7-8-15 Visit

Had been several weeks since I had checked the orchard hive. The honey super on top was almost full but yet still several that needed to be fully capped. I checked the deep below and was able to harvest four full frames with all the others almost completed as well. The unseasonably cool weather still continues, several days this week in the mid-70s with lows in the 60s.

7-7-15

Cool air prevails a few days this week. Highs in mid 70's. Lows in low 60's! These shots are from the Peterbilt swarm that was caught a couple months ago.

6-18-15 Visit

Added last honey super to Vineyard hives. Mid 70s and cloudy and will rain today.

All looked good in the photo. Orchard hive is doing well. Was going to add an additional honey but they still have space. Third deep is filling up with honey.

6-12-15 Visit

It's been almost a month since I last blogged. Been so busy with my photography business and just the weekly upkeep of the hives, just haven't made time.
Here's what I had time to capture in photos this evening. Hope you enjoy and ask questions.
Otherwise yesterday had our yearly tour group come and visit and Clarence Seale, Jackson, Alex, and Joshua all helped. Bummer, was too busy to take any photos. The people from Kansas and Oklahoma were very satisfied with the presentation.
Caught a hive a while back and was unsure of the queen, supplemented a brood frame but have found that there was a queen and she is laying quite nicely! It's been very hot and wet the last couple of weeks so I think that has held back the growth in some hives yet they always seem busy when it stops raining.
It was a nice cool evening to get out and make photos and check a couple hives.

A rose from my garden

Yes, there are other pollinators waiting in the wings!

Beautiful comb pattern.

Getting beezey

Close of brood in comb.

Four is never a crowd.

Each honeybee contains 9000 "little eyes"

Garden flower from Jayna's Country Store & Gardens

Rainy Days

This is about the 4th weekend in a row with rain. Went to check NUCS I installed last. Very different numbers. One hive I also didn't notice eggs or very many larvae. I'll have to check again soon. The other had good numbers and was starting to rain so I went ahead and added another deep. Cut grass with hand weed cutter I bought at a garage sale. Worked well! Temp was in the mid 70's at time of check.

Trying to save 150 bees!

Leftover honeybees after a NUC need to be saved. Well, I'm going to try anyway. Soooo, they need to raise larvae, feed the royal jelly and make a new queen? How hard can it beeee?

Stay tuned. 80 degree day. INSTALLED IN MY BACK YARD!

NUC Install

Installed my very first NUCS for myself today. I've always had packages or wild swarms in the past.

Nucs, or nucleus colonies, are small honey bee colonies created from larger colonies. The term refers both to the smaller size box and the colony of honeybees within it. The name is derived from the fact that a nuc hive is centered on a queen, the nucleus of the honey beecolony.

It was a quick install of two of them because I was trying to get to a soccer game. It's about 75° and a little bit breezy but a perfect day to install. Wasn't expecting them until tomorrow but with honeybees you never know when they come in and you have to be ready.