Back from Beemaid!

Well, we just got home from the store and I am now the owner of my very own hive :)

I bought the hive with the brood box and three supers. Two to go on top, and an extra one to put full frames of honey in when I swap them over. I bought the pierco frames as well as 10 empty wooden foundation frames that I plan to use as they are - perhaps with a tiny little bit of bomb to start the bees off so that I can cut the comb to eat as it is......I would really prefer to cut comb and eat it like that than process honey really so the pierco frames are for the brood box and first super.

I also bought the veils for the children, the smoker, the brush, hive tool etc etc....the bits and pieces that I need.

I was a bit nervous before I went in but I asked a couple of questions that I was pretty sure I knew the answer to anyway and the lady had to go and ask and when she came back it turned out that I was right all along!!!! So that gave me a lot of confidence that I do know what I'm doing!

They confirmed that my bees probably will have varoa mite but will have had one treatment already and I can give them one more treatment BEFORE the first honey box goes on but NONE once that box goes on...but the treatment I buy can be stored and used next year (I had to buy a pack of ten). All in all they were so helpful there but I'm glad Lloyd came with me because we bought the pre-assembled hive and there was a LOT to pack into the truck!

Now I get to set it all up and paint it and figure it all out :)

I got home to find a parcel from the Alberta Beekeepers Association with about 8 months worth of their magazines in it :) So I have plenty of bedtime reading for the weekend :)

The store at Beemaid is wonderful :) We have to head back there for my bees in a couple of weeks - we have to ride in the truck with several thousand bees lol - that will be noisy ;)