Tomorrow is an exciting day ... I go on an adventure with a friend to collect my first ever bee hive, complete with a strong colony of bees! This involves loading a beehive into the boot of my car after dark, when the bees will all be 'asleep'. Lets hope they aren't in the habit of staying up late on Bank Holiday weekends. I then have a 3 hour drive, after dark, with my friend for moral support and navigation ... we will both be wearing beesuits just incase the bees escape into the car. I'm told that on the rare occasion this does happen, that they tend to all congregate on the rear window. Can you imagine what we will look like driving in white suits, I hope the Guards will not be out with any roadchecks that night! All we need is a geiger counter to complete the look. I must have faith that this is all going to go according to plan!!!
We arrive home roughly around midnight, when the hive will need to be carried to its final destination, where its doors can be opened ready for when the bees wake at sunrise, yawn, stretch their wings, walk to their front door and exclaim 'what the?'. They will immediately notice their surroundings have changed and will begin orientation flights. These begin with the bees flying a few feet from the door, back and forth, each time going a little further. This is how they imprint the landmarks in their heads and are able to find their way home to the hive after foraging.
I'm all set ... I have an inhabited beehive on the way, a good bee book called Guide to Bees and Honey by Ted Hooper, a bee suit, a smoker, and a hive tool. Thats everything I need to get started, all I lack are experience and confidence!
If there are any aspiring or active County Leitrim or Sligo beekeepers out there perhaps you'd like to attend a meeting at which a club for each of these counties will be established. The meeting is being organised and hosted by Sue Anthony, a respected Co Sligo commercial beekeeper. Her cottage is 5 minutes from Gurteen, the meeting will be at 8pm Thursday 21st June. Email me for directions.
How fabulous having your own hive. Your post made me smile as I imagined your silent dark journey with the bees in the boot. Good luck with them. Are you keeping them for pollination or honey, or both?
We have blue banded bees in our garden at the moment. Two have found us and it's lovely seeing them when they visit.
http://www.geocities.com/brisbane_wasps/BlueBandedBees.htm
Posted by: rhondajean | June 02, 2007 at 10:14 PM
Holy crap! Bee careful, and good luck!
Posted by: hedgewizard | June 02, 2007 at 11:00 PM
I'm tellin' ya, Rebecca, it's as if you lurked into my mind and are actually doing what I've been thinking about! All the best with the bees.
One question, if you have to drive with 'em after dark, when will that be? 2am? Days are pretty long here at present......! :-)
Posted by: a simple yarn | June 03, 2007 at 08:33 AM
Am thinking about you and your potentially perilous journey - hope all goes well and those bees settle in and start giving you some delicious honey!
Posted by: julie | June 03, 2007 at 08:50 PM
Good Luck with the bees!!
Posted by: fibrespace | June 04, 2007 at 09:12 AM
Another exciting chapter in "My Vicarious Life." Thank you.
Posted by: Vallen Queen | June 04, 2007 at 05:10 PM
Those blue-banded bees are beautiful, rhondajean! I haven't seen a bee around here yet (suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, USA). There was one wasp, a month ago, landing and getting itself entangled in my daughter's hair (maybe it was the shampoo she never allows us to rinse out). I gently removed it. The other moms in the sandbox holding their breath. Amie didn't even notice. Then I let it go. One mom commented on how I should have killed it, because now it could sting the other kids. I was debating on how to respond when a grandma (Russian) commented that was "a stupid thing to say". There! Then a debate (quite civilized) began about allergies. People in the States are so... allergic!
Well, there was my "bee" story: not even about a bee. I wonder where they are...
Posted by: kaat at Mamastories | June 05, 2007 at 03:00 PM