Update: Liz’s Q1 Hive


On June 18, Kristien and I installed a queen excluder and moved the deep frames of brood above the excluder so that the comb will be cleared by mid july and I can return it to it’s rightful owner.  (Whoever that may be!  Thanks!)

This week I was checking on the native nuc from Allen and the swarm from Mel and found that they both were ready for a third brood box. (The brood pattern on from that swarm queen, Mel, is fantastic!  Not a single cell missed!)  I got to thinking, today, maybe I should check on the Q1 hive to see how things are going.

Well, it didn’t need a new box yet.  I sort of forgot that in the process of moving the deep brood up, we provided them with 6 frames of foundation to build out.  They are busy with that project.  And this is what I found:

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They seem to have a distinct dislike for wire in the foundation.  I think this colony is just naturally a foundationless group!  What do you think?

You can see in the picture below that there are bees working to chew out some of the other wires as well!

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I think when I do add the next box, I’m going to checkerboard it with foundationless frames.

 


3 thoughts on “Update: Liz’s Q1 Hive

  • Liz

    So they took the gallon I put in yesterday and the feeder was dry this afternoon. So I decided to feed them some more.

    Minutes later I realized that more than likely the bees are storing this syrup in the brood comb I’m trying to clear out. So I won’t feed them again until after July 9. Hopefully they’ll eat what they have stored by then.

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