Bees! Bees, bees, bees!

Yes, there it is, we've had the call! The fulfilment of a lifelong obsession! A little late in the year, but there was a swarm to collect and we went. Jon swaddled up from head to toe, climbed a ladder to try and get the swarm from 15 foot up a large tree. Then he remembered there was a hole in the crotch of his trousers. Poor Jon. He'll get better.

We only got half the swarm, because apparently bees are a bit stupid. We left the box all night in the hope of some early risers realising their error, but to no avail. If we left them too long they'd swarm someplace else, so we had to make do. The following morning Jon sealed the cardboard box and drove home while I cleared the area, set up the hive and carried 8 rather weighty brieze blocks down the hill to the hive site. I feel I had the raw end of the deal!

However, it meant that all was ready to go when Jon got back, and the bees could be "firmly tapped" onto the awaiting blanket leading up to the hive...

...where hopefully they smell the beeswax and see the darkness and say "I want to go to there"

I try to take videos while Jon keeps repeating "please let there be a queen here". I then get photobombed by a bee (0:39 on the video).

 

We are beekeepers! Also, bee suits are for wimps ;-)