13 March, 2010 - 2:30pm

It was very windy and 63º today.

Today I put a medium honey super on the Beta Hive. That hive has a lot of bees, and seems very strong.

I didn't put a honey super on the Alpha Hive at this time.

March 8, 2010 - 10 am

It was clear skies and 65º at the bee yard.

I decided to "swap boxes" of the Alpha and Beta Hives.

Both hives have two brood boxes. So for each hive, the top brood box was interchanged with the bottom brood box.


Alpha Hive

Top box was heavy, maybe around 40 lbs. Moved it to the bottom location. The bottom box was very light, but there were bees in there. There was very little comb connecting top and bottom frames so clean up was quick.


Beta Hive

Top box was also very heavy. Swapped with the bottom box. This hive had built a lot of comb between the frames of the top and bottom hives. Most of the cells were drone cells. Clean up was very messy.

February 28, 2010 - 2pm

It was about 60º at the bee yard today. The skies were clear and it there was a slight breeze.

Alpha Hive

Replaced the feeder jar today, old jar was empty. There was a lot of activity around the front of the hive and the entrance. The bees were bringing in a lot of pollen. While watching the entrance area I noticed a bee walking around the landing area with deformed wings...

Beta Hive

The feeder jar had one cup of fluid left, but I replaced it anyways. The bees also bringing in a lot of pollen. Beta Hive also is very active, there were a lot of bees in the air. I happened to see a drone land and crawl into the hive.

Took some pictures and movies, will post when Blogger is working correctly.



Alpha & Beta Hive Entrance Activity





Alpha Hive Entrance Activity( front view)





Beta Hive Entrance Activity (front view)

7 February 2010

Still feeding the bees sugar water, just haven't been logging the times. The jars are being replaced every 3-5 days.

Hopefully today I will visit the bee yard to check on the bees.

January 13, 2009 - 12pm

I didn't make it to the bee yard. My Dad replaced the feeder jars of both hives today. I'll have a couple of jars ready for this Friday.

January 9, 2010 - 12:30pm

It was clear skies and cold. Temps were in the 40s.

Alpha Hive had 1 cup left in the jar, it was replaced anyways.

Beta Hive emptied the jar and has a replacement.

I have a couple more jars of food ready.

January 6, 2010 - 1 pm

I wasn't able to make it to the bee yard. I don't know what the temperature was that day.

My Dad replaced the feeder jars for the Alpha & Beta Hives on the 6th of January. This coming Friday the jars should be ready for replacement.