Bee Keeping

This December I decided I should try being an apiarist come spring. It made gift giving for the holidays easy for folks and I am still grateful for the great books my brother Geoffrey gave me and all other bee related monies gifted from many others once I read the books and figured out what I needed.

In January I signed up for a bee class that started in late-February that would fill in the gaps in on my knowledge base. The class will culminate with a package of bees arriving April 15 (thank you to Barbara and Ben for this.)

Last week Karen, Alden and I went to a beehive factory near Coopers Mill Maine and picked up Beehive parts.
The parts we got were enough for one colony of bees . Two deep supers and one medium super, with frames and wax foundations for them all, top covers and a screen bottom board.
The unassembled hives were stored in the basement for about a two weeks until I got around to building them. It was a good to wait because it was fun to do the project with Joseph when he came for his visit.

Like most of my projects, building the hives took longer than expected. Partly because I under-estimate this kind of thing and also because I am a perfectionist about things that probably won't ever matter. (In case you're wondering, Maker's Mark makes the assembly smoother.)
The boxes now need to be painted and then they can then be placed in the backyard.