Well, actually, there's been a bee colony here for years, and it's in the chimney of the old kitchen building.
We now want to relocate this colony into a beehive. For this purpose we had Rodney come from Kibaha.
First, however, the boxes must be properly prepared.
The entire interior is extensively rubbed with lemon grass. Then the first curious bees usually come by. Then heat beeswax and drizzle it on the ledges where the bees will later build the combs. Wax is also applied to the entrance hole.
So that we are not attacked quite so strongly by the bees, we wait until it is dark before we begin with the relocation. Well protected we go to work.The entire chimney is removed.
After the colony is placed in the bee box, the lid is put on it and with wire is constructed a device for hanging. For a good week the bee box remains hanging in the old kitchen building until the bees have accepted their new home. After that, the box is hung in its final location in the tree. And while we're at it, we hang several well-prepared bee boxes at once.Make sure that the entrance hole is facing away from the wind, and that the box is not hanging in the blazing sun.
The wire for hanging is coated with grease. This prevents ants from accessing the beehives.
In the meantime, we have hung 10 boxes, 9 of which are already colonized.
The bee colony from the chimney has developed into a very large, active colony. This month we will check whether the honey is ripe.
