Spring and The Beehive

For the second time this spring, I opened the beehive and worked inside the hive. This bee colony is the largest colony I have had winter over. I added a 4th super today. I have frame after frame of new brood which is a sign of a healthy queen. I have not had any signs of a weak colony or CCD.

With fall in the air and winter just around the corner, I opened my hive today for a final inspection. The hive has approx 30,000 to 40,000 female bees. The drones or males have been killed or run out of the hive prior to winter arriving. The drones have served their purpose and are no longer needed. A large healthy hive in the fall will ensure a strong hive in the spring. My next project will be to insulate the hive with straw. The straw helps keep the heat inside the hive and block the cold windy weather we enjoy here in Michigan.

First Swarm

As cold as this spring has been, I was surprised when my bees swarmed yesterday. Like all other beekeepers, I was disappointed to have so many bees leave the hive with the swarm. The swarm gathered high in a tree so I was unable to retrieve them. I went through the entire hive today to make sure there were no other queen cells. I was pleasantly surprised to see the hive still contained a large number of bees. The old queen that left with the swarm was 3 years old and needed to be replaced. The bees did all the work requeening, as it should bee.

Bees On The Wing

Yesterday and today the weather was warm enough for my bees to take flight. I took advantage of the warm weather and opened the hive for an early spring inspection. First, I took the winter wrap of hay off the hive. I had reduced the hive to 3 supers for the winter. Going into winter, I had a very large colony and could not reduce the size of the hive down to two supers. I am amazed at how large my colony is this spring. The colony is the largest I have had in the spring after a long cold winter. I noticed the bees had loaded pollen sacs when they returned to the hive. Because so little is in bloom here, I gave the bees an early spring feeding of a simple sugar syrup.

Honey Harvest

Reaping the benefits of city beekeeping, the first honey harvest for this season was done last weekend. I harvested over five gallons of honey. The color of my honey was very light and the bouquet was quite perfumey. City bees forage a floral landscape rather then an agricultural source; I believe this is why my honey is so exquisite in color and taste. The honey I had for sale was gone in just a few days. I purified a nice quantity of beeswax for candles too.

Cool Bee or not Cool Bee

We have had one of the coldest springs I can remember having, the bees are finally getting suitable weather to BEE really active. I inspected the hive yesterday, the colony is growing rapidly in numbers. I added a 3rd super and filled the feeder. The 3rd super had drawn comb so now the bees just need to fill it with honey.

Inside The Hive

I am fortunate to have a wonderful camera. I love to take pictures of the bees. I have some great shots between the frames inside the hive.

Spring And My Hive

The weather has finally warmed up here in Michigan. I was able to open the hive and give the bees an early feeding. The queen was visible and actively laying eggs. Looking forward to a great summer for the bees

Waiting For Spring

Several weeks ago our Michigan temps hit 50 degrees, I was able to quickly open the hive and get a early feeding done and some cleaning. The overall condition of the hive looked good. Plenty of bees to continue the work this spring. However; Easter weekend we were hit with a blizzard. 14 inches of snow put an end to the outward activity of the bees.

Winter Cleansing Flights

The unusually warm temperatures last week prompted a flourish of hive activity. Bees went flying by the hundreds on short cleansing flights. I watched well into the evening, the bees continued to busy themselves after sunset. As I watched the hive, I felt the excitement of a beekeeper and the new spring just ahead.

Winter Beehavior

As the days grow shorter and cooler, the beehive becomes outwardly less active. But I know from peering into the hive, the bees are still busy. As I was placing the entrance restrictor at the opening of the hive, I could see the bees balled up around the queen keeping her warm and fed. Wintering bees is an amazing event to see in nature, I am continuously reminded of the wonders of nature as a beekeeper.

You Can Bee Sure Fall Is Here

Even though it was hot today, the bees are displaying fall-like behavior. I spent several hours today photographing my beehive and observing the activity around the hive. As I sat with my macro lens in hand, I got a great picture of a worker bee forcing a drone from the hive. I noticed several dead drones on the ground in front of the hive. This is typical beehavior in preparation for winter. Drones are a liability to the hive in the winter months and therefore must go.

Bee Ready For Fall

As the days are getting shorter and the nights cooler here in Michigan, I've noticed the bees are slowing down too. Today was a cool cloudy day and the bees were not active until mid morning. Next week, I am going to change the base of the hive from a screen to a standard wooden base. I think the bees will appreciate the extra warmth in the evenings and early mornings.

City Beekeeper Map

Stop by the City Beekeeper Map, at www.Frappr.com

Frist Honey Harvest

My husband and I just harvested our first batch of honey. We have 1 large bee hive in the back yard. The colony is 4 supers tall (all deeps). We extracted 3 gallons of honey from the hive. Our honey is very light in color and has a strong floral bouquet. I am hoping to harvest more honey in the next week. I was working in the bee hive today. The busy little bees have almost filled the empty combs up again. Even though, I have been reading information on CCD, my colony is large, active and healthy. What's the buzzzzzz