Installed my 2 Nucs without a hitch about a week ago. Had a friend who has a *little* more experience than me to assist. Today, went out with my teenage son as a 2nd set of hands and man, it is going to take me awhile to get comfortable. I'm not talking about being worried about the bees - I am not. But there just seems like there's so much to know. I wrote down my plan before going in, and honestly, it's like as soon as I take the top off I turn into a bumbling, stumbling idiot 
The Good (this will be a short list).
1. The bees stayed pretty calm. Did use some smoke, and that worked fine.
2. The bees had drained a gallon from each hive top feeder with only a few drowned bees evident. I think I have a good top feeder so that's at least a plus.
3. There is comb being drawn out on all of the foundation - so I actually took that as a sign to add my 2nd brood box - which I did. This was a relief as I used plastic foundation (which some seem to love and others swear the bees will hate) prepped with beeswax. There was actually quite a bit of burr comb on top of the frames and below the top feeder, which again I saw as positive.
The Bad.
1. I could not find either queen despite them being marked. I did not press the issue as I figured either I missed her (I did not pull out every frame on one of the hives) or possibly they've chewed off her bright green marker (I've heard that can happen). Chances are, I just didn't spot them. I find it hard to be slow and methodical when I'm in there - I need to have a more consistent step-by-step process and stick to it.
2. The worst part is, I did not really confirm larva and eggs being present. I know that's probably the #1 point of going in. But there are so many bees on every frame, it's very hard to see anything, much less ID what you're seeing in detail. I did see larva and eggs a week ago, so I'm going to cross my fingers and hope things are well, and the next time I go in, will ensure I confirm they are there even if that's the only thing I accomplish.
The Ugly.
1. Did you know that if you are clumsy enough preparing your smoker, you can actually dump hot coals on the rubberized cloth of the bellows and burn holes in it on only your 2nd attempt to use it? It's not easy, but I can confirm it's possible.
2. I am finding it more challenging than I thought it would be to fit all 10 frames in the box when returning them - I feel like I must be squashing bees but there doesn't to seem to be much you can do about space other then make sure the frames are snug up against the self spacers as you go.
Tell me I will get better at this
The Good (this will be a short list).
1. The bees stayed pretty calm. Did use some smoke, and that worked fine.
2. The bees had drained a gallon from each hive top feeder with only a few drowned bees evident. I think I have a good top feeder so that's at least a plus.
3. There is comb being drawn out on all of the foundation - so I actually took that as a sign to add my 2nd brood box - which I did. This was a relief as I used plastic foundation (which some seem to love and others swear the bees will hate) prepped with beeswax. There was actually quite a bit of burr comb on top of the frames and below the top feeder, which again I saw as positive.
The Bad.
1. I could not find either queen despite them being marked. I did not press the issue as I figured either I missed her (I did not pull out every frame on one of the hives) or possibly they've chewed off her bright green marker (I've heard that can happen). Chances are, I just didn't spot them. I find it hard to be slow and methodical when I'm in there - I need to have a more consistent step-by-step process and stick to it.
2. The worst part is, I did not really confirm larva and eggs being present. I know that's probably the #1 point of going in. But there are so many bees on every frame, it's very hard to see anything, much less ID what you're seeing in detail. I did see larva and eggs a week ago, so I'm going to cross my fingers and hope things are well, and the next time I go in, will ensure I confirm they are there even if that's the only thing I accomplish.
The Ugly.
1. Did you know that if you are clumsy enough preparing your smoker, you can actually dump hot coals on the rubberized cloth of the bellows and burn holes in it on only your 2nd attempt to use it? It's not easy, but I can confirm it's possible.
2. I am finding it more challenging than I thought it would be to fit all 10 frames in the box when returning them - I feel like I must be squashing bees but there doesn't to seem to be much you can do about space other then make sure the frames are snug up against the self spacers as you go.
Tell me I will get better at this