Its 92º, light winds, clear skies at the Back Yard bee hive.
I built a solar wax melter last week and finally started using it this weekend. Its a work in progress but it does a great job of melting a lot wax quickly.
Back Yard Bees
I took five capped honey super frames from the hive today. I replaced them with frames that have comb, so they should still be able to store food.
I removed all of the honey supers and starting looking through the top hive body for signs of the queen. On frame 8 I found fresh eggs on both sides, as well as larva and capped brood. So the queen is alive and doing very well. Frame 7 had 90% capped brood!!! I put back the frames and put the hive back together.
The hive temperament was very good. Only a few bees during the whole inspection bothered me.
4pm, Bee Yard in the country
The hive that I witnessed on the 10th of September was from the strongest of Gene's hives. I say that because today I looked through that hive and there were very few bees, maybe a third of what was there last week. The remaining bees were struggling with robber bees and ants. The other remaining hive swarmed as well. There hundreds and hundreds of robber bees going through both of those hives. My Dad and I moved the frames and hive bodies a couple of hundred feet away.
Swarm Hive
The honey super is slowly being capped, but I don't think I will be able to harvest the honey. I will see if I can leave it there for the bees. While looking through the top hive body I found fresh eggs and the queen on frame 3. I carefully put things back together.
I didn't have a chance to check on Alpha and Beta hives, I will do that tomorrow.
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