This week it was just my Dad checking the bees, so I wasn't there to film. He put on some mite quick strips, and added one honey super to Penelobee's stack (left).
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
Thursday, June 1, 2017
June 1 - Reversals & Entrance Reducers & Mite tests, oh my!
It's June! In this week's video you can see our first attempt to use the mite counting kit!
Beeatrice - doing well! We did a reversal and removed the entrance reducer. Did our first mite test, and maybe found 2? Hard to tell! We added some sugar syrup. Need to weed whip next time!
Penelobee - Not quite as strong as Beeatrice. Didn't do a reversal. Found maybe 2 mites? Didn't add sugar syrup...removed the entrance reducer.
Beeatrice - doing well! We did a reversal and removed the entrance reducer. Did our first mite test, and maybe found 2? Hard to tell! We added some sugar syrup. Need to weed whip next time!
Penelobee - Not quite as strong as Beeatrice. Didn't do a reversal. Found maybe 2 mites? Didn't add sugar syrup...removed the entrance reducer.
Wednesday, May 24, 2017
May 22 & 24 - Finally adding more sugar syrup
I don't have a video yet from these days...
May 22nd was 63 degrees and sunny, and we checked at 2:15 pm. It's been too cold and rainy to check on them until now! Beeatrice (Right) - didn't see any eggs but larvae and capped brood, and removed some moldy looking pollen pattie. Now taking syrup...need to add more! I added a little, 1/2 to 1/3 full. Need to go make more....
Saw Penelobee (left) and larvae in top box. Same story with pollen and syrup. Turned and shifted some frames but 6-8 frames were being worked below.
May 24th I went back to give them some fresh sugar syrup and wipe out the buckets.
May 22nd was 63 degrees and sunny, and we checked at 2:15 pm. It's been too cold and rainy to check on them until now! Beeatrice (Right) - didn't see any eggs but larvae and capped brood, and removed some moldy looking pollen pattie. Now taking syrup...need to add more! I added a little, 1/2 to 1/3 full. Need to go make more....
Saw Penelobee (left) and larvae in top box. Same story with pollen and syrup. Turned and shifted some frames but 6-8 frames were being worked below.
May 24th I went back to give them some fresh sugar syrup and wipe out the buckets.
Monday, May 8, 2017
May 2nd and May 8th
Here's a video from May 2nd and May 8th!
May 2nd was 60 degrees and sunny. We saw eggs, larvae, capped brood, pollen, new honey and comb! We turned the entrance reducers to the next largest hole, and added a second brood chamber to both colonies. Both still had plenty of sugar syrup in their buckets, and we saw lots of pollen coming in!
May 8th was in the mid to high 60's, sunny and windy. We saw eggs, brood, and larvae in both, and spotted queen "Penelobee." We gave both colonies a new pollen pattie...sugar syrups still full.
May 2nd was 60 degrees and sunny. We saw eggs, larvae, capped brood, pollen, new honey and comb! We turned the entrance reducers to the next largest hole, and added a second brood chamber to both colonies. Both still had plenty of sugar syrup in their buckets, and we saw lots of pollen coming in!
May 8th was in the mid to high 60's, sunny and windy. We saw eggs, brood, and larvae in both, and spotted queen "Penelobee." We gave both colonies a new pollen pattie...sugar syrups still full.
Monday, April 17, 2017
April 17 - Checking the Bees
Today was 47 degrees and sunny, and we checked the bees at 11 am. We didn't spot either queen this week. Both hives had eggs, larvae, and capped brood. Only added 1/4-1/3 pail of syrup to Penelobee's. They are still cleaning out the honey we left from last year's bees. We scooted some bee clusters towards the center and flanked them with 2 honey frames that were out of reach. Didn't see pollen coming in...they are eating the patties and building some new comb!
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
April 11 - Week 1: Checking for Eggs
Today we checked for eggs to make sure the queens are doin' their thing!
We checked the bees at 3:00 in the afternoon...it was sunny and 49 degrees. We saw eggs in both hives, on the frames that we had installed that had drawn come and honey in them. Some new comb was being drawn. We spotted queen Beeatrice this week! Added a little sugar syrup to Beeatrice's feeder pail. Didn't add any to Penelobee.
We checked the bees at 3:00 in the afternoon...it was sunny and 49 degrees. We saw eggs in both hives, on the frames that we had installed that had drawn come and honey in them. Some new comb was being drawn. We spotted queen Beeatrice this week! Added a little sugar syrup to Beeatrice's feeder pail. Didn't add any to Penelobee.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
April 4 - Installing the Bees!
Today we installed our package bees! Here's a video of how it went! We gave the bees a little jump start with some honey filled, drawn comb from last year's bees.
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