First Nucs, First Sting, Totally Excited

Got the bug, so to speak. Dad had a hive when I was a kid. 40 years later I want to bee like Dad.

After much reading, hours of youtube vids, and consulting with local mentors, I installed two nucs today. Although I had the gloves, decided to not wimp out and only wore the veil and an insulated flannel shirt. 5-frame local Italian nucs went in very nicely except one girl found her way up my right shirt sleeve. It was at the very end of the two-hive install. I thought I was scott free but she rolled out of the sleeve pretty unhappy and stung my right hand in the web between the thumb and first finger. I'm a guitar player fighting arthritis anyway so frankly I was looking forward to this first therapeutic sting but, being my first time under fire with a few thousand armed fliers I was a little concerned.

Thankfully, I had youtubed and read enough to be aware that some extra smoke on the sting area might head off other interested parties. In the time it took me to exercise this option, two more strike-fighter jets zoomed in to the hot zone with clear intent but the smoke held them off.

I was excited to be able to see both of my nuc queens during the install. Even more rewarding was to come back four hours later and watch workers hit the landing board with at least three different colors of pollen on their saddle bags. I am so excited I can't stand it.

Sorry - I know I'm not the only one - just had to say this somewhere that might be understood. I'm tempted to call in sick tomorrow, pull up a lawn chair and watch those two landing boards all day tomorrow...