind cohutt's fence 
Pretty cool.
In no time you won’t even put on protective clothing when you work with them. A little smoke and you will bee good to go.
Lol it wasn’t so bad once done but I will trust the net for a good while I’m sure
Regarding the above comment, Never Forget casting complacency.
You always remind me of that slip up… thank you 😉
You forgot to post a picture of your wife cowering in the house with the dog.
Chikins
Awesome! I’ve been tyring my hand at beekeeping for 5 years now. I was mesmerized & terrified at first as well. Have fun! They’ll fit right in with your wonderful garden. They do forage a long way off so it won’t just be your necat & pollen… too bad cuz then you know what they would be making honey out of. ENJOY!!!
I’m looking forward to it – the initial reservation was brief
Well done! The fun begins. Try not to waste too much time just staring in wonder at the “daughters of the light”. (Check out the poem, “The Imperial Mantel” by Victor Hugo for the daughters reference.)
I’ve got 25 hives and I always use protective gear. And I still get stung every once in a while (well, there are a lot of bees around the garden). Many professionals that I have worked with wear no gear and have no fear but they still get stung – it just doesn’t bother them. After 3 years it still bothers me so I keep suited up. My advice is keep them out of your britches for as long as you can. It’s VERY unnerving to feel a lady crawling up your leg when you know she’s going to die either by you squashing her (and slapping your leg silly) or by eviscerating herself by leaving her stinger in your leg.
I see how that will be a problem… staring that is.
I need to find better bungees for my cuffs- these were in a pinch instead of duct tape and cut the circulation off to my feet :0