The Box

Large box

Sitting in my hall way is a large box. Actually, a very large box and in it is a bee hive. I have been looking at it for 6 days. It's closed still, taped up with things like 'fragile' and 'this side up' all over it. Now, I am the Ikea mom. I bring it home, lay it all out and put it all together with out a problem. I have yet to do this with the bee hive though. I have read the books, been to the class, flipped through the Internet but haven't opened the box yet. 


It doesn't have live bees in it or anything. It has a polystyrene Deep Brood National Hive, an extra super and a beginners kit to go with it. There are instructions, I hope, to put it together, and also has my bee suit in it. But I haven't got it all out yet.


Maybe it's a commitment thing. I've searched it out and now I have to do something about it. I have to put live bees in it and take care of them!


The strange thing is that I already have honey bees. They live and have lived in the rafters at the top of our house and have been there for 15 years. They aren't in the house and being about 60 feet up, don't bother anyone. I don't do anything with them, they just take care of themselves. Nature looks after them. 


Lately though, we have had an intruder bothering the bees. A Starling has invaded their home, pecked through the insulation between brick and our bedroom and is nesting in the foam insulation behind our heads! It is eating all the honey bees as well. Everyday I look up and watch the little hole they made and all I see is a bird flying in and out! Every night I hear a scratching behind my head until I stuff my ear plugs in. It is a horrible scratching noise. The dogs won't even sleep in their beds up with us anymore. It erks them as much as it does me. Rooster sleeps right through all the bloody scratching. I am sure that one day I will go upstairs and there will be a bird flying around our bedroom and there will be big hole in our lovely plastered wall! 


It would be a big job to get rid of the bird and I have been advised to leave it alone, it will leave after it nests and hatches its eggs then we can rent a cherry picker for lots of ££ and block up the hole. No more birds, no more bees. 


The new bees will be different. I have to look after them and not let birds eat them! It's all a lot to get my head around.