A fresh start

So the day had finally arrived two weeks ago, the day we'd been waiting for since February! We got the call that a swarm had been found and would be on it's way to us.
After months of waiting excitedly for this call, we suddenly had a day to prepare before meeting our new colony. My initial excitement turned to angst and fear - "how will I remember what to do...what if something goes wrong...what if they hate their new home and decide to swarm straight away...".

Mum and I suited up so we were ready for the swarm collector to arrive, we faffed about getting hair caught in the zips, battling with the wind and worrying about starting the smoker - nerves were getting the better of us!

Our bees arrived in a traditional skep wrapped up in a white sheet - we couldn't help but think it all looked like the arrival of a new baby, that's certainly what it felt like to me anyway, these bees represented a fresh start and I knew I'd care for them as much as I possibly could.

Looks like we're casting some sort of spell over the bees, maybe we were subconsciously telling them to stay put!

Mum and I carefully lifted the bees onto the hive under the watchful eye of the swarm collector...nothing is ever easy when you're being watched by a professional!

The girls were finally in and it wasn't long before they started busying themselves with home improvements.

We will be(e) keeping an eye on them over the next few weeks, but bees being bees will do what they need to do and we will just fall into place around them. My initial worries have eased slightly and I'm back to feeling excited and enthusiastic about what the future holds for us and our bees. I'm building another hive as we speak, two hives and two new beekepers...I sense some funny blogs on the horizon!!

Thanks so much for reading!