Our bees are buzzing...
Having left the hives untouched for 2 weeks due to the cold weather, with a strange smattering of snow the other day, the recent warmth drew us out to check on our bees. The rumoured mini heat wave we are/should be having over the next week or two means the bees will be buzzing and hive inspections will occur every week from now on.
But how are they this time? Previously the queen of the red hive, named due to the colour of its top, had previously caused some worry due to lack of movement. However, we are delighted that this time she was very active and laying lots of eggs, with larvae visible down at the end of the cells within the comb.
The grey hive, named for similar imaginative reasons, has always been the stronger of the hives and this time didn’t disappoint. There were significantly more bees visible on the frames in both the brood and super boxes. The queen was also busy laying eggs, with lots of larvae visible. We were even fortunate enough to see a new worker bee hatching from a cell as it pierced the cap that seals it during its transformation and its little head appearing out! During this inspection we also found drone cells, which are considerably bigger than the normal cells to accommodate the greater size of these bees. Drones are the only males in the hive, with the workers and the queen being female. However, they do not stay long; once they have been born they feed for a short time to build up strength and will then fly away to mate. After which they die… live fast die young, I guess?
After checking the general health and activity of the bees we then had time to cast an eye over the general beauty of the hive. Bees could be seen with pollen of various colours, ranging from white to dark orange, attached to their legs. In the low sun of the late afternoon, with the frames of comb held up, a beautiful hexagonal pattern of pollen could be seen, the colours appearing vibrant on the dark wax of the brood combs.
Another check will be held this coming weekend, most likely Sunday, where feed will be given in the form of syrup to the hives to help the bees get buzzing through this late spring.
Words by Joseph Earley, president of the beekeeping society (@SephEarley)
Photographs by Luke Nelson (@LDSNelson32)