Beekeepers are NUTS!

☼

(Click on image for Readable size)

One Bee in your Bonnet can get anyone to 'Drop Trou' instantly

Today featured a Category 1 Hurricane (Irene).  We are a few hours inland but were subjected to some damaging winds and a good bit a rain.  Most people might consider that 'Bad weather'.  To be honest i too thought it to be in fact 'Bad Weather'. 

NOT that it stopped me from donning my veil & gloves to sneak a peek inside my hives between bands of tropical rain.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  Especially since my Beekeeping neighbor did the same thing later in the day. 

Oh well...what can i say?

Anyway, I looked QUICKLY into Melissa.  I wanted to see if maybe her screened Bottom Board was stopped up with dead bees & newspaper from the Combination.  Thinking that may be the reason she is bearding so much; not enough ventilation.  The SBB was clean though so it's something else.  She might have more bees than she can deal with from the combination.  I'll inspect her as soon as the weather turns 'Good'. 

Since I was there I removed what newspaper was left around the edges of the hive.  While doing so I saw a handful of Queen Cups on the bottoms of a few frames in the top box (DHB2).  The bees might be making Swarm Cells.  Something else that will need to be checked and soon!  

...And the neighbor?  She check to see if the queen i gave her, from Nuc #2, was laying.  She was.

*_____________________________☼______________________________*