Day 26: Removing the frame feeder

Gigantic drone cells at the top of the frame with larvae

 It has been nearly two weeks since I opened up my hive, so I was eager to have a look inside. Since the bees have settled in and there are plenty of flowers out, I removed the feeder and put in an empty frame a few frames from the edge. I was hoping it would be time to put on the second brood box, but it seems that the bees still have a couple of empty frames to fill up first. Perhaps they are still adjusting to their move across the yard.

Liz helped out with the inspection, and neither of us managed to spot the queen. However, there were plenty of small brood, suggesting that she has been laying. We saw a few drone cells near the bottom of several frames--a new sight of the season. Liz did a great job smoking, clearing the bees to prevent crush upon closing the hive, and taking pictures. 

The hive always looks a bit disturbed after the inspection with more bees than usual jamming up both the front and back entrances, but a few hours later all was well.

A trip to Juniper Moon Farm in Palmyra, VA

Entrance to Juniper Moon Fiber Farm

The 4 hives at Juniper Moon with adorable outer covers!

Recently I had the opportunity to spend a few days with my Mom and Emily at Juniper Moon Farm to celebrate mother's day. In addition to sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, geese, cows, donkeys, and dogs (and babies from nearly all of those species), they also had a few bee hives that we had the opportunity to open up. Immediately it was clear how good these bees had it in Virginia--warm sunny days, fields of clover, and a much longer flowering season than in Massachusetts.

Burr comb from idle bees with missing frames in the hive

So much honey already! Virginia bees are happy

Zac Hackney is the resident beekeeper on the farm, and has already caught two swarms this year (last year there were only two hives). During one of the swarms he was caught off guard and did not have enough frames to fill the hive. You can see that the bees wasted no time, and built out their own comb, maintaining perfect bee space between the sheets. He encouraged the bees to depart from this comb and take up residence in the new frames. The wax will be saved for candle making later in the year.

We also had the opportunity to stick our fingers into the recently capped honey to have a taste! The honey was so delicious and warm right out of the hive. I have the feeling that if my bees had any idea how plush their life would be (and were capable of flying 600 miles) that they would have moved to Virginia yesterday. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for honey in my hive later in the season...

Pollen from the combs and into the baskets!

My favorite bee sight so far this spring has been spotting the foraging bees with hind legs loaded down with pollen. This indicates that the workers have found some flowering plants to their liking close by. After returning to the hive, the workers deposit the pollen pellets into the comb and hive bees add bacteria and enzymes from their stomachs to the pellets. These organisms acidify and eventually ferment the pollen, which turns it into bee bread. Pollen provides protein, lipids, vitamins, and minerals that are necessary nutrients for the colony.


Also discovered yesterday that re-wearing pants that you got stung in without washing can lead to re-aggravation of a bee sting :)  My sting from Day 6 had disappeared without a trace.  However, after another day in my weekend jeans, my knee starting itching all over again--I am guessing due to some bee venom lingering in the fabric. No doubt a rookie mistake not to be repeated.

Day 12: Moving the apiary, and checking for a "good brood pattern"

Hive in its new location, 90 degrees rotated

Plenty of bees and burr comb on the inner cover

With nicer weather it becomes clear just how much our bees love flying into the neighbor's driveway! Wanting to cause as little friction in our new neighborhood as possible, we decided to pick up and move the hive closer to our driveway and garage. Emily was a trooper and suited up for the big move. Eric and Melanie watched from a few feet back. This time we tucked pants into socks to prevent intruders--this makes the bee outfit even cuter! The eggs were maturing perfectly, with visible eggs, tiny hatchlings, small larvae, big larvae, and capped pupae. It seems that the queen and her attending workers have been exceedingly busy in the last six days. I can't wait until the new bees start to hatch, which should be in the next 10 days. The hive feeder was nearly empty, so we refilled with sugar syrup, drowning only a few poor bees. There were only 2 completely empty frames left, so it won't be long before we can put the second brood box on. Many a bee were still flying in the old hive location, but I have been reassured a thousand times that there are still thousands of bees left in the hive. I hope the 90 degree rotation doesn't throw off their waggle dances for long.

Really beautiful picture showcasing several stages of baby bee development, worker bees, a few big drones, and a nice stash of bright orange pollen around the perimeter.

Day 6: Eggs!

Teeny tiny bee eggs, as seen on black Pierco frame inserts.

Ted and I opened up the hive today to look for evidence of freshly laid eggs. With the recent wet weather, it was impossible to find any dry fuel in the yard for the smoker, so I used some junkmail. This approach worked imperfectly for a very short amount of time. Due to a weekend away, we also opened up much later in the day than would have been ideal, so the inspection was kept to a minimum. I loosened the center frame and pulled it up to see dozens of eggs in lovely new white comb. This quieted my fears that I had squished the queen last time I opened the hive :) Ted also spotted the queen with his flashlight, who is marked with a yellow dot. What we saw looks very much like this image I borrowed from the Peace Bee Farmer blog--though clearly they were performing their inspection at a more appropriate time of day.


Today also marks my first sting from one of my own bees. Somehow a bee managed to sneak up my pant leg while we were closing up the hive. Ted gave a puff of smoke up the cuff once I discovered that there was a waylaid bee, however it was too late. I came inside, and immediately took of the pants--the felines were delighted to bat at and chew the dying bee.

Day 3: Queen has been released

This is not my cage, but you get the idea.

Opened up the hive quickly this morning to see if the queen had left her cage. It was in the low 40s, so I tried to be quick, but I was so very curious. Separating the center frames with my shiny new hive tool, I was able to wiggle out the cage. There were three workers inside, nibbling at the remains of the candy plug, but the queen was out. I closed the hive back up, and crossed my fingers that I didn't squeeze the queen to death. I certainly squished a few workers putting back on the inner cover--but I am counting on the 9,000 plus bees remaining to keep the queen warm. Unfortunately, when on my own in the hive it is tough to take photos...more to follow soon.

Day 1: The big shake in!

After one night spent in the basement, and during a break in the rain, it was time to get the bees into the empty hive. The shake in was much less scary than I had feared, but midway through Ted put on his hoodie too--confirming that the bees were out and about, and buzzing very loudly!

Sporting the attractive new bee hoodie and brush.

Bees were clearly excited to leave the shoebox.

Here is a video of my fearless beekeeping teacher, Rick Reault, installing a package of bees. I had a much easier time removing my nectar can than he did, but he had significantly more confidence with the shake! I set up my hive with one brood box (minus one frame), a frame feeder filled with syrup from Rick, and a nice sturdy hive stand made by Ted.