Annette and Aaron of Hansen Hives came over today to drop off our new
beehive. Sam and I watched eagerly as they unloaded each piece and assembled the hive in a back corner of our little yard. Annette explained the purpose of each part as she put it together.
The bees fly in at the bottom and up into the chamber of combs.
Beneath that is a mite trap, apparently there's a certain kind of mite that bothers bees, so they try to control it with a mesh thing at the bottom. There's so much to learn that I hadn't even thought about!
The
queen lives in the box where the honey is (it may be called something
like a super? The names of the various components are eluding me) and there's a metal
grate over the top so that she can't get out (due to her large
derriere), but the workers, who are much smaller, can get in to wait on
her and meet her every whim (at least that's how I imagine life as
Queen Bee).
The
next level will initially hold syrup since the hive is empty and they
won't have the copious amounts of food storage to live on that bees are famous for. The workers can climb up there and
drink from the syrup, but there's wire mesh over it so they don't fall
in and drown. Later we'll fill it with water for them to sip from in the hot summer months.
The
silver cover over the top is to keep the rain off. And the elegant
cinder block is to keep the neighborhood cats and other curious
critters out of the honey.
Clayton promised to sculpt something more appealing to perch atop the hive in place of the very utilitarian block. I'm so excited to see the process unfold and to be able to eventually harvest our own honey. Oh, how sweet it will taste!
Next Saturday the bees arrive!
