We had a mild winter. The bees in Alpha hive survived but I’m thinking just barely. On a bright, warm day in early March I did an inspection and didn’t see much in the way of honey stores. But they were flying and seemed to be doing well. They were bringing in pollen. I did notice some queen cells. I guess I should have read up on what to do with those but didn’t.
I went up to my father’s on March 17 and built two hives out of an old cedar fence he had. He then made a little nuc which he brought down the next weekend when he came to see Dagny’s play. Very nice.
I had also ordered two nucs from Kevin Saylor.
On April 12, as Alicia and I were headed out the door to a yelp event the Hoopers called to say Alpha hive had swarmed. Pat texted a pic of a little cluster hanging off a honey suckle bush. We ran up there and I put them in the nuc my father had built. I let them sit for a few days in my back yard and then on April 16 I installed them in a larger TBH. On April 17 Alicia checked on them during the day to check and said the bee highway is running well. This is now Beta Hive.
On that April 12 visit I did look into Alpha and it seemed lethargic. This was about 8PM with dark just falling so I don’t normally know their behavior at that time. There was no new comb built on the open end and not much more capped honey in the last top bar on the stores end. It made me worry but a few days later Pat said they were activtly doing in and out of the hive looking as they always do. I’m going to give it until Memorial Day or so for them to build up before I do a big inspection.
On the 21st I met my bee guy Kevin out in Florence. He didn’t have two hives. One that he was planning on giving me went queenless so I gave him the money and he gave me a few thousand bees. That day and the following day were rainy, cold and blustery so I just sat the nuc Kevin gave me in the cedar wood top bar hive I’d made with my dad and put it in a nice space at the top of a large wooded hill in a friend’s yard. The hive points directly at the city. This is Gamma Hive. I checked on the 23rd about 6:00. It was cool but sunny. Gamma hive was hopping. I’m going to give them until the end of the week before I move them out of the nuc and into what I plan on being their permanent home.
Also on the 21st I looked in on Beta hive. I think I’ve got a cross-comb situation there. I’m worried about the new comb guides I used. Maybe they aren’t working? I’ll have to straighten them out this weekend.