Since the Easter Hive passed, I've been more anxious about Dave's Bees (If you've been reading, then you may remember that my two hives got their names from the circumstances of their capture one being captured on Easter and the other caught after coming to rest on our neighbor Dave's garbage can). Thankfully, Dave's Bees continue to do well and appear to be thriving. However, as the weather turned colder I began to worry about the state of their hive. One of their hive boxes has a whole in it and a large gap between the boxes that I'm sure makes it difficult for the bees to maintain the toasty 94 degrees that their larvae need for proper development. I should say, the hive had such a box. A couple of days ago I replaced it with a more intact box. I think the bees are happier now, but at first they were not happy to loose these openings. For whatever reason the hive pretty early on made the extra openings their primary entrance to the hive. The first couple of days with their new box there were many frustrated bees buzzing around the hive looking for a way in. Now they happily go in and out of the entrance they're suppose to use. Safe and sound. Phew!
This video is just me being busy at work. If you're thinking about beekeeping yourself, definitely take a look.
When I changed the boxes, I saw lots of honey, so I know they'll have plenty of food for the winter. That's a relief. I collected just a couple of spoonfuls that I shared with all my housemates (those that were around). It's weet and mild. Carter tasted a hint of blackberry. I look forward to the spring when, I believe, I will finally be able to harvest a few pounds of honey.
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