Turns out this should not be done indoors. I blame the weather. If Spring had ever sprung maybe I would have done this outside…
I had some technical difficulties with my drill. After some choice words and some feet stomping I borrowed my brothers drill and impact driver. Smooth sailing from there. Now I have the shell of a hive!!
It needs 4 or 5 coats of paint. I have decided to paint it the same colour as the picket fences in the backyard. Not for the aesthetics but because there is still half a tin of that paint left in the shed. Plus it means that I am much more likely to finally get round to touching up those bits of the picket fence that I managed to damage with the lawn mower.
I also finally found the email that explains when I pick the bees up. 2nd or 3rd week of November. Plenty of time to finally work out where the hive is going to go.
I am feeling much more confident since completing the beginners bee course. I am sure this is misplaced confidence but when it all goes pear shaped I now know of at least 3 very experienced bee keepers that I can call and plead for help.
ps I went to the monthly bee meeting last night. Got home late, had trouble getting to sleep then had whacky dreams. Spiders as large as dinner plates, really fat and hairy and people were keeping them as pets and patting them like dogs. I hope this is absolutely unrelated to all the bee pics I looked at last night….
Billy & Franklin 