Aloha--
 
I loaned a friend a complete hive, and he put in 4 frames of brood, along
with accompanying workers, and what appeared to be queen cells (he lives
about 75 miles away in the Kau district on the island of Hawai'i, and I'm
in the Puna district) and the latest word is that the bees are remaining
in the hive (there is always the possibility of their "not liking it" and
returning to their "mother hive" next door, but things seem to be
progressing nicely.  Other than the fact that the nuc method is cheaper
than the box-o-bees, and less stressful on them because there is no
shipping, I'm glad I can create a new colony this way.
 
By the way, when it rains it pours.  I work in a  library, and some
people know I'm a beekeeper.  Yesterday, two different folks came in to
report swarms in their trees, and asked if I could come over and get
them--Well, I had just been to the mainland for a conference and stopped
off at a *great bee supply store* in Sacramento to get hive bodies (we in
Hawai'i really get it in the shipping charges--I took the hive bodies and
other supplies I got back as checked baggage on the plane) and hadnXt had
the time to assemble the kd hives, so the bees went uncaptured.  So
Spring has sprung here!
 
kevin
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