Our Preliminary 2020 Colony Checks

Jen and I checked all of our colonies this weekend and are happy to report all of our queens are laying eggs. This is the first sign of a very successful season!

Here's what we did five days after hiving the bees since we have drawn-out honeycomb:
(folks with bare foundation should be topping off sugar water every three days)

• Made sugar water and had it ready (at room Temperature)
• Had another pollen patty available for each colony
• Waited until temperatures were at least *50
• Took out entrance reducer
• Topped off sugar water
• Removed the empty queen cage
• Leaving sugar water feeder inside the brood box, we slowly removed the inner insulation board on the side of the box opposite the feeder.
• Set the insulation board on a frame holder or leaning it up against the outside of the box.
• We removed the next frame, inspecting it for the following:
• The Queen 
• Queen cups
• sugar water stores
• Each frame was removed and inspected the same way followed by being replaced in the same place it was previously.
• Once inspecting all frames (both sides) and confirming a queen was present, or we saw eggs, on (one egg per wax cell) we removed any/all queen cups.
• We added another pollen patty if the first one was gone or nearly gone, making sure to place it away from the center hole in the inner lid. This hole is important for oxygen flow.
• We replaced the inner cover making sure the hole in the cover is in the correct place (front and center) allowing oxygen flow and a viable upper entrance to the hive.
• When temperatures start to drop below 45* we replace the entrance reducer at the smallest setting.

 

Queen cup photos

• As long as we saw eggs, we didn't need to "find the queen"
• The eggs should be one per cell. If you see multiple eggs in cells then you either have a queen that is a "drone layer" or workers that have developed ovaries and your colony will die out because you have no workers to groom and feed the queen, care for the young, clean the hive, forage for resources, or protect the colony.

Healthy brood development photos


• When this happens we lay a queen or king size sheet out on the ground (preferably on the other side of a building) at least 100 feet away from the hive. Then take a one or two frames out of the hive at a time, walk over to the sheet and gently shake or very slowly brush every single bee onto the sheet. If the problem is laying workers you will remedy the problem because the laying workers will not be allowed back into the hive by non-laying workers who make it successfully back into the hive.

Evidence of a laying worker photos

If you see no evidence of the queen (eggs & larva) or the queen herself, your colony may be queenless and if so, you need to re-queen your colony. Call your bee supplier to purchase a new queen.
Re-queening directions are in a subsequent blog post.