I have decided that the queen in the Ethel hive died a month or so ago. The bee population is dropping fast and there is no activity of workers bringing back pollen, in fact no activity at all. I will try to get the honey out soon. There is no sense trying to save it this close to the end of the season. I will buy a package for this box and any hive that doesn’t make it through the winter.
Connie went nuts about the time I took these videos. I made the mistake of wearing a black t-shirt and was stung four times in the back and shoulder. I went back later with a white shirt and found what looks like a dead queen. I think that Connie re-queened. The swirling bees might have been the mating dance. She is happy now and there are lots of workers bringing back pollen, so I am hoping she is OK.
Martha, the hive that was trashed by kids is going strong. There are lots of bees coming back in so heavy with pollen that they can hardly fly.
The wildflowers are strong, especially goldenrod and ragweed and I understand that the bees like these. I saw queen anne’s lace and lots of fall perennials with bees on them so I hope that they will fill the deeps with honey.
Around the end of september I will start to feed them. I found that by removing the bee guards from the top feeders and pouring in 5 lbs of sugar that bees go crazy over it. I moistened the sugar, but not enough to make it liquid. I understand that you have to be careful in the fall not to make the bees think that there is a nectar flow or they will increase and swarm. The wet sugar keeps this from happening.
