We built two top barrel beehives many years ago. I’ve been trying to attract a swarm of bees ever since.
https://peacockorchard.com/2015/07/16/top-bar-bee-hive-construction/
I have finally called it quits and bought a package of bees. Whooo, nerve wracking.
I picked the bees up in their lovely little box. I believed myself fully prepared to install the hive. I’m great at being delusional! You should have been there. It was hysterical in a not so hysterical at the time way.
So I get my opening cover ready and remove the feed, immediately placing a block over it to prevent the bees from escaping. I turn around, place the feed down and bam, package tips over spilling a mass of bees out.
So I quick as lightening get the queen and insert the candy, hanging her on my bars. My husband flees the onslaught of angry insects but not before receiving a few battle wounds. I persevere in my protective gear. I dump some more of the bees out. The tarp is attached to the hive so they can walk right up. I drum on the back a little. I read somewhere they’d march right up if I did that. Bloody liars. So I decide I’ll just wait until after lunch and see what they are doing.
Well, miracle of miracles it did work. They walked themselves up and into the hive, mostly.
I had some hang on on the outside and I had to brush them off and put them in the hive.
Through some slats you can see the mass of bees around the queen. Amazing!
My bee feeder was found. Glory bee! It’s a chick waterer with glass stones and chicken wire tent to keep the birds off.
I nervously checked the next morning and they were ALIVE! I removed the tarp, and that board, which had been supporting the tarp. All is right with the world. Or at least it was until I decided I really should have insulated the hive BEFORE I put the bees in it. No worries, I can staple some insulation on. No worries. What do I do that is no worries. /sigh So I pull the insulation tight and thwack, all the boards fall off releasing hordes of angry bees, again. I manage to get them all back on, miracle of miracles, and finish stapling the insulation on. They all calmed down and went back in. What a relief!
It took them no time at all to release the queen. Now to wait and see what my bees can do!