Hello Chasers,
I am now officially a registered beekeeper!
Ange and I left home at 6:30 am on Friday and travelled to Edmonds Honey in Mt Duneed to collect our Nuc (nucleus hive – a bee starter kit with Queen and fully operational hive!) There were a couple of anxious moments as we took possession of the Nuc as we had a couple of escapees and Ange is allergic to the little critters. A plug of beeswax and we were sorted for the trip home.
It was a hot 30-degree day when I placed them in ‘The Bee Room’ under the shade cloth specifically for this purpose, unplugged the entrance and watch them crawl out and begin to orientate themselves with their new surroundings.
I sat and watched them as they started to remove some dead companions, tidy up and begin to get to work.
Yesterday was much cooler and they were up and about with great gusto!
Today was much cooler again and with 12mm of rain falling overnight, I watched the odd bee or two emerge from the Nuc in the very light drizzly rain, take a drink of the drops of water nearby and scurry back inside.
I came back inside and created a diary journal to record my observations, weather, temperature etc. all part of the requirements for the Biosecurity measures and responsibilities of being a beekeeper.
I then registered our hive with Agriculture Victoria, a legal; requirement of being an apiarist – hobbyist or commercial – and am proud to say that I am now an official beekeeper!
Now, this is a pretty special thing that Ange did for me as she is allergic to bees but bought me a Flow Hive for my 60th birthday about 15 months ago. We both love the garden and plants but for her to go this extra step is amazing – true love hey?
Have a great day!
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