Saturday, April 27, 2013

Hive Check 4.23.13

My neighbor, George, has had Honey Bees for years. I asked him to take a look at my hive. They looked good 2 weeks ago…but I checked them myself. After I found a frame of brood that looked good (according to pictures I found on the internet) I didn’t go any farther into the hive. I needed an expert opinion.

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He looked at this frame that was mostly filled out…looks like they are storing some nectar here. The frames in this hive have no foundation …you have to be very careful how you handle the frames. They can be rotated end to end but must be kept in an up right position or the comb can break. Probably not the best way for me to start, but I bought small cell Honey Bees that have been raised this way and I want to continue.

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Here’s a closer look. This was one of the frames with the tiny little comb in my last check.

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After seeing this frame of brood he said it was doing well and we didn’t need to look any farther. The numbers of bees are increasing and the brood pattern looked good.

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I put everything back together. There was still a little feed in the jar so I left it for them to clean up. George thinks there is enough feed in our area now so I can stop feeding them. They are only taking about 1/2 cup a day. Doesn’t seem like much for the number of bees. Guess they aren’t really interested in it.

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We have the boat all packed and ready for travel…we’re going boating for a few days!!!

I’ll miss my “girls”.

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