This post is about two weeks behind in the making. I drove over to Meyers outyard which (if you’ve bee reading here for very long you know) is my farthest out yard. With all of my other responsibilities getting put first this year my bees have been pushed to the back burner. I have several pictures of multiple recently occupied queen cells that were the product of a swarm cast by the only remaining hive in this outyard. It looked to me as though this was not the only swarm this colony had produced this year. Their numbers were way down compared to normal. Thankfully there was a bright side. They had filled about 8 frames in the top brood chamber as well as about half of a medium super with honey. I also would like to report that I now know this hive is again queenright and thriving. There isn’t much I could have done with these bees other than making splits and saving the bees for myself however, I would have rather done that than let the bees go. I hope everyone else is having good luck this
My poor neglected bees
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Posted in beekeeping
Posted in beekeeping
Want Some Honey 
Sometimes bees take a break. I had a hive that missed the largest nectar flow of the year…blackberries. That hive’s numbers kept diminishing. I figured it it would be robbed out about the middle of July like I had seen in another one. It went through July, intact, and August. Come September, I noticed the number of bees at the entrance started picking up. Then (by looking through the observation window) I noticed honey was being built up in late September. They built up so much honey in our Indian Summer that I didn’t have to feed them in winter.
See what Barbara has to say about bees (going on holiday) here… http://www.biobees.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17922&highlight=bees+holiday
Bees a funny for sure. The minute you think you have them figured out they will prove you wrong. All of my hives that have swarmed this year have actually been very productive. I’m also starting to believe that hives that swarm might be more productive at times than hives the do not. I’m planning to go back very soon to see how the new queen is producing. We’re in a dearth right now and they may need fed up a bit also.
Nice video of the purple pollen also.