Hive Site Sighted!

Today I had the pleasure of the company of Margaret Groot who made the long trek over from Kiwimana country to the North Shore to see our property, talk bees, talk gear and point in a knowledgeable manner to the corner of the garden in which we will be siting our hive - yippee!!

After looking at the sites I thought may be suitable, we decided that the most appropriate position was site #2 (as indicated below). 

• Position #1 was good, but rejected due to the proximity of the lawn that the kids play on. 
• Position #3 was rejected due to poor access, being right up in the corner of the property
• Position #4 initially looked like a winner, but points against were proximity to the washing line and the amount of shade the hive would get during winter which may have resulted in mould and damp building up within the colony.

Margaret left to add a few items of gear to the hive order, the essentials for starting up and overwintering the hive include:

• Bee Jacket / Gloves - Used during hive inspections to avoid those pesky stings.
• Bee Smoker - essential equipment used to move and calm bees as well as masking scents should any bees decide to sting.
• Kiwi Combo Hive Tool - used to lever out frames glued down by wax or propolis.
• Bee Frame Holder - Hangs off the side of the hive during inspections allowing frames to be stored next to the hive rather than placed elsewhere where they might be damaged. Also helps save any winged passengers still on the frame from getting squished.

The gloves are as much for the psychological protection as the physical - as keen as I am, I think it'll be a fair while before I discard the gloves as many experienced beekeepers do. We also discussed getting a couple of veils for the younger of my boys who are showing an interest in the bees which are yet to arrive. Margaret is going to source some from her suppliers and we'll add them to a future order.