Backyard Bees at Pauline Manor

Some people get backyard chickens, but apparently, I get bees. Pauline Manor officially has two full nucs settled into the backyard, and somewhere between picking them up and getting them into their hives, it hit me that this could either be one of my best ideas or one of my dumbest, but either way we are committed now.

This is the story of how we went from a quiet yard to home base for 10,000+ honeybees in less than a day, and how I managed to do just enough wrong in the first 24 hours to make it stressful, but not enough to ruin everything.

If you’ve been following along here for a while, you already know we added leaf cutter bees to the garden before this, which was a completely different, much lower pressure way to support pollination. This is not that. This is loud, alive, slightly chaotic, and a whole lot more hands on.

Picking Up Our First Nucs

I picked up two nucs early in the morning, which for anyone new to this like I was, basically means a small starter colony with a queen, workers, brood, and a few frames already established. In theory, it is the easiest way to get started.

In reality, it still feels like bringing home a box of something you are very aware can fly, sting, and if you have a touch of GenX trauma from watching “My Girl,” just hearing the angry buzzing is enough to make the hairs on your neck stand up.

When we opened the truck, they were buzzing like crazy, which felt like a strong hint that I might be in over my head, but once we got them set up on the stands, they settled down pretty quickly. One little bee stayed behind in the truck, and I gently scooped her up with my gloved hand and carried her to the hives. She just stayed there, completely calm, and didn’t even try to sting. That was the moment everything shifted from “what have I done” to “okay… I might actually love this.”

The Part Where I Did Everything Backwards

In full transparency, I went to my beekeeping class after I picked up the bees.

Yes, I know. Not ideal.

Between the wedding the weekend before and limited class availability, it just worked out that way, and within the first thirty minutes of class, I learned about six things I had already done wrong.

The hives were facing the wrong direction.

They were sitting in too much shade.

I hadn’t set up a nearby water source.

And then came the bigger issue.

I had received mixed opinions that morning about whether or not to open the nucs right away, so I had left them closed when I went to class. When I mentioned that after the first class had ended – about five hours after picking up the nucs – the instructor kind of froze and then very clearly let me know that I needed to get home and open them.

So I did what any reasonable person would do. I left class, drove home, threw on a bee suit as fast as possible, and opened the boxes fully convinced I had probably roasted all of them while I was gone.

They were fine.

They were not thrilled about having been in the boxes in the heat for a while, but very much alive and doing what bees do. My relief was palpable.

Fixing the Setup (With Backup)

After class, the instructor could tell I was overwhelmed and offered to follow me home and help make sure everything was set up correctly, which in hindsight was the best possible outcome.

We moved the hives about twenty feet away from the fence and into full sun, turned them to face the correct direction, and transferred five very full frames from each nuc into the hive boxes. We filled the feeders and left them alone to start orienting to their new home.

There was something about that moment, standing there in a bee suit, watching them settle in, that made it feel real in a way it hadn’t earlier in the day.

The Quiet That Almost Broke Me

The next day, I checked on them briefly but left them alone like I was told, only peeking at the feeders to make sure they had what they needed.

By day three, I walked out to the hives early in the morning and everything was… silent.

No movement. No buzzing. Nothing.

I stood there longer than I want to admit, convinced I had somehow managed to mess this up beyond repair in under 72 hours.

But I kept hearing the instructor’s voice in my head saying that bees know what they’re doing and that my job is to be patient and let them work.

So I went back inside, tried not to think about it all day, and came back out around 2 in the afternoon.

And there they were.

Both hives fully active, bees coming and going, and the feeders already needing to be refilled. It was one of those small moments that felt a lot bigger than it should have, like something just clicked into place.

Why Bees (And Not Chickens)

I know a lot of people start with backyard chickens, and I get the appeal, but this feels more like my kind of project.

It’s quieter in its own way, even with the constant hum, and it fits into everything else we already have going on here without adding another daily routine that depends on me getting it exactly right.

There’s also something about working alongside something that is so self-sufficient that I find really grounding. They don’t need me hovering over them, they just need the right environment and a little support.

And if everything goes the way I hope it does, this eventually turns into more than just a backyard project – fresh honey for baking and cooking., jars for the bakery and farmstand, and beeswax for things like lip balm, candles, and whatever else I decide to make with it.

It feels like one of those additions that naturally ties into everything else we’re building here.

What Happens Next

Right now, the plan is simple.

Leave them alone.

Check the feeders when needed.

Give them a few weeks to settle in.

Resist the urge to open the hive every five minutes just to make sure everything is okay. This, honestly, is the hardest part. The bees are so tiny and cute, I want to photograph every moment like I did when we had puppies!

I’ll keep sharing as I learn, including the things I get wrong along the way, because apparently that is just part of the process at this point. And if nothing else, Pauline Manor officially has bees now, which still feels a little unreal to say out loud.

I am forever grateful to Greg Strickland from Urban Farmer Supplies for the class and for going so far above and beyond by coming out and helping me get everything set up the right way when it mattered most. Kylie made sure I had everything I needed from the start and got me registered for the class when spots were limited, and every single beekeeper I met that day was generous with their time, their advice, and their reassurance both during and after class when I clearly needed it.

If you are even thinking about getting started with backyard bees, this is the place I would point you first. You can learn more and get what you need here: https://urbanbeekeepingsupplies.com/