We've Got Bees!

Sr. Ciaran smoking the bees to make them docile.

On April 22, thanks to the generosity of Bill & Louise Johnson of Johnson Honey Farm, in Guttenberg, Iowa, we now have 2 beehives! Bill brought over the 2 “packages”, as they are called, of Carniolan bees, and installed them in the 2 hives that our farm manager, Dale Mueller, made for us. Any honey the bees make this year will probably have to be left for the bees to use to get through the winter, but we hope to have some honey to sell in our shop the following year.  Sr. Ciaran is our beekeeper.

The Queen's cage is empty!

Opening the hive to check on the Queen Bee        

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

The queen bee comes in a tiny cage.  She is surrounded by marshmallows which she must eat through.  This takes her several days and gives time for the bees to get used to her smell.  If she were put directly into the hive the bees might attack 
her and kill her.