Remember how surprised we were in mid-winter that the bees had made it that long? Well, unsurprisingly they didn't make it all the way to spring. This year we're moving the hive to the other side of the property so they aren't disturbed by the noise and wind of traffic. Between that and giving them a full hive body of drawn comb to start off, we're hoping that our hive will be a pleasant enough place to live that they won't swarm. Here's hoping.

Last night I went over to Merrimack Valley Apiaries in Billerica to pick up a Nuc. We'd ordered one last fall, figuring either we'd need it or we wouldn't mind a second hive. Good choice, as it turns out we sure needed it. Bees are surprisingly calm around dusk and the nuc was in a mesh bag under a sheet, so the car ride was quiet. But they were angry to be opened up just at sunset and moved into the hive. One tenacious little lady in particular followed me around for five or so minutes after I'd finished, repeatedly crashing into my veil, so I wandered around the yard until she got distracted and went home. This morning they're out in full force, busily mapping the neighborhood.