It was barely sunrise when Don Moore, a biologist and St. James, MO beekeeper since 1977, pulled his white pickup into my driveway carrying two, duct-taped-shut grey bee hives FULL of bees.
Don is president of Mid-Missouri Beekeepers and a great source of info and inspiration. He started beekeeping to help family members manage allergies and ended up with hundreds of hives and a honey-producing business, something he said still surprises him.
Don said it would take a couple of days for 60,000 bees to orient themselves to their new surroundings, Then they would be flying as much as 1.5 miles, pollinating neighboring gardens as well as my own and flying back, leg pouches full of pollen.
Worker bees live only about six weeks, literally wearing their wings down dragging pollen back to the hive. Gave me new appreciation for the expression "busy as a bee..."
Just to be safe, we dressed in long sleeves, pants and the latest "bee-wear" hat and veil.
(Matt, left, volunteered to get up at dawn to help move the hives, in spite of being bitten years ago when he inadvertently mowed over a ground bee hive!)
Don said my bees will be well-behaved, a cross between Russian and Minnesota bees called Minnesota Hygienic, bred by Moore for gentleness, disease resistance and honey production.
I chose to get locally-bred bees for the same reason I tend to grow native plants - they should be better acclimated to mid-Missouri and less prone to disease and other problems.
The day before, Don brought two small wood pallets and we walked through the garden to find the best spot for the hives; facing east, away from prevailing winds with some shade, but not so much bees can't easily fly in and out.
Several bricks and rocks later, the pallets were level enough to nicely hold the 30 lbs hives.
Once on the pallets, I placed a rock on top of each hive to prevent curious visitors from disturbing the new arrivals. This is the back of the bee hives.
Don is president of Mid-Missouri Beekeepers and a great source of info and inspiration. He started beekeeping to help family members manage allergies and ended up with hundreds of hives and a honey-producing business, something he said still surprises him.
Don said it would take a couple of days for 60,000 bees to orient themselves to their new surroundings, Then they would be flying as much as 1.5 miles, pollinating neighboring gardens as well as my own and flying back, leg pouches full of pollen.
Worker bees live only about six weeks, literally wearing their wings down dragging pollen back to the hive. Gave me new appreciation for the expression "busy as a bee..."
Just to be safe, we dressed in long sleeves, pants and the latest "bee-wear" hat and veil.(Matt, left, volunteered to get up at dawn to help move the hives, in spite of being bitten years ago when he inadvertently mowed over a ground bee hive!)
Don said my bees will be well-behaved, a cross between Russian and Minnesota bees called Minnesota Hygienic, bred by Moore for gentleness, disease resistance and honey production.
I chose to get locally-bred bees for the same reason I tend to grow native plants - they should be better acclimated to mid-Missouri and less prone to disease and other problems.
The day before, Don brought two small wood pallets and we walked through the garden to find the best spot for the hives; facing east, away from prevailing winds with some shade, but not so much bees can't easily fly in and out.Several bricks and rocks later, the pallets were level enough to nicely hold the 30 lbs hives.
Once on the pallets, I placed a rock on top of each hive to prevent curious visitors from disturbing the new arrivals. This is the back of the bee hives.
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