85 f
Sunny
Time to look into Myrina and see if she's ready for Winter. This was very different. As soon as the cover was off I could tell everything had changed. They weren't angrily attacking the smoke. They were all the same color. They didn't even mind when I shook my hand back & forth over the open box. These bees were no longer evil mean bees but, dare I say, regular bees, Hallelujah!
Top Box Frames:
10. Thin drawn, 1/2 capped honey - 2010 Crimped-Wire (CW)
9. 3/4 capped honey - 2010 CW
8. Full capped honey - 2010 CW
7. Full capped honey - 2009 Plasticell
6. 1/2 honey, 1/2 brood (eggs), Marked Queen - Old CW
5. 1/2 honey, 1/2 brood (back filling w/honey) - Old CW
4. 1/2 honey, 1/2 brood (back filling w/honey) - Old CW
3. 3/4 capped honey, some pollen - Old CW
2. 3/4 capped honey, some pollen - Old CW
1. 3/4 capped honey, some pollen - Old CW
Bottom Box Frames:
10. Drawn, empty - 2009 Plasticell
9. Drawn, empty - 2009 Plasticell
8. 1/2 capped honey - 2009 Plasticell
7. 3/4 capped honey - 2009 Plasticell
6. 3/4 capped honey, some pollen - 2009 Plasticell
5. 1/2 capped honey - 2010 CW (Depleted)
4. 1/2 capped honey & pollen - 2009 Plasticell
3. 1/2 pollen & capped honey - 2009 Plasticell
2. Undrawn - 2010 CW (Depleted)
1. Undrawn - 2010 CW (Depleted)
Depleted means the bees took wax from these frames and used it somewhere else. It's ugly and looks like this.
Drawn Out
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Undrawn
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So the top box is heavy and the bottom box is light. There is about 1 more month before cold weather sets in. I'll continue feeding, but at an increased rate. As usual I add Apple Cider Vinegar to the syrup.
Queen Myrina was found on frame 6 in the top box. She looked busy. This was the first time I've seen her since the requeening.
Even if I hadn't seen her there were plenty of eggs already on the frame.
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The Hive Top Feeder has been tricky going. The bees keep propolising the vent holes closed. It takes about a week for the bees to do it. I clean it off when I feed but it's getting old.
This is new to this year. They never did it last year. I'll need to ask around to see if this is good behavior or not. Also the syrup keeps crystallizing. Again, that never happened last year. I don't know what's so different now. More studying then...
Myrina's population looked good but not heavy. The two requeenings probably didn't help (one on her own before I introduced the later queen).
The only question I have now is what to do with the handful of Varroa mites in the hive. I never saw them during the inspection. Only after looking at the photo's could I find any. Very few indeed. I'll talk to some older beeks and see what they recommend.
Every week
This is new to this year. They never did it last year. I'll need to ask around to see if this is good behavior or not. Also the syrup keeps crystallizing. Again, that never happened last year. I don't know what's so different now. More studying then...
2:1 Rock Candy
Myrina's population looked good but not heavy. The two requeenings probably didn't help (one on her own before I introduced the later queen).
The only question I have now is what to do with the handful of Varroa mites in the hive. I never saw them during the inspection. Only after looking at the photo's could I find any. Very few indeed. I'll talk to some older beeks and see what they recommend.
Oh, and here's something we all want to see this time of year.
Fully Capped CW
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