Just kidding. Erin and I could never stay up that late. But it was as close to midnight as we are ever going to get. A couple of days ago we moved two of the wild hives we caught up to Kwao's farm and one down to the house. Each hive had been left in it's original location for over a week so the bees had settled themselves and gotten used to their new homes. It was a tricky job. First, you have to do everything at night, after it gets dark. If you do it earlier, not all the bees will have returned from foraging and they might get left behind. However, bees are also attracted to light so using lots of flashlights also poses a problem. A combination of overpreparedness and minimal flashlight use works best.
Moving the bees
The distance we were moving the bees was too far to walk (the farther away you move them, the less likely they'll return to the site of their previous home) so we had to get the hive ready to be moved by car. Since we also would be riding in the car, this meant making sure there was no way for the aggitated bees to get out. First, we lit the smoker and drove the bees chilling on the landing pad back into the hive. Then, we stuffed the entrance with a plastic bag so the bees couldn't get out. We then tied three separate garbage bags over the hive. Carefully, Kwao carried the hive back to the car and placed it on cushions in the back. Erin and I jumped in next to the hive to prevent it from moving as much as possible and we were off! Of the three hives we have moved we haven't had any problems so far. However, it only takes a small hole in our bags for the bees to join us in the car. Therefore, Erin and I ride with our gear on just to be safe.
Here are some real pictures of our night-time adventures:
Kwao tying up the garbage bags
Erin inspecting the hive once we let the bees out
The next day: Kwao with the beginnings of his apiary
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