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crawl up to from inside the hive, where they could safely drink the sugar syup without
drowning in the tray.
The entire setup rested on top of a
hive stand
, which was a bit more complicated to
assemble because of the angles of the wood I needed to hammer together. The whole
process of assembling my first hive and frames took almost five hours. Experienced
beekeepers can do it in two.
Once the hive was completely assembled, I was ready to prime and paint it. I chose
to paint my hive a carnelian-inspired red to harmonize with my red cottages. Only the
woodontheoutsideofthehiveneededpainting.Iusedtwocoatsofwater-basedacrylic
and a clear, protective shellac for added protection. I left the hive entrance unpainted,
as bees like it au natural.
S
TAGING THE
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PIARY
Thenextstepwastochooseaplaceinmyyardformynewbeehive.Location,location,
locationisimportanttothesuccessofahive.Mr.Badvisedmetosituatethebackofthe
hive facing north, so the colder winter winds would not blow directly into the entrance.
A fence, hill, or row of trees could aid as a blockade. He also told me to find a place
wherethehivewouldgetearlymorningsunlight,becausethenthehivewouldwarmup
more quickly, which would prompt the bees to get an early start foraging, and to avoid
damp places where water accumulates, but to create a source of water for the bees to
drink.
The entrance of a beehive is like a runway at an airport, and honeybees would be
constantly flying in and out. I didn't want visitors, children, or pets passing directly in
front of their flight path, but it was also important to me to place my hive somewhere
visible from a house window or two. It would be nice, I thought, to glance over and
observe my bees while I was working or cooking. I settled on a spot just outside my
kitchen window and toward the back of my yard. From where my honey shrine was
situated, I could eat my honey and watch the bees that made it.
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