After consecutive years of drought resulting in poor honey flows, 2016 turned out OK. First year beekeepers are told not to expect any honey, but my strong hive did manage to fill one honey super. All told, I bottled 286 ounces (2.23 gallons) of honey!
Hive check Sunday, September 4, 2016
Yesterday I completed my third consecutive powdered sugar treatment for Varroa mites, thus completing the first mite treatment for my hives.
Now that the honey flow is over, next on the bee agenda is to prepare for the winter dormant season. I’m told in our workshops that the goal is to get the bees as fat and healthy as possible before winter. At this time of year supplementing with pollen helps. Dry pollen will be stored by the bees and wet pollen will be eaten immediately. Below is a picture of a top feeder filled with dry pollen. The bees fly/walk through the powdered pollen which attaches to their hairy little bodies (just like on a flower) which they will store in the honeycomb.
After checking the hives yesterday I am once again full of questions. Hive 2 looks very weak to this newbee beekeeper’s eyes. Not sure if it will be strong enough to winter over. Box 2 is full of capped honey, but Box 1, unfortunately, has very little capped brood or stored pollen. The few larva that I did see was spotty and dry. I saw another open queen cell so I don’t know if the bees have superseded their queen yet again.
Hive 2 looks much better. I did see lots of larva in all stages as well as pollen and capped honey.
At tonight’s bee meeting our guest speaker will be discussing the topic of preparing our bees for winter. I’ll be attending with lots of questions!
Hive 2 Stats
Box 2
F2 – F9 Solid capped honey
Box 1
F4-5 Spotty dry larva, very little pollen, little brood
Did not see eggs
Overall hive looks very weak
Hive 1 Stats
Super
Super is filling with nectar
Box 2
Only checked two frames
F4 – F5 Lots of larva in all stages, capped honey + brood
Box 1
Saw larva in all stages
Spotty brood
Did not see eggs
Saw stored pollen and capped honey
