[buzzleblast]

Title says it all. It went perfect, no gloves or veil, just put on my best bee face and opened the top and dumped them in. The queen was going crazy, lots of hangers on to the cage. Followed all the basic rules. Wish I had 3 more to install!

Just had to share...:thumbsup:

 

[Colobee]

Thanks! What kind did you get?

 

[Needo]

Congrats on the new hive. The first install is like the first hit of crack. You'll get some relief when you check the queen cage on day 3. Then, the wait for the first inspection will drive you crazy. After that you'll be stalking your bees. The good thing is they can't call 911.

 

[Troutsqueezer]

Congratulations.
May I say there is at least one basic rule you did not follow?
Working without a veil.
Your skin can take stings and it's no big deal (usually).
Your eyes, not so much.

 

[BeeMoose]

Congratulations on your first install. You are correct about the addictiveness of this activity. As soon as I hived my first two packages, I ordered another. It is educational and

exciting to watch your bees progress. Good Luck.

 

[buzzleblast]

I concur on the need for a veil. After removing the feed can, in the ensuing rush of bees, one of the first to land on me did so on my right eyelid. I have outlived most of my daredevil urges, but the breathless eternity it took for that thing to crawl away from my eyelashes had to rival any butt puckering Evil Knievel felt before a jump. I offered both my veils to my sons so they would be more comfortable being closer to the hive. My wife veiled herself via the screened porch on the other side of the yard.

Also, since I approached this hobby sort of upside down (make the commitment by buying everything and ordering bees, and then work out the fine details) I do not know what kind of bees these are. I ordered them from Rossman in Georgia, so we will at least have a similar accent.

 

[Annabee]

Congratulations and welcome to the wonderful, wild, beautiful world of beekeeping

Def wanna wear at least a veil though, the girls are a little panicky at times flooding out!

 

[Beekeeper23]

Yes, bee's are fantastic! Enjoy

 

[USMCEOD]

Buzzleblast, just up the road from you congrats on hiving your package. I got my first one from Rossman about five years ago they were mailed to me... I thought it was crazy to get them that way, the postman left them on the porch. I haven't bought bees until this year as I decided to go from 2 or 3 to 10 hives so I drove to Georgia and picked up 5 packages and hived them 2 weeks ago, they are doing great. I have become a bee-lever in protective gear since I found out that I was slightly allergic, swell up like a balloon, but the good out weighs the bad.

 

[buzzleblast]

Slight update...
I made contact with the county mosquito control guys this morning, to let them know I had a hive. I asked for info as to the type and frequency of applications. The respondent was more than helpful, and I got a good feeling that they at least care about the bees in the area.
After writing, and reading the prompt response, I mentioned the conversation to my wife. She informed me that she had seen the mosquito control truck fogging the neighborhood Wednesday evening as she came home around 7:30.
Just my luck! I get the combination of a spouse who cares very little for this particular hobby of mine, and the terrible timing of installing bees only to have the area fogged 24 hours later. And then I don't find out for another day or so.
My initial inspection for the queens status is this afternoon, and I guess that will tell me if I lost some population. My observation of the comings and goings shows no diminished activity, with some bees returning laden with pollen as early as 645 this morning.