Week 6, fifth hive check

It’s been a busy couple of weeks including out of town travel, so  I skipped  Week 5’s hive check.  And since the weather has been cool and overcast for a while I figured I’d leave the girls alone to their task.

After evening rains, Wednesday, May 25 dawned sunny and warm. It was time to get back in the hives! Both hives are looking really good and  have grown in population. Hive 2 had almost filled their first deep box so I added a second. Hive 1 has a good five frames in their second deep almost built out. They have been very busy.

 

More questions! This is a frame from Hive 1 and was from the  original  purchased nuc. In the area inside the white circle the honeycomb has almost completely disappeared, it’s very shallow and almost non-existent. Since the bees reuse the comb I’m not understanding why the comb would be so deteriorated. Unless it’s just an old frame and ready to be retired and rotated out.

 

Mold on the bottom boards continues to be a problem. Granted these photos represent two weeks worth of growth, but still, it looks bad and Hive 1 looks terrible!

I also saw a lot of sparkly things on the bottom boards. They were there last hive check as well and I didn’t know what they were. I have since learned that they are little flecks of wax which have fallen. In certain light the whole board sparkles and shimmers.

Hive 2 Stats
Did not see queen
Didn’t really see any eggs
Did see lots of larva in all stages
Saw lots of capped brood, pollen and honey
Outer frames in box 1 are almost all drawn out with comb
Added second deep box

Hive 1 Stats
Did not see queen
Didn’t really see any eggs
Saw larva in all stages
Saw lots of capped brood, pollen and honey
Outer frames are drawn out with comb
Second box has five drawn frames