Archive | March 2014

End of March check-in

Mar29

Both beehives are humming and as Spring is coming into full bloom, they have lots to eat from the garden. On the theory that a well-fed bee is a healthy, happy bee, we’ve been supplementing with 10/1 sugar patties, and 1/1 sugar-water syrup still. And they are still consuming about one large ball jar a day!

Here is hive #1: DSC03599_1024

And here’s a video showing their activity around the entrance, and how many are returning with pollen-filled legs. http://youtu.be/IVBfGIYX6_Y

Tomorrow, we’ll check inside the hives

Old Frames From Our Robbed Bees That We Are Putting in the New Hives

Mar9

 

Here are the frames from our hive that was robbed of all its honey last summer. We are dividing these well-developed frames as the four side frames (two on each side of the existing bees) in each of our new hives. Having comb built out will save the bees a lot of energy. They will clean these old frames and fix them up to suit their hives. There are some dead larvae and a few dead bees, but no foulbrood or other disease.

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Bees are loving Sugar Fondant Candy

Mar4

When the hive was new, less than two weeks ago, it took the bees a week to drink the ball jar of syrup. Now, it’s taking them only two days. Similarly, the bees are making fast work of the candy fondant we put above the queen excluder, so we added more today. IMG_7057_1024They are putting wax on the queen excluder, but don’t seem to have spread out to the extra four frames much yet, so we don’t think it’s quite time to put a new super on top.

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