I love this letter from our "bee-keeper"...
Pam and Tony,
On thursday, I took the whole hive apart again. I couldn't find the queen but there was lots of brood and I'm sure she is in there lost in the piles of bees that are present. I did make another split, so I unloaded a few more of those bees and brought them over to my place to requeen.
My earlier attempt to requeen the first split failed. The queen was released but killed. Don't ask me why but I placed her in the hive too soon and the bees were still stressed while in transport and relocation. At $14.00 a queen, I'd say its something I need to get better at.
Your hive shows no signs of wanting to swarm. It is an extremely strong hive that is ready for the honey flow to start. My next move will be to add a honey super in about 10 days. I have great expectations as everything is primed and any swarm tendancy has ended.
A couple of guard bees slipped out of the split hive that I was trying to load into the car and a bee nailed me in my left lower eyelid. When I woke up this AM, it felt and looked like I had been in a barroom fight. My left side of my face was really swollen. That happened at about 4 o'clock, and I hoped that you weren't returning soon. You must have noticed something was up.
I left the feeder in the entrance but they don't need to be fed. At least, not in any time soon. Talk to you later. Give me a call if there are any questions......Thomas
1 comment:
The Secret Life of Beekeepers.
You *know* how fascinating I find all this to be (bee!).
I think he needs to invest in a full beekeeper's suit. Had he been wearing that beekeeper's hat, he wouldn't have been stung.
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