One Week Post Installation Inspection

One week post bee installation and a gorgeous day well into the 60s mean a hive check! Our first one since last week’s debacle. I was a bit nervous after how agitated the bees were during the installation process, but it turned out to be fine. Dave and I suited up, lit the smoker and headed over with our sugar syrup, pollen patties, and hive tools. We decided to open the right hive (the bigger one) first. At the first puff of smoke there was an angry buzz from inside the brood box. When we took the cover off, we found that the bees in this hive had eaten most of the previous pollen patty. I took out the second to last frame far from where they bees were working on foundation and gently slid the other frames over until I got to the feeder. It was bone dry, so we took it out to refill it. The queen cage was empty but I couldn’t find the queen. The bees are drawing out comb though, on five or so of the frames. We filled the feeder and placed a new pollen patty with the remains of the old one and covered the hive back up.

The left hive (I really have to think about naming them) was pretty much the same except the pollen patty was almost intact and there was a smaller area being worked with comb, but more progress was being made. I was able to take pictures and this is what’s at the top of the blog. We even saw a bee come back with her legs orange with pollen. Much more exciting for me than Dave, I think. The queen cage had to be pried out of the comb –the bees couldn’t move it so it became part of the nest. I’m sure they’ve fixed the damage by now. This feeder was also dry. I hesitate to go into the hive too often because it’s been pretty cold out – low 50s for much of the week. I’m thinking of supplementing with a jar feeder. If I put that on top of the inner cover, I can replace it without opening the hive all the way.

The only thing that worries me is that we didn’t do a full frame- by- frame inspection so I’m not sure if the queens are alive and laying. Next time we open them, which I’m thinking will be next weekend because we have chilly, wet weather for the week ahead, I’ll do a more extensive check. This one was more of a get your feet wet kind of thing.

I found that working with the bees is oddly calming. Every movement is slow and precise. I became aware of the different sounds of the hive – especially the loud, annoyed, panicked buzz of a bee trapped in between frames as I moved them. I enjoyed my time out there with them. It was so different from that first day. Hardly any bees landed on me. Dave’s gloves were stung a few times but he was using the smoker so they didn’t like him very much. He was still fine with just gloves and a veil.

I realize now how traumatic the travelling must have been for them, then the banging of the package on the ground, and the pouring into the hive. They are wonderfully adjusted now and I’ve taken to going out in the morning to check on them. Both hives were buzzing happily after yesterday’s intrusion.