Carmel Lavender Introduces 150,000 honeybees to Carmel Valley

This month, Carmel Lavender introduced 150,000 new honeybees to Carmel Valley. Since occupation of their new homes, the weather has been cool, so they have been inside nesting mostly. Yesterday, the Sun shone briefly on some of the hives, and we were able to introduce them to our nourishing Lavender Hand Balm.

Below is a photo journal of our month. To celebrate, we would like to share our joy with you this month by offering FREE SHIPPING through May 1st.

Below are some photos of our time this week releasing our new friends in Carmel Valley. Efforts like these are large, and take time and money. Your purchase of products made by our bees, is greatly appreciated. It enables us to continue our important work. Please enjoy this photo experience, and purchase a beeswax hand balm. Our bees will nurture your hands each day, and you will be supporting efforts like these.

Our efforts started over a month ago, preparing for arrival. You don't want 150,000 bees buzzing at you with nowhere to put them! So Yoko and I began the task of cleaning out old equipment, and building new equipment. Dead hives must be sterilized. We use fire to scorch wood, and replace wax foundation. And of course, new hives must be built. Here is Yoko on a warm day building a new box for a lucky colony.

We were at the first bee suppliers at 7:30am, Saturday morning. As we drank coffee, and waited to straighten out some paperwork for the order, Yoko was visited by a lone drone. A good sign for a harmonious future together. Yoko and her new friend spent some time together before we loaded up the car.

For those of you who have not yet visited our Bee Experience tours, drones have no stingers. So Yoko is completely safe!

This is what 150,000 bees look like loaded into the back of the truck. Yes, some bees are invariably loose and fly around the cab. But not to worry. They are usually very peaceful on the journey to their new homes.

Inside each package, the bees cluster together around the queen. Here is a close up of one of the packages. You can see the these bees, about 3,500 of them, all hanging from the top of the cage. At the top is the queen inside of her special cage.

Back at home in Carmel Valley, their new homes await. Here you can see two hives that have been prepared in the preceding weeks for the imminent arrivals. Soon, bees and homes will be introduced.

Now it's time to suit up. The drone that Yoko was handling earlier was safe enough. But inside the packages are thousands of females. Here Yoko is fully protected... or so she thinks!

I've just opened up one of the packages. Here you can see some of the first bees coming out to explore their new home.

Welcome home honey bees! Yoko is shaking out thousands of bees into their new home. While some fly around, most immediately crawl down into the frames of the hive that will soon become their home. The Queen is already inside, still in her cage. We have removed the cork from her capsule, and replaced it with a marshmellow door. It won't take long for her loyal subjects to free her.

It's Move-in Day! Now safely inside their home, see the bees lining up at the entrance of their new house, tails turned into the air. They are signaling their sisters in the air. This is our new house. Come home!

In the days that follow, they will begin building their comb. Inside their queen will begin to lay the eggs that will become their future. And each of these bees will begin to make honey, a wholesome meal for their new sisters.

Please welcome our bees by purchasing a special 2oz Beeswax Lavender Hand Balm with FREE SHIPPING!

April 2013 - Featured Product