So some of you may have heard my newest hobby....yes it is true, I am going to be a bee keeper! Call me crazy people, but I am "super" (if you are into bee-lingo, note the "super" pun - if not, see "bee"low) excited about this.
Yesterday it arrived....my beehive!
No there were no bees in the hive, just all the hardware. Apparently there have yet to "bee" any major technological gains in the beekeeping world, as evidenced by the screw up in my order resulting in a box full of frame pieces I have to assemble. Now, I ordered 30 frames, so this is going to take me a while!
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Definition: frames -
n what you put into the hive body for the bees to draw comb, for the queen to lay eggs, and for nectar/honey to "bee" stored
I ordered unassembled hive bodies and supers....
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Definition: hive body -
n the large box in which you place the frames; this is where the bees live and work
super -
n a smaller hive body where the bees store their honey
....so I'm trying to assemble these hive bodies and supers, and lets just say that these ain't no IKEA items! Nothing is fitting quite right, and my arms are getting very tired from all the pushing and pulling to make these things go together! The whole time I'm thinking, "I have to get this just right....I have to respect the bee space!!!!!"
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Definition: bee space -
n approximately 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch; a space that is large enough for a bee to pass through, but small enough to discourage comb building
....so I'll keep you posted, but for now, it looks like I am going to "bee buzzing" around this job for awhile! After I assemble these finely crafted pieces of equipment (tongue way way way in cheek here) I have to paint them. I'm thinking of hot pink, any other ideas????
The bees arrive mid-May, so stay tuned!
On a totally different note, the cherry blossoms were just as lovely as ever this year!
