Great Big Bee Hive

Yes, it is getting enormous. They are burning through the pollen patty and sugar syrup at an alarming rate. The bees are covering every corner of the main brood box. There is now brood on all of the frames in the main brood box. They are filling the bottom box rather quickly too. So far there is only nectar and pollen being stored in the bottom box. That will change soon, I am sure. There is almost enough comb to start laying brood in.

The number of bees protecting the hive has increased dramatically. So dramatically that, Ashlyn was stung yesterday just standing next to the hive when she just checked to see if the syrup needed refilled. She did not disturb the bees at all. It was unprovoked. Hailey's sting, last week, seemed pretty innocent as well. Today, they were bumping Kyson and I as warnings they are not a week little hive any more. They are a big strong colony. From now on, veils will be a requirement in Doris' yard. It also seems to help when there is less of a crowd around watching when we open the hive. We knew before getting into this, beekeepers get stung.

I did not get any new pictures today. We kept the inspection to a minimum. Looking at just a few frames, adding feed, scraping some burr comb, than out'a there. While removing one of the frames, some burr comb along the bottom of it scraped open some capped brood on the next frame. One cell had mites inside feeding on the larvae. This was very interesting to see. It  is unfortunate the bees have to live with these parasites, but they are part of life. I removed the damaged cells making sure to get out all the mites I could find. Considering it has been seven weeks since the last powdered sugar treatment, the number of mites is extremely low. I found one mite on the bottom board last week, and this brood cell with four or five in it. That's pretty low for this time of year I believe.

For next week, I will plan on starting another round of powdered sugar treatments. I will continue with the feeding as I have been. They are still collecting a great deal of nectar and pollen and will not starve if they use up the syrup a day or two early. Only eleven more weeks until winter sets in. They are working a pace that should make it easy for them to make it through the cold.

--MAKE SURE YOU SUBSCRIBE TO THE BLOG AND HAVE UPDATES DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR INBOX--