Chapter 17 #2
Grateful that he wanted to help her connect with her sister despite his suspicions of Evelyn’s husband, she nodded, and they moved to the apiaries.
Evelyn gasped softly. “Shouldn’t you have on one of those big suits to protect you?”
Dani smiled. “I won’t need one today because I won’t disturb the bees. They’re usually happy, especially on a warm sunny day with lots of pollen nearby.”
“But you wear one sometimes?”
Dani nodded. “I do. I also have a smoker I can use when I’m working with full combs. The smoke makes the bees sleepy.”
“Do you get stung a lot?”
Dani laughed. “Not after I figured out what I’m doing. Mostly, they ignore me.”
Evelyn laughed softly. “I’m glad.”
Dani showed the apiary and the exit at the bottom of the box. She explained about the queen and how the honey developed. She even took off the lid and showed Evelyn how it was filled with frames, and the bees were using it to create their combs.
Then they headed to the new field. “Lawson and his family own an apple farm, and our properties join at the back corner. We’re going to start new hives there, where the apple trees will be the bees’ primary pollen source. It should help both the trees and the bees.”
“How does it help the trees?”
Thrilled her sister was showing interest, they chatted as they walked through the forest, talking about how the bees helped biodiversity and how the apples might change the honey.
When another phone rang in the background, Evelyn sighed. “I’m so sorry, but I have to take this.”
“That’s okay. I’m glad we had some time to talk.”
Evelyn tilted her head and ignored the other phone. “Me too. I’d love to see you set up another new colony. Can you text me in advance when you’re planning it? That way, I can clear my schedule.”
Happiness zipped through Dani. “I will. This was fun, Evelyn. Next time, maybe you can walk me through your job and what makes you happy.”
Evelyn’s smile dimmed. “It’s not nearly as interesting as what you do, but I’m happy to share. I’m sorry, but I really must go. Nice to meet you, Lawson. Goodbye, Dani.”
Dani took back the phone and ended the call. Then she threw herself into Lawson’s arms and battled back the tears. He squeezed her tightly and swayed her from side to side. “Good job. That was a good start to building a friendship with her.”
She hoped so. “It was fun. It would be amazing to have her in my life. For so many years, I believed it wasn’t possible, but now I do. Thanks to you and your family.”
Lawson grinned. “More like thanks to you and your gumption. Frannie B would be so proud.”
She blinked back more happy tears. “I think she would. I don’t think Evelyn had anything to do with the fire.
If she had, there would have been a clue.
She would have looked nervous or said something.
I’m so glad it wasn’t connected to her. Maybe I’ll text Nathaniel tonight.
Not to ask him about the fire, but just to make contact.
Now let’s hurry, so we’re not late for your family. ”
They arrived at the clearing to find Amber, Gray, Jolie, Ford, Knox, and Thea all there.
Nash and his family had gone into Phail for the day to visit Jim and Carl.
The B&B owners had helped Olivia and Ella when they first arrived.
Dani didn’t know them well, but they were always friendly when she met them in town.
Charlie hated missing installing the new colony, but he could help with the next one.
Knox rubbed his hands together. “Okay, time to teach us all things bees.”
Dani laughed. “Be careful what you wish for. I can talk about my bees for days.”
They all laughed, and Lawson set the pack on the ground and dug out all the equipment. “Teach away, Bee Queen.”
As she laughed, Dani realized she’d never had an attentive audience before. Sure, she wrote about bees on her blog, but she’d never had real people interested in what she did.
Instead of making her nervous or uncomfortable, Dani felt settled. Happy. Included. Cared for.
Loved.
Lawson was amazed by Dani. She’d come out of her quiet shell with him and his family.
When they first met, she’d been cautious and extremely reserved. Now, she laughed and talked easily with an audience of seven, including him.
Not only had she let herself become a part of his family, she’d also reached out to her own.
Lawson passed her the bee package, and she passed it around the group.
Amber hefted it. “I didn’t think it would be so heavy. They’re such little creatures. How many are in here?”
“It’s a three-pound box, so around ten thousand, depending on the size.”
At the collective gasp, she looked around and grinned. “Don’t worry. That many won’t overload the biome. Even after we add a few more hives.”
Jolie laughed. “I know, but I’m still shocked at the number. You already have a couple of dozen apiaries, don’t you?”
Dani nodded, and Lawson quickly calculated. If they stuck at ten thousand bees per hive, that was twenty-four thousand bees. Another fifty thousand would be added in the new clearing. “That number is mind-boggling.”
Dani placed the bee box in the shade while explaining the hive setup.
The brood box, the frames, the entry door, and the feeding sections.
“We won’t need much extra food because there’s lots of pollen around.
Because the frames are empty of honey, I’ll add a small pollen patty to ensure they have enough to feed the queen. ”
She took out the middle frames. “We’ll need an empty slot to dump in the bees. I’ll put the frames back in once they’re inside.”
Ford frowned. “Won’t that squash them?”
Dani shook her head and motioned for Lawson to pass her the hive tool. “They’re smart. I’ll use this if there’s a big clump of them, but usually they move out of the way.”
Pride filled Lawson as Dani walked them through the process. She uncapped the box and showed them the feeder in the top. Then she asked for the spray bottle they’d packed. “Some people add sugar to the water, but I rarely need it. I’m going to spray the bees with plain water.”
“Why?” He knew he sounded like an eager student. And he was—a student of all things Dani Richards.
“The water keeps them together. It won’t harm them, but will stop them from flying away as soon as the package opens. We want them to recognize the hive as their new home.”
Knox frowned. “Won’t they be pissed off and ready to sting when you get them out of there? How are you going to do that?”
Dani’s wide smile told him she was having fun. “I’ll shake them out. They won’t be territorial because they don’t have a hive to defend yet. Once the hive is established, they can be more aggressive, but they’re more interested in finding pollen right now.”
He watched as she sprayed the bees from all angles, then slid out the feeding can.
To his surprise, only a few bees flew out of the hole.
Dani ignored them and reached into the opening to pull out a small cage.
“This is the queen's cage. As you can see, she’s healthy and walking back and forth. The workers have been feeding her through the screen. We’ll get her in last.”
Then she resprayed the cage, gently bumped it, and then dumped the bees into the open top of the apiary. It took a couple of bumps, and then only a few bees remained. None of them attacked. They mostly stayed in the hive, while the rest buzzed above it. None of them landed on humans.
Dani picked up the queen’s cage and attached it to one of the inner frames. He was surprised. “Don’t you take her out? Shouldn’t she join the group?”
Dani smiled and pointed. “One end of the cage is filled with bee candy. The other bees will eat through it, and she’ll escape that way. This gives them time to accept her as the queen of their new home. They might kill her if she’s released before they’ve acclimated to the hive.”
It was fascinating watching her competent movements and explanations as she attached the queen, eased the bees aside when she returned the frames, added the pollen patty, and returned the lid.
“And that’s it.”
The group applauded, making Dani flush and laugh. He joined in the applause. “Very cool. I didn’t know any of that.”
They moved to the side of the clearing where they watched the bees settle in around the hive. Dani left the almost-empty bee package in front of the hive so the remaining bees would join the colony.
Thea turned to Dani. “Now what? Do they need extra support until they recognize this as their home?”
“Tonight, I’ll come back and install an entrance reducer. With a smaller opening for entry and exit, they’ll get used to their new home more quickly. I want the excess bees to find their way into the hive, so I won’t do it for a few hours. I’ll take it off when they’ve settled in a week.”
Gray nodded. “This is fascinating. I’ve never worked with apiaries in all the years I’ve worked with gardens. Would installing a few near the farmhouses for those gardens be smart? Or would that freak out the guests?”
Dani smiled. “Bees often travel a mile from the hive to get their pollen. Your garden is within that range, so you probably don’t need any closer.”
Amber took Gray’s hand. “But you want your own hives, don’t you?”
Lawson’s heart warmed as his buddy grinned at his quiet sister. He couldn’t be happier that they’d found each other.
Gray nodded. “Not this year, but maybe next year. We can probably find a spot in the orchard that would be closer without being too close in case the No Phailed Apples Inn guests get nervous.”
Lawson rubbed Dani’s shoulder as he listened to the conversations swirling around him. He was as content as he’d ever been.
He couldn’t be glad his friend’s garage had burned down in Boston, but he was thrilled that he’d used that as the push he needed to leave the city behind and head to the farm.
To his family.
To his future.
It looked very bright.