Getting the Feed On

OV Queen

Inspected all three hives this weekend to see how they're doing and where they stand for honey to get them set up for the fall. This was my first time inspecting every box of the OV hive and was very pleased with this new queen. Instead of being a lovely, dark Russian queen, she is a Maryland-bread, gorgeous golden color with a dark head and thorax with a dark tip on her abdomen. She's been going gang-busters. It is true that strong hives make for strong queens.

Eggs and Brood in Dmitry Hive

The Dmitry hive continues to be smaller than I'd like but since we're heading into the time of year where the population will be decreasing, I don't want to supplement the hive with bees from one of the other hives. The queen is laying good on a few 4 frames but experience has shown that she'll spread out soon. But if she doesn't real soon, I'll have to reconsider adding more bees.

I put the top feeder on all the hives to build them up for the coming winter. Now will just keep the feeders full and monitor their progress.