Inspection #5 - May 25, 2013 - VERY Interesting!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!! -- Time again to inspect the hives!

This Inspection was certainly interesting... and quite messy!
It was also challenging to inspect the hives AND take pictures AND watch babies being born!

HIVE #1 -- Hive #1 has still not gone into the top box, so I've decided to use the Pyramid Technique to drive them up. I took the center 3 frames of brood and moved them to the center of the top box, and staggered the bottom box with new and brood frames. This technique is nicely explained here : Pyramiding : Getting Bees to Move Up

As I still am not seeing honey stores in there, and they are still refusing the top feeder, I've decided to give them a Baggie Feeder. I'm happy to report... THEY FOUND IT!!! -- and are using it! I'm hoping that this means they will begin drawing more comb and rearing more young.

HIVE #2 -- I was prepared that Hive #2 was still a mess & yes, it was.

The top feeder was badly stuck to the top cover -- the trick I read about certainly didn't help!!! After prying it apart I began the frame-by-frame inspection and saw batches of brood, but they are still not drawing out frames!!! They still only have about 4 done... I'm really beginning to think I need to re-Queen this colony!

Here are some pics of what found inside:





I also am still not seeing stored honey or sugar water.. WELL, I'LL GET TO THAT IN A MOMENT...

I diligently scraped off the errant comb that lead from the frames to the top, inner cover, and was getting ready to put it all back together, when I noticed a HUGE mess on the bottom of the top feeder.... Of course, the feeder still had sugar water in it, so this was NOT going to be fun...

Here's a pic :


I knew I had to take care of this mess and convert this hive to a Baggie Feeder IMMEDIATELY!

What appeared at first glance to only be their sugar water store, ended up also having some brood comb as well.

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WARNING -- IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH DO NOT LOOK BELOW... IF, however, You're Fascinated with Nature, Keep Reading...

Not thinking too much about it, I scraped out the comb from the Top Feeder, put it in my little bin for excess comb and went into the house...

Most of the comb was dripping with Sugar Water... Well, now I know where they were putting their food stores!!!

In the kitchen I started to clean up and quickly realized that something was different about a section of the comb... I had scraped from there some brood comb!!

I feel horrible that some larvae were killed in this process... Luckily not too many, but I was fascinated to really see what Larvae look like in their various stages. I was even blessed to witness a couple of bees emerge from this comb.

Seeing Two Babies begin to emerge from a section of comb I ran out of the house with camera in hand...

Here's what I found :

Oh, Honey, Wherefore art thou??!!!

I just realized looking at the pics taken yesterday I'm still not seeing that classic 'rainbow' pattern of honey, pollen and brood...

Yeah, I got that worrying part down good!

Pics of Hive Inspection - May 19, 2013 - Week 4

What can I say...

Hive #2 still has me very concerned. They just do not seem to be drawing out wax. I see brood, but it seems spotty. The top feeder is sticking to the center frame. I read about a trick to get this minimized -- put on the inner cover and put the top feeder on top of that. So, that's what I did!

Hive #1 seems to be doing alright. They are now drawing out wax again, but have not touched the top chamber yet. I'm a bit concerned as the brood pattern seems spotty -- and they are still not using the top feeder.

I've been reading that what appears to be spotty brood pattern may just be 'normal' during the early hatching cycles. Bees hatch and then the Queen goes back to lay in those old areas... There are larvae in most of those cavities, so, perhaps I worry too much... Yeah, I'm good at that!

Here are some pics :

Oh Strange Bees, Do You Not Recognize Mesquite Trees?... Native Bees vs. Mine

Well, the Mesquite trees here are now in full bloom -- You'd think that since my bees are housed under our largest Mesquite tree they'd be harvesting nectar and pollen from it and the 'sister' tree next to their hives... But NOOOOO!

There are, however, some bees going in with legs full of pollen, but I have never them in these two large trees brimming with Mesquite flowers... I know they're still visiting the Elderberry tree periodically as well as the roses. Are they harvesting from other trees around here?

The Local Wild bees, however, are gathering from the Mesquites routinely -- as well as the Palo Verde trees around the property....

Is it because these packages came from California, they do not recognize the Mesquite?? LOL!

Weeks 2 and 3... Eh...

Well, Week #2 and #3 were pretty exciting.

The Olive tree and Elderberry tree were the bees best friends. Every morning they both were loaded with bees gathering pollen.

Inspections of the hives revealed that hive #1 is doing nicely, but they still have not gone up into the 2nd hive body I put on after the 1st inspection. This hive has also stopped using the top feeder. I'm a bit worried about this, but, perhaps they've found better nectar elsewhere. I'm still adding syrup just in case.

Hive #2 is still weak. Only a few frames have been drawn, but it appears that the Queen has been laying as I've seen capped brood.

Strangely Mann Lake's 8-frame supers contain room for 9-frames. I've read that many people add that 9th frame so bee space violation is less, and the extra frame is good to have in the brood area. Sooo... I put the 9th frame in the healthier hive in both the lower and upper chambers.

Wish could have taken some pictures, but my mother's been ill & unable to come out to the beeyard with me while I inspect.

2nd Hive Body Added (ALREADY!) to Hive #1 and Misc Pics

Based on what I saw yesterday in Hive #1 -- there were 6 of 8 frames fully drawn into comb -- I decided this morning to add a 2nd hive body.

No book or site I've read has said that it should be done this early... It's only been a Week since Installation... WAAAY early... But every book & site says that when this many frames have fully drawn comb, it's time to add.

No super-exciting pics of this. Given that there was some weird comb-drawing going on, figured I might have some 'bee space violations' happening, so in the 2nd box I put in 9-frames -- Mann Lake's 8-frame boxes have room for 9-frames -- and I read on other blogs and sites that 9 frames can be used in their boxes.

Later, when the Honey Supers go on, I'm planning on using only 8 frames spaced evenly apart, so the comb will be fatter!

Hive #1 - Body #2 -- Experimenting : 8 of the 9 frames are frame-less -- only one wax-wired frame in the center.

I had a hard time moving around yesterday during inspection, so I asked my father if he would mind cutting a few more branches away from the Mesquite tree to make some more room.... He was happy to!

As mentioned, nothing too exciting to see when I installed the 2nd Hive body... I donned my Bee Helmet, put on a Long-Sleeved shirt & out I went with the new Body & more Sugar Syrup (food) in tow.

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Why are You Taking So Many Pictures I've been Recently Asked...
Ever since my Nonno (Italian for Grandfather) passed a few months ago, I decided to take more pics of what is going on in my life. I took my camera with me when I went to visit my Grandparents... He passed while I was there that visit & I had never taken out my camera, nor took picture when I had a chance... I won't let something like that happen again!!!!
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Here are pics of today's events...

First Hive Inspection Complete... Mixed Bag

Well, thanks to wind gusts of 30mph+ yesterday, I decided to wait until this afternoon during lunch-break to inspect the hives.

Hive #1, the one I thought had a messy installation, is THRIVING....

Hive #2 has a lot fewer bees, is drawing out the wax differently (and not very much by comparison), and sounds differently than Hive #1...

I was unable to locate the Queen in either hive, nor was I sure I found any eggs... LOL!

I'll have to take longer next week to check a lot more closely...

What can I say, I was nervous!!!

Here's some pics :

1st Hive Inspection... Later Today...

Time for my 1st hive inspection... It'll be a week & now time to do my 1st hive inspection. I'm a bit nervous... I did have to open the hives a few days ago as I freaked that I had put the queen cages in wrong... I didn't, but did find the Queens had already emerged from their cages. I'm a bit worried they released too soon, so, later today, I'll know for sure...

Hive #2 Installation - Pics Only

Installation of Bee-Hive #2 went much better than 1st Installation... Difference this time : I sprayed down the inside of the hive walls and frames with sugar water 1st & made sure I shook well... Shook a little too well, however -- My helmet flew off! :D

Bee Installation - Hive #1 - 4:35pm - April 18, 2013

WARNING... Lots of pics!

OK, I'll admit I was VERY NERVOUS during the 1st hive installation...

It, overall, did not look a thing like most of the videos I've watched on Youtube!!!!!!!!! LOL!

1st... Thanks Mom for taking almost all of these pics coming up & thanks Dad for taking this very 1st picture!

PICS:

Separating the 2 packages from each-other

Good dousing of sugar-water

Smacked them down & sprayed again... 1st Mistake : I didn't spray them heavily enough!!

Time to Take out the Feed Can... and Pour --

Now here's where I made my biggest mistake... I didn't smack them down hard enough or shake them into the hive vigorously enough! I was just too dang gentle! :)

More shaking... The bees are going EVERYWHERE!

Time to place the frames back in & put the Queen in the center...

Yes, I was nervous, but I did remember to take the cork out & put a marshmallow in the Queen Cage... Even managed not to let the Queen escape in my Nervousness!

Top feeder went on & then the cover... No pics for that.

Well because I felt dejected that the bees were going allover the place I then took over taking pics...

I was going to wait until tomorrow night to Install the 2nd Package, since the 1st Installation didn't go so hot...

I ended up being wrong... I went out to check a couple of hours later & all those bees made it from the box into the hive... It was a Beautiful Sound and Sight!!!

The 2nd Installation, done at 6:45pm went MUCH better... I'll post about that tomorrow... Time to get some sleep now!!!