Added a box to each June 13 2020

The SE hive has a bunch of bees in the bottom (third) box so we added a box to each hive (because of upcoming shoulder surgery Monday the 15th, best to plan ahead).
Smoked the hives, all went well. No stings.

Lots of bee activity. Then Mark weed whipped all the grass down to clear the area around the hives. New batteries put in the fence charger.

2019-2020 update lost my hives

So I lost one hive last November and my other one in February. So I hived two new colonies this year on April 11 and they're going like gang busters. I used old comb with honey and fed them until June 2. I will need to put another box on the SE hive today since they are filling the lowest (third box). Both hives have 3 boxes on. No plans to take any honey this year.

September 24, 2019

I have filled the feeders a couple of times, it's still warm and they're bearding.
The NW hive has 4 boxes, since we put the one back on and the SW hive has just 3.
There is a pile of comb near the hives, I figured it was far enough away that it would not encourage robbing.
Here's today's photo and video:

Summertime summary

I took the feeders off around June 9.
Then I left the hives all summer until now............

So two days ago, September 10, Tuesday, it was glorious outside but I knew it was going to get rainy and cool and I needed to get my feeders on for the fall.
So what better time than now to remove a box off each hive for the winter? Mark and I did that without a sting but Duchess got nailed by bees.

Well, there probably was a better time.

There is only comb being built in the bottom boxes and I didn't want to take top boxes full of honey - because then I would have to process it (I have plenty in the pantry) and I want them to go into winter with a full hive of honey to see if their overwintering success will be better.

This is an experiment!

So the SW hive had a lot of bees in the bottom box but by 9/11 they were all back in the main hive - I hope.

The NW hive was FULL of bees and even by this morning, 9/12 in the dark, in the rain (after torrential rains 24 hours ago) the bees were still bearding on the front of the hive and were still in the box sitting next to the hive (the bottom box).

So, armed with a smoker, Mark and I went down there again, in the dark and misty cool rain and put the bottom box back on. I got one sting through my jeans but I can tolerate lower extremity stings much better than upper extremity so, there you go.

I'll check them tonight - it's just getting dark earlier and I get home too late for sunshine. It's supposed to be warm and sunny again this weekend so I'll check them then.

Note to self - wait to take off bottom boxes until the hive has naturally decreased in size by killing drones and when it is definitely going to be cold and autumnal.

Will I ever learn?  😖🐝

April 27, 2019 New packages

I picked up the bees on a snowy morning in Rochester and hived them in the 40s with sun back home. Interesting weather pattern, to say the least.

They're doing well, taking sugar water down especially in the south hive. Lots of activity when it warms up, back into a rainy spell now on May 9.

Interesting discovery when I checked the hives

March 2019
Last I reported, both hives were dead and I assumed that when I opened them that both would be full of dead bees. Well just one was full of dead bees and the other was empty. So I surmise that the hive failed in the one that toppled and they swarmed in the other after that one toppled. But who knows? I have them ready for my new packages though - so here's hoping this is a better year!

November 20 2018 yep they're dead

Both hives gone - I'm sure it was the loss of warm space with the tornado blowing them over and losing comb from the top 2 boxes of each - where all the honey was.
Ok, on to new packages next spring!