It looks like the weather is finally breaking. I have been feeding my bees sugar syrup and they have been taking a pound or more of sugar per hive per day. They cluster on the feeders even after they are empty, making it hard to get at them for refilling. For the last month it has rained every day with only a few hours of sunlight each week. My bees have missed the main nectar flow of the season.
It has been 17 days since my hives were attacked by kids. Martha, the most damaged, has settle down. The bees no longer dive bomb me when I come close to the hive. I am guessing that there is now a new queen and that she has had or will have a mating run. I have no way of knowing, though, as I did not want to smoke the hive after all of the damage already done. If there is a new queen, I don’t want to upset the hive.
I will open Martha on Sunday and see how she is doing. If there is no brood, I will rob a few frames from one of the other hives. Perhaps they can make a queen if I give them a frame with eggs, but my hopes are not high.
I have yet to assemble and paint the hive bodies that I bought because I am working on my new deck on weekends. I will buy some paint tonight and with luck I will be able to combine my hive checks with a new hive body on each hive, moving the bottom one to the second story. This will provide plenty of room for winter stores if the sun ever comes out again.
I should take some pictures, but I am always too busy to stop and take a picture. Erica was stung in the foot a few days ago, so I doubt she would want to get close enough to take pictures.
