Getting down to beesiness Part 1:

So two Thursdays ago we got the call that our bee packages had arrived in the mail and were ready to be picked up! This is probably the most exciting phone call beekeepers ever get, well I guess beekeepers probably don't get very many "beekeeping" related phone calls to begin with, unless it's your neighbor calling to tell you your bees have swarmed in their yard or maybe an attorney calling to tell you you're being sued by your neighbor, and in either instance, those calls are not very exciting. But this call WAS exciting! Plans were made to meet our teacher at his house to pick up our packages and then make the 3 mile drive to his bee yard to watch him install a few of his own packages just to refresh all our memories on what the heck we are supposed to do with a 3lb box of bees and a caged Queen.
Here's a picture of me taking pictures at the bee yard demonstration, our teacher is holding a frame full of bees:

And here are our bees, all 18,000 or them:

Our teacher is planning on make a Powerpoint demonstration of package installation for the next Cook-Dupage Beekeepers Association meeting (yes, I am a card carrying member. Stop it.) and he asked if someone would take pictures throughout the installation process to later be used in his Powerpoint slides. I volunteered to be the "photog" thinking if I had to concentrate on taking pictures at all the notable steps it might help me retain the information better and ensure a smooth package installation for our two hives... What's that saying?? - "the best-laid plans of mice and men..." well yeah, you get it. But more details to come...