Ah, the first snakes of Spring...

Yesterday we arrived back home after driving to Navasota, TX to pick up our package of bees. We made an error over the winter and didn't feed them and the whole hive died. We are feeling a little bad about that partly because of the loss of a lot of bugs (and who wouldn't feel bad about that) but also because dead bees stink something terrible and the whole mess had to be cleaned up. We ordered a new Package of bees. A package is a small wood and screen box about 18 inches by 8 by 5. That is a large enough space for approximately 11000 bees. I didn't count them as they squirm around quite a lot and it's difficult to keep track. It sure looked like a lot of bees. The package price has gone up to $100.00 this year, an increase of 10%. It's worth it as I couldn't imagine having to go collect all of them and funnel them into this little box. (Oh, you want bees? just go over to the bulk bin ((clerk points))They're next to the yellow jackets- there's a scoop and some bags. Help yourself!) Your first test of nerve is after the warehouse guy takes a circular saw and cuts one package from another (they are fastened together with wood strips) and hands you a box with some now AGITATED bees. Uh Thanks I say trying to sound like I mean it and very carefully walk out of the warehouse and down the steps to the truck thinking about what would happen if I dropped it. I placed the package into a cardboard box that Kristi thoughtfully brought to keep the bees calm. We talked about painting the inside of the box with a floral scene next time. When we got back home there was a snake at the top of the driveway to meet us. The first snake of the season. Not 2 hours later we saw another one dead in the street with a helpful vulture working hard to clean it up.
There are a series of steps you have to go through to calm the bees and get them ready for their new home. We put the box in the garage and sprayed them with some cold water. Instantly the buzzing died down. Next they were liberally sprayed with sugar water. After an hour we prepared for the main event. Transferring the bees from package to hive. We carried all the stuff necessary to the hive. What items you ask? A hive feeder. This is an accessory top for the hive body that is made of styrofoam. It has two chambers, one chamber is very small that give the bees access to a feeding trough that will fill with sugar water. The much larger area is a storage area for the sugar water. We brought a pan full of about a gallon and a half of sugar syrup. My bee smoker. This is a small can with an attached bellows that you build a small fire inside. The resulting smoke has a calming effect on the bees and makes it a little less likely that they will come after you en mass. I brought my bee keepers head gear. You don't want them in your face.
The next step is to firmly grasp the package of 11,000 bees, whack the package firmly on the ground, and then open it. This part can be a little nerve wracking. Really it's no big deal. I think the bees are so astonished that anyone would do that that they forget all about attacking. After the whacking you pour and shake as many of the bees out of the package into the hive body as you have the gumption for, lay the package on top of the hive and back away for a little while. At this point there are bees pretty much everywhere. Package, hive, air and ground. They were really pretty calm considering. After a few minutes I carefully moved the package box which still contained about a quarter of the bees to the ground in front of the hive near the opening. I placed the feeder top on top of the hive being careful to squish as few bees as possible. Then we packed up and left. Nobody got stung. Nobody even really got threatened though there were a few stern glances exchanged. Now we leave them alone for a few weeks to set up shop.