Update on the Beehive! All Engines are go!

I just started my Bee education with this fabulous book, also approved by my beekeeper, Jed.

This is one of the definitive resources for new beekeepers.  Get your Copy today!

This is just a reference photo I downloaded so you can compare it to what is in MY hive.

MY HIVE UPDATE:

My friendly neighborhood beekeeper, Jed came by today to check on the little buzzers.  I love being there when he takes off the lid so I can see what all they've been up to since the last time we looked.   I was amazed at the sheer quantity of the bees this time.  They have probably tripled of more the number of inhabitants.  This mean the queen has been doing her job, laying lots of eggs, and the workers have been busily gathering everything and building out the hive.

We saw lots of Nectar, Honeycomb, Larva, eggs, and Brood.  Even a bit of Pollen and the precurser to honey.

Here he is pulling out the first frame, and I was just amazed at what we saw.

Yes, this photo is from MY hive!  Yahoo!   These little critters have been busy working and preparing for winter.   You can see all the elements from the diagram above visible in this photo.

Rogue comb - the bees are building somewhat outside the frame.  This has to be removed to keep the frames from sticking together and sticking to the lid which would prevent being able to check on and care for the bees.

Jed also added a second box to the Hive today.   The bees have filled all the frames in the original blue box on the bottom and they are ready to work into the next box.

He also installed this new sugar water holder in place of one of the frames in the new box.   It makes it much easier for the bees to get the fuel they need to build out this first year.

The Bees have arrived!

We I have been wanting bees for a long time.  Hubby and I have discussed it many times, and I was waiting for him to take action.  Well, needless to say, that didn’t happen, so when a friend emailed me, looking for locations to host his hives, I jumped at the chance.  I thought this would be a good opportunity for us to be around them, get a feel for what needs to happen, and learn the process.  I will do several “update” posts throughout the year keeping you informed about the progress of our hive and the things that we learn along the way.  

Below are photos from the setup process, and don't miss the video at the end where Jed explains whats happening with the bees.

These are the bees that were taken from the parent hive to start this new hive.

Inserting the Foundation trays for the bees to start building on.

Left:  The new queen safely in her box until a few days from now when the bees chew through the marshmallow on the bottom.  This gives them a chance to get wind of the Pheromones she produces and accept her before she is released.

Setting the new queen in.  As you can see the Bees are all buzzing around her.  In the video below Jed explains what is happening and why they are acting this way.