Friday, April 8, 2011

Spring Hive Report

So far, my bee hives have made it through the winter. I'm trying to get a decent day where the foragers are out flying so I can really go through to check the frames. I have a sinking feeling the #1 hive has lost its queen.

Last week, when I checked the hives. #2 was calm and the bees were industrious and ignored my clumsy hands going through to see what's happening. Those frames are really glued in there! Hive #1 was completely different -- bees came flying out by the hundreds when I took the top off. Smoking them did not seem to have any effect and their buzz was not the happy rhythm I have been used to.

I wished that I had brought some sugar water in a spray bottle to distract them and decided that it would be better to wait to a warmer day, when I had plenty of time (and sugar water) to inspect the frames more thoroughly.

Well, so far Mother Nature has not cooperated with me with a warm, sun-shiney day where the foragers would be out gathering pollen and I could take the frames out one-by-one and check their disposition and their health.

I'm glad that there are plenty of bees in both of the hives and they are gathering pollen but want to give them every opportunity to be healthy and grow.

Also, I am officially a member of the New Jersey Beekeeping Association and am looking forward to my first meeting of the Jersey Cape coming up on 4/21/11.