Bee Journal for Wayne Shaw

Added a medium hive body G to hive one.  Hive configuration is now

D – Honey Super, mostly full some uncapped honey

G – New Honey Super no wax or honey

A  – Hive body, good brood pattern

F – Hive body did not check

Observed

• Uncapped honey in honey super D
• Fresh uneven brood and honey in main hive body A
• Large number of bees with good activity outside of hive
• Hatched queen comb on hive frame
• no visabile ant activity
• Winter moth is attacking maple tree above hives

Actions

• Installed queen excluder between  main hive body A and honey Super D
• broke off overhanging branches from tree

Hive looks very healthy, observed:

• uncapped honey in frames
• bees carrying pollen in hive
• 3 queen combs
• at least one full frame of capped brood
• brood primarily in upper hive A
• bees covering all frames
• all frames with comb

Actions:

• removed mouse guard from center entrance
• moved honey super D from hive two to hive one

Need to install queen excluder in 4 days.

I opened hive one today and removed frame feeder that was installed 10 days ago.  Feeder was still 1/2 full with syrup.  Noticed alot of activity in front of hive with 20 or so bees at the top hive body handle.

Frames in upper hive body F  have all been built out with wax.

Removed Apiguard tin which was still full of medicine.

Entrance guard remains on hive

Activities

• removed tar paper and insulation board on outer cover
• Cleaned out Brood nest and inner cover of old pollen patty and sure candy
• removed mouse nest in landing board, no mice
• removed dead bees from bottom board
• installed slatted rack above bottom board and below brood hive F
• swapped broods nests A now on the top F is on the bottom
• removed 2 unpopulated frames from hive A, inserted in 2  frame plastic  feeder w/ 0.5 Gallon 1:1 Sugar Syrup 1/2 tsp fumagillin-b
• placed 1 tin of Apiguard mite treatment in on top of hive

Observations

• Brood Hive Body F has 5 frames worth of Bees
• Br0od Hive Body A has 3 frames worth of bees
• Bees clearly lade with pollen entering the hive
• remains of a mouse nest in landing board

Thoughts

• Remove landing board next fall to discourage mouse visits
• Feeding should have taken place 2-3 weeks earlier (consider last week in May)
• Hive One is week consider re-queening this Fall

Hive One March 19th 2011

Hive one uncovered entrance

Tem. 41degrees F,  Entrance obscured by tar paper, two dead bees at entrance, sugar candy still visible under the top cover