Not in my wildest dreams did I think this was going to go as easily as it did!
The bees wanted NOTHING to do with me or Grace. They wanted to get into the hive and start making it their home. The sugar syrup and pollen patty didn't hurt, I'm sure, but while there were a lot of them flying around initially, within minutes they were making a, uh, beeline(!) for the hive.
Here's me initially shaking the package of bees into the hive. Literally just dump them in. Some fly around, but most start exploring their new digs.
Here are the bees crawling around the frames. At the far left is a feeder frame that's filled with the sugar syrup. There are little bee ladders that extend down into the feeder so the bees can climb down, gorge on syrup then climb back up. Bees are notoriously bad swimmers and even worse snorklers, so having something for them to hold on to is really important. The syrup provides them with the necessary carbs they need while waiting for the New Engalnd flora to start blooming. That chunk of cake looking thing is a pollen patty. The bees feed on that as well - protein source. Between the syrup and the pollen patty, they've got what they need to fill their little bee bellies and start making honey comb.
The bees clustered around that gap between frames are getting acquainted with their queen. She's in a little queen cage that hangs between the frames. She'll eat her way out of her enclosure over the next few days, and if all goes well, begin ruling over her hive.
