I waited the appropriate five days before going to check on the queens for the Langstroth and top bar hives being released. The video show the Langstroth Hive C check first and there is a special surprise in the clip. A quick check revealed an empty queen cage so I took that out and started checking the frames. The bees were busy building comb and they have even took to building on the foundationless frames. In this box the frames are alternated foundation and foundationless. The goal being to get the bees used to building natural comb at the natural size as a Varroa mite control and for healthier bees. The queen was easy to find and you’ll see her too. Eggs were prevalent so I closed up the box after that and moved on to the next hive.
I first pulled back the window cover to peek inside and check on the bees in the top bar hive. This was really worth building back in January. Being able to see inside the hive and see what’s going on is very cool.
There are also some pretty cool slow motion shots in the video that take you inside the top bar. I think I saw the queen in this one too. Let’s see if you can find her. The bees in the top bar hive are busy building comb so I know the method is working and it is rewarding to see how months of preparation have been worth it. Once I removed the cage and verified release I closed up the hive and let them get back to work.
I used to think opening the hood of cars and checking out the motors was fun. But cars don’t make honey. The bee observations provide me with a greater sense of nature in my back yard. It’s all about production at ToDoListHome.com and watching bees is watching production. They build up huge numbers to make a strong colony, collect pollen and nectar to make food so the can survive the upcoming winter. Yes winter is coming again and the bees know it and are busy making preparations. It’s a long time til winter and they have a lot to deal with but they are off to a good start.
Resources
- Episode-165- Install Bees To Langstroth and Top Bar Hives Part 2
- Reverend L.L. Langstroth
- Phil Chandler
- Walter T. Kelley Company for bees
Song of the Day – Grace Potter and The Nocturnals – Paris (Ooh La La)
