6/12/19 HIVE CHECK: HUNTER HIVE
Clear day with some wind. About 60 degrees F.
It's been too long since my last hive check, but I was out of town and came back pretty sick. I've been pretty much sleeping and recouping. The hive was packed with bees, though.
As I prepped my tools and smoker, it was apparent this hive check may be more challenging than usual. None of my lighters were working right and I couldn't get the smoker to sustain smoke once I did get it lit. I guess I'll break down and order burlap, since that's supposed to work well in a smoker and I need to find a more reliable lighter.
I opened the hive and worked as fast as I could, since I couldn't smoke the bees. I figured they'd get mad pretty fast, and I was right. Oh yeah, I'm buying burlap and a better lighter. It's challenging to evaluate the status of the hive while being attacked by bees...fortunately, I was suited up and ready for them.
The lower left side has worker bee brood. The upper right has honey cells. I can't see any eggs or larva. I hope that isn't a bad sign.
Closeup of the supercedure cell. Is there a new queen in the making?
For info info on various queen cells, visit this link.
Zooming in, I think there may be larva. I was moving so fast since the bees were mad, the pic isn't great. I'm just not sure if the queen is laying.
There's plenty of pollen.
Closeup of yellow and white pollen packed in cells.
Uncapped nectar...not yet dehydrated by the bees fanning their wings. This is future honey!
Capped honey across the frame top.
There seems to be lots of worker brood. Maybe the queen is alright? I'm just not seeing new eggs and larva, so I'm concerned.
There's a swarm cell partially in the pic at the bottom.
Another swarm cell.
Swarm cell close up.
I added a honey deep super. I put some of the frames from the bottom super into the top and put some empty frames into the pretty full bottom super.
Top super filled with frames.
I had the hive cover leaning up against the wall. It looks like the bees formed a heart! Maybe they're not mad at me after all.
:)
The cacti around the house are blooming at the bees seem to enjoy it.
The neighborhood is blooming like crazy, providing lots of pollen--not great for allergies, but perfect for feeding the bees.
