Saturday, May 2, 2009

Honey Bee Update

Here's a picture taken during the second bee check on April 23rd. You can see the space between the frames in the brood box & the queen cage that is covered with bees. The queen cage needs to be removed & the frames replaced.

I'm holding onto the queen cage & the bees have built burr comb off of the bottom. This is fun to look at & touch. Sometimes the queen has already laid eggs in the burr comb & she may still be lurking so it's important to not shake her off or hurt her when you're removing the cage & comb. There was a large burr comb in both of the hives & lots of activity so I'm assuming all is good at this point.

Here's a picture of the queen in the middle of this frame ~ see the pink/red dot? That's the queen & the red marker helps to identify her among all the bees.
Sorry the picture is blurry ~ I had gloves on & it's hard to handle the camera with the bulk & the excitement of seeing Her Majesty!
I didn't see the queen or any eggs in the second hive & I'm a little worried about that but it's still early so I'll probably check them again in a week to see if they need food & to check the second hive for eggs & baby brood.
It was 68 degrees today in Anchorage & it felt hot in the sun. The tops of my feet actually got sunburned while I was outside! I'm hoping for a hot & sunny summer....& a great honey flow! I think we're off to a great start.

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