On a rollercoaster with the bees

The bees have had a tough week and a half, and so have I.

The weather turned very cold a couple of days after I installed the bees in their hives. That should not have killed the bees, but a lot of them died. In fact, there was one point during the weekend that I was convinced that they all had died, and I would have to start over.

Then, on Sunday evening after a reasonably warm afternoon, bees in both hives began to appear. There was hope.

I tried to leave them alone most of the week, peeking inside just once or twice. One hive is doing much better than the other. I still don't know what has happened and will need to get an experienced beekeeper to look at the hives with me, but as of now there are bees in both hives.

Saturday (tomorrow): The Blount County Beekeepers Association is having a workshop on examining hives and frames. I'll be there.