This is my first update. I have been busy with my many jobs. Things are going well and we are on track to harvesting the honey this September. You should all receive your honey by the first week of October.
I was not able to take pictures of the process but, you pretty much remove the tin can and dump a mass of ten or twenty thousand bees into a hive.
And here they are.
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WEEK THREE - WORKER BEES MOVED NEXT DOOR.
I have read about this, but for one reason or another about half of the worker bees from the outer two hives have set up residence in the center hive, As a result the center hive is booming and I went ahead and added a second story to the hive to give them enough space to grow.
WEEK FIVE- BROOD AND HONEY
When bees fill a frame with "honey comb", they tend to separate the frames into 1) ones use for storing pollen and nectar, 2) brood frames for raising young workers, or 3) honey.
Because they have smaller populations the outer two hives are mostly focusing on raising more workers. This is what brood cells look like.
WEEK SIX - The middle hive needed even more space.
With your help I was able to refurbish all of my old bee hives and get them ready for their new tenants.
WEEK ONE - GETTING READY
WEEK ONE - GETTING READY
The first step was to spend several hours using a paint grinder to remove all of the old paint and stain from the outside of the hive bodies.
I painted them all white. In the past I had varnished my bee hives (because it was pretty). White will help keep the hives cool by reflecting more light. The bees can then spend more of their energy making honey.
WEEK TWO - THE BEES ARRIVE
When the bees are shipped they come in a cage with a queen and 2-3 pounds of worker bees. The tin can you see at the top is full of sugar water the bees eat/drink while they are traveling.
And here they are.
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I have read about this, but for one reason or another about half of the worker bees from the outer two hives have set up residence in the center hive, As a result the center hive is booming and I went ahead and added a second story to the hive to give them enough space to grow.
Because they have smaller populations the outer two hives are mostly focusing on raising more workers. This is what brood cells look like.
Every cell contains a larva that will soon hatch into another worker bee.
However, the middle hive is already making honey. Notice how the capped honey is smooth and white compared to the dry tan brood cells.
I think this will be a good year.
WEEK SIX - The middle hive needed even more space.
