So Sad...

This week, I have noticed the combs starting to be attached to the side-walls. In an effort to slow this process down, one of the center-most combs fell... Smashed some larvae in the process. So sad to lose some babies! After ticking them off enough for one day, I closed up the hive, with plans to re-enter later this week - with the ultimate goal of getting the final top-bar in, that has been sitting outside the hive since the queen cage was originally installed.

I checked out most all the combs in the back portion of the hive. Still have not seen the queen but there is evidence of her with the large number of larvae. The hive is definitely growing at a fantastic pace. Now hopefully after I killed some of their babies and destroyed a comb they will still be in there tomorrow :)

Drones and Propolis Combs

In the center of this photograph is one of the hive's drone bees. They are easy to spot because of their massive eyes and body size...also, because they rarely move! They sit, drink their choice beverage and watch T.V.  - basically. A few times I have been around the hive when a drone returns from taking his '67 Mustang for a joy-ride and it sounds like a bulldozer coming at you. The drone population (the only males in the hive) are very low in comparison to the worker bees - as evident by the quantity of surrounding this drone.

This is another great photo that captures the viscosity of the propolis. Boy is that strong stuff! This is right before I pulled out some of the top-bars to check the brood pattern. It has been exciting to see all the capped brood through the windows, but I wanted to see what was  happening on the interior of the combs

The Swiss Cheese Rose

My floribunda (Jackson & Perkins "Heaven of Earth) rose has been quite the snack for some bug! I really don't want to use chemical insecticides in the garden so I found a simple home-made one using Cheyenne powder, a garlic bulb, an onion and dish soap in a water base. Hopefully this helps!!!

Festooning: Acrobatic Bees

Well today I learned something new! After reading some other blogs, I noticed a post that was similar to a photograph I took last week when I noticed some bees doing a cool little Circus trick. It is called festooning and is when bees expose their wax glands for other bees to use to build comb. Additionally, it is used to bridge open spaces.

The first time I noticed this behavior was when I picked up my bees and they were all "festooning" creating a bee curtain.

This is a photo of a swarm (where bees are festooning) found at Arlington Heights (IL) Public Library - close to where I used to live. Talk about irony - their childrens' summer reading program was bee themed!

Drone Cells

From BEES

Most of my images have been from the eastern side of the hive. When I opened the other window, I was pleasantly surprised to see the middle comb on this side had larger cells! These larger cells are for drone brood.

The smaller photo shows the same comb, but on the opposite side with the worker bee cell size.

From BEES

"Pre-Honey"

This photo was taken late last week when I attempted to lift a frame. The amount of propolis is increasing greatly between the top-bars - the consistancy of cooled caramel sauce, and just about as sticky. 

From BEES

From BEES

Mr. Brough visits the hive!

As the school year comes to an end what shall we do with the student teacher during a lunch break?...TAKE HIM TO THE HIVE! Alex Brough - trombonist extraordinare, and devoted follower of this blog (still in its infantcy and who will help me diligently acrue new followers :)) was adorned in full bee regalia for his up-close experience. He looks so happy with the bees.