Hello Folks,
I have taken a much-needed break from blogging this summer as my grandmother's memorial service and son's wedding kept me very busy the past couple of months.
By now, if you have been following the beekeeper's calendar, colonies not being wintered should have a caged queen. (IF YOU HAVEN'T CAGED YOUR QUEEN YET AND YOU ARE NOT WINTERING, GET'R DONE!) Hang your caged queen in the middle of your brood box. All the brood will have hatched out within 21-24 days. We don't want eggs and larva in our honey! From the moment you cage a queen, all the female workers will hatch out 21 days later and the drones will hatch out 24 days later.
I have robbed nearly all my honey now because it has been cold at night and honeybees devour their stores when they are cold.
Once the honey is extracted from the frames, I give the sticky frames back to the bees to clean up. This way, I won't have to store sticky equipment.
I will be wintering colonies again this season and will let folks know how it goes in spring 2023.
