Week 11 June 27, 2015 Adding a FIFTH box

Mark and I went out to add a fifth box to the bottom of the hive (nadiring).

I don't have a "hive lift" other than my husband so unfortunately, we had to lift off the top two boxes and then the bottom two.

But what happened, is that three of the bars from the third box were stuck to the comb of the second box (above them) so when he lifted the top two boxes, comb was hanging down and he couldn't set the boxes down (because it would have broken the combs which were now suspended in mid-air). So while he held those up (and it must have been ~45#) I gently pried away the bars (from the bottom of the combs of the second box) with their comb (and bees) and replaced them in the top of the third box. (though not until AFTER I had dropped a couple into the third box). LORD! I just hope the queen didn't get killed with all this rigamarole.

Anyway, then I set the 3rd and 4th box aside and we placed the 5th box and then the 8 top bars in that box. Then the 3rd and 4th went back on, (the 3rd had open comb on top of the top bars which had not fallen off with lifting the second box - see photo), then the top two. At which point, some nasty little worker bee stung my right hand. I brushed the embedded stinger out of the back of my  hand and continued working.

The quilt box went back on, then the roof and we were finished!!

Here are photos of my left and right hand:

 See the swelling on the back of my right hand? (below my  middle and ring fingers)

and a final video:

Here I am, ready to go the hive, with my new "bee" boots on!

 Here is the hive all put back together: