So Many Beekeepers...So Many Advice...

So we thought we were done with our day, by setting up 2 colonies. We had used a makeshift board, and an extra deep hive body that we did not use yet. However, we did not have enough hardware to build another colony. Therefore when we got home at 4:00pm, exhausted, thirsty and hot; we called our supplier/ old time beekeeper and he told us that we did not have to come to Stillwater to get more supply! We were astonished... to say the least. He told us that there was another technique to raise honey bees that could work as well.

It was very simple! Stacking the two colonies on top of each other, with entrances in opposite direction and separated in the middle with a piece of cardboard...no need for new equipment!

It was already 5:00pm, we had to go back to the apiary again! To stack everything. We were finally done. The puzzle was solved...So we thought!

I was concerned about that setting and was not convinced from all the readings I had done previously that it could be the best. We took the time to read about it some more. It was feasible but it involved a greater chance to loose both colonies during winter. We decided that we did not want to risk both colonies. I asked for another piece of advice!

This time it was Dr. Spivak speaking: "Well.... I would have hived the swarm in its own box and let them build up. There is a 50% or greater chance they would have made it through winter.

I don't like these fancy manipulations as you have done... chances of messing up both boxes are high. If they were my bees, I would separate the boxes and have two colonies on separate hive stands."

Hey...I asked...she gave me her best opinion!

Here we go again, 2:00pm June 30th., one day after Ben had bravely captured the swarm from the tree, back at the apiary...separating the hives on more time!!! Now we really had to go to Stillwater to purchase a "proper" beehive for our brand new family! Ben drove in traffic both ways. He came back with the new equipment...it was now 7:30 pm. We still had to paint the telescopic cover (3 coats!!!) and assemble some boxes!

It was about 10:00pm, when we packed the car with all our gears...it was time to hit the sack! What a day it had been! We can't make that story up!