I got the word early this morning that the bees are at exit 30 of the NJ Turnpike and should get here around 9AM. I think that it will not be until 9:30 or 9:45, unless they are flying low. It is 8:30 now and I just finished staging things so I can install the packages.
I have two hives ready. Each has frames with drawn comb left over from honey harvesting. Some of them are still sticky with honey. In the middle of each hive is a frame with a half a frame of capped honey. These are frames that I decided not to harvest because they were not full frames or had some uncapped honey on them.
Next to each hive is a top feeder ready to go with screening on the top so I can fill the hives without getting bees in my hair.
I have to order some more deep hive hoxes and frames for when the bees fill the first one up.
I may have as many as 7 hives this years, if Martha lives, but there were streaks of Nosema on the front of Martha’s hive. I don’t expect her to make it.
I am calling the new hives Justine and Ethel. Last summer they were very strong, but the winter was rough and only the Russian hives lived. The Italian hives could not take the prolonged cold weather in the single digits that we had in January.
I am bringing the camera, but in the excitement I may not take many pictures. If the pictures come out, I’ll post them tonight.
