Lydia's Newest Adventure!

The day is finally here!

We went and picked up Lydia's new pets!

Honey bees!

Lydia has been dreaming about

and researching honey bees for a long time now.

She has wanted them primarily to help pollinate her vegetable garden,

but she would also like to one day harvest some honey!

She ordered her boxes and bees through a local supplier,

and fellow homeschooling family.
Today is the day Lydia has waited for a long time to get here!
She has truly put her all into this project,
even financing it with her own funds!
HOME!

First step was spraying the bees with sugar water.

This helps calm them down : -) !

Next, Lydia removed the bee food in a can,

for their exit to their new home.

In the next photo, Lydia is holding the cage that the queen was shipped in

(that is also covered with worker bees).

She places the queen in the box, then shakes everyone else out,

and puts all the pieces of the box back together again.

But before putting the queen in,

she removed the cork stopper that holds the queen in her cage,

and replaces it with a marshmellow!

The worker bees will eat the marshmellow to free her from the cage.

(If she was released immediately, she might fly away!)

Last steps on the second box, and Lydia is an official bee keeper!

(Did you notice how in the last few photos she put her bee hat and gloves on? : -)