2016 05 May 30 highs in the upper 80s

So I went into 4 of the hives...mixed result.
Hive # 4&5.

Didn't spot the queens.......I did see brood capped and uncapped....even found eggs in box 4. I didn't dive down to the bottom  box of #5.... there was no need.

Then went into hive #1 & 2.... different story.
Hive #2 only had drone comb...are the queen is gone. So I then looked at hive #1 thinking if I could find new eggs I could then move a frame over. That was the thought...as soon as I took the feeders off I realized they were very antsy and alert. I was under-dressed shorts and a T shirt ....and went in to get my jacket and jeans.

Well I couldn't find  anything resembling eggs so I buttoned both up and will look later tonight after work to see if I can find some eggs for them to build out. If not I may combine the two and grab a queen as I have 4 queens on order with Eversweet Apiary.

Some successes:
1) I have stopped routinely using the nitrile gloves. Now I have a stock of them that I can use if needed....like a hot hive #1. LOL . I do use liquid smoke and so far that has worked well for me.
2) I am still experimenting  with shirtless and just using my Ultra Breeze....but I'LL SPARE THE PICTURES.
3) Just  a having fun

Will update this week as I think more  about Hive #1 and which hive I might combine hive #2.

2016 05 May 22

Sunday overcast drizzle some rain some. Highs in the upper 50s.

So I found a spot to a quick peak.... with five hives that is no small feat. Starting with hive 5 furthest away the bees are OK and queen riģht. I haven't marked her but she was there. I eyeballed her. I also saw capped and uncapped brood....

Hive four I also eyeball ed the queen and she is marked.... blood capped and uncapped

Hive three also the same but I didn't spot the queen.

Hive two small cluster with some drone comb and some capped bròod. I will keep an eye on them..and do another inspection next weekend.

Hive one I did look inside seemed good and the slide out board had a bunch of pollen and wax plates.

Feeders on all five with sugar water..? Need a few more buckets (5 gallon) and a couple hundred pounds of sugar.....this will be a long summer.

2016 05 May 14

So the morning was cool upper 50s sunny.

I went into all 5 hives looking for status mainly. I don't need to find the queen at all but it gives me a warm fuzzy that I am nor squishing them when I do. Forecast is sunny tomorrow and Mondsy...then the rain returns for the rest of the week.
I need a flashlight on days where it gets cloudy.

First the Russian hive.
Not queen right that I can't tell if there were eggs or not. Need to remember to leave my glasses off. I also have a challenge seeing with just my right eye keeping my eyes together with a distortion in my left eye is hard.
Any way some new wax but not a lot. New bees make the wax. I did spot a few small queen cells. I may sit tight but split them.....later as I could use a few nucs from this hive.

Middle hive
Also similar.... queen right is quedtionable.....no eggs or larva.

Far hive
Better, a queen and larva....capped and uncapped I put it back together as soon as I saw her.

Furthest hives of two
Queen and larva

Hive closest
No queen, no larva

2016 05 May 08

So the weather the past weekend was good with sunshine in the late part of the morning. Things would dry out a bit and inspections and observations were possible. The overcast starting around 5:00 pm through the nite.

My theory is that for the four packages it wasn't all bad as the rain meant they had to get used to the hive boxes and would be encouraged to stay..... I installed packages one time nice weather and half of the bees left.

Also while their number are low...the tendency to defend is less as they build up in numbers. All five colonies are at the same stage building laying eggs and bringing in pollen and nectar. My theory is all colonies are perceived by me as docile towards the beekeeper when numbers are low. Note a three pound package will have roughly 12,000 bees. That sounds like a lot...12,000 of anything sounds like a lot doesn't it?

The underlying point here is there are several functions this group of bees has to do. There are roles to fulfill like nurse the queen, clean maintain the hive, defend the hive, forage and how do the bees decide who is doing what. So a bit on what I know, when an egg is layer in cells that cell is immaculate. When I installed the package the frames I used were in various stages of use and some while having hoeny, pollen and bee bread (mix of the two) some of the frames even had bees that were frozen from the winter that I couldn't get out. Who is going to clean them out.

So the bees in each package had some work to do. I put syrup in the feeders and they took some  but not all of the food. There are periods to forage and on the weekend they worked but didn't 'attack' the syrup. I then decided to mark the queens in all five hives but could only get two marked. The other three were elusive, so I'll do it them next weekend.

Note the marking was only to help identify if the colony swarmed easier.no other reason.... and I used last year's color....blue.

Further updates to follow.

2016 05 May 07

Saturday coolish with sunshiine.

So for all four packages the queen is released. I did give each of the packages a feeder with some sugar water. Since each of the bottom deeps has drawn comb I put on a second deep with a mix of drawn come and just wax foundations. In addition added either entrance reducers or swarm blocks to reduce the size of area to be defended or just restrict the size of bugs that can get in.

The same for the former Russian hive. All are active and pollen coming in. I'll do inspections next weekend and mark the queens. There are agreed colors for marking queens and I understand why in reality yellow or orange are the easiest to see so even though it's supposed to be white....I will use .....blue it's was last year and I don't feel like buying more colors to bee appropriate.

So 5 hives this year all growing, because I had 3 die.

Then I have four queens coming in June..... two Carniolan answer two Italians...... so I'll make a few splits.

That's the plan any way..... and make more sugar water.

2016 05 May 02 Serendipty

2 May high in low 80s..... sunny mid day and rainy evening.

I was fairly dejected in mid April as I had three colonies
1st Colony were Russian bees (strongest by far)
2nd was Carniolan from a split and bought the queen.
3rd was Italian.

The last two did not make it through winter and I found the queen dead. The Russian bees had at least 60 pounds of honey and made it through winter. In early Feb I went into the hive,top box only and they were in fair shape. Then we had a late freeze and within a week the temps recovered  and I went in and they were all dead head in the cells and rear ends up in the air dead. I left the hive alone until early March. I then noticed in that hive some activity in the top. I figured it was robbing be a Ferral colony and I didn't touch it as I needed it cleaned out. So the activity continues into April and I go in again. This time my son and I look. A large cluster but I couldn't locate the queen and I don't see eggs, brood or lava. It's been a bit rainy and I decide to leave it and let them finish. Funny thing is I blocked the bottom and over the next two weeks I am watching and I see pollen being brought in. Strange if there isn' a queen, why would robbing bees bring in pollen.

I ordered four packages of Italians and get the other four sets of hive boxes setup. Then I breakdown the boxes looking for remaining honey. Note previously I through on a medium which had a bit of honey and pollen hoping the bees would clean it up. I go through the medium and it is empty of stores and I look at the deep under it there is a cluster small but they are there and I have a glimpse of the Queen running around. I back out and will look again on this Saturday. I may throw a feeder on there to see as I did leave it in a three deep with the medium.

Either they revived themselves from the cold ...... or I captured a swarm.... I don't know which....but serendipity.

Lessons learned.... forget treatment free beekeeping...
Adjust the hive so the food is directly above the colony.
Exiting from winter make sure to keep honey or feed into spring without honey supeŕs.... just to give the bees a chance until flowers and honey sources are available.
NEXT POST. ..... installing the packages.