We were happy to see the warmer temps of summer but today we got a small taste of what it’s like to be a beekeeper (in full beekeeper gear) when it’s hot out…and it’s only going to get warmer. Sigh. Neither of us like to be hot and we actually discussed the risk vs reward in terms of stings and comfort! The extra layer of protection in a full bee suit definitely brings a sense of comfort but I am quickly beginning to understand why experienced beekeepers might opt for just a veil!
Before I forget, from last time, the picture…drone comb! A little bothersome but totally normal. A few fun things about drones…they don’t sting, they are male, larger than the workers and they only live to mate with a queen and then they die. Now, I’m wondering…these drones in our colonies, where are the queens they are mating with? Because if they don’t mate, they don’t die and they are sucking up resources in the hive! At the end of the season I believe the worker bees will kill them off because they are “dead weight” for winter. Here you can see how a drone compares in size to a worker bee.
Today when we pulled frames they were definitely drawn out. The first brood box was looking full so we added the second with the second eight frames. It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the colonies to draw out the additional eight frames that we added today. It feels like we reached a small milestone today!
You can see in these two pictures the comparison from where we started to where we are today. The first picture has a brood box on bottom with eight frames inside of it. The second box on top of it houses the sugar water feeder. In the second picture you can see the original bottom brood box, a second brood box now full of another eight frames (instead of the feeder) and the two honey supers on top now house the feeder. Once the second brood box has eight drawn out frames we can remove the feeder and fill one honey super with frames for our honey!!! We might not have string enough colonies to get to this point this year…but hopefully by next year!
The little beekeeper is in need of a haircut and after today’s sweaty situation has decided to go with a “buzz” cut. Happy summer!
-Worker Bee 2021
Howards' Hives and Honey 