The End of the Beginning

To round out the first year, we installed a new package of bees today. We received a package of Carniolans to compare against the Italians we have been working with. Doris is doing well but the cluster has become quite smaller than it was in March. We have experienced several consecutive weeks of cold and damp weather. Deep snow and harsh winds have defined April this year.

Fortunately, the Carniolans arrived trailing the last of the really bad weather. They have lots of warm weather and flowers ahead of them to build a good strong colony.

Allow me to introduce, her majesty, Queen Ethel. 

Some of my winter reading included the book Confessions of a Bad Beekeeper by Bill Turnbull. In his stories he references an imaginary conversation between some foraging bees. One he called Doris, who spoke of another named Ethel. Hopefully Doris and Ethel will have lots to share in our yard.

Doris generously shared two frames of drawn comb with a little honey and some pollen as a house warming present. This should allow Ethel to get right to it with the brood rearing. Carniolans are known for fast expansion in the spring.

This is a great looking package of bees. There is almost no dead bees on the bottom of the box. That should also help Ethel get off to a good start.

Some of Ethel's nurses were chatting up one of the drones that ended up in the package. Just like a male to flirt with the nurses.

Ethel is getting a marshmallow to keep her protected until everyone can calm down. We did this with Doris and Delores last year. A more experienced beek I met today asked me what the marshmallows were for. He said he had been just dumping out the queens for the last ten years. I guess that works for him. Ethel's workers will free her when she is ready.

Here are the bees from the top view. The box gets placed inside the hive the same as last year. They get a jar of syrup and a pollen patty. I will go back in and remove the box once the bees have all transitioned into the frames.

Ethel didn't get her new brood box decorated. We will have to fix her up when she is ready to expand.

There was some cold wind while we were installing the bees today. You can see there is still snow on the ground. We had to use the tractor to carry everything out to the yard because there was so much mud in the fields. The water is great for the flowers, which is good for the bees. Let the nectar flow.