April 25, 2011

This will be our second year of beekeeping.

In our first year, we kept one hive.  It consisted of 2 deeps, and was fully stocked to go into winter.  The hive weighed in over 100 pounds, and there was a large cluster of bees, and a healthy laying queen.  There were a few very cold storms in the winter, with one bad blizzard that we believe caused the bees to starve to death.  Most of the honey was still left, and many of the bees were frozen head into the combs.  There was a small hive beetle problem going into the winter, but it wasn't a bad problem.  According to the literature I had read, all hives have the SHB, but the extent of the infestation is the true concern.

This year we will have four (4) hives.  I have just returned from installing the last of the three pound packages.  All of the queens were lively.  No queen candy was present, so we used a mini-marshmallow instead.  Three of the four hives have the benefit of having the honey and drawn out comb from the previous year's dead out.  This should mean that these hives will do very well, and we hope will produce honey for us during this summer.  The fourth package of bees was a bit unexpected, and we had not planned for it, so this hive will not have the benefit of having drawn out comb, or honey.  We'll have to keep a careful watch on this hive.

The daffodils and tulips are already blooming.  The onions are growing.  The apple trees are ready to bloom in the next day or two, and the oaks look about the same.  It should be a perfect time to be a honeybee!

Pictures to come soon.