We had gorgeous weather this weekend and no one was happier than our two hives full of workers. There was activity from about 8am until 7pm and a constant humming could be heard from both groups. On Sunday, Jack and I suited up and went in to check on the need for more syrup and also to see how our new queen was adapting. I am very happy to say that she is laying eggs in a beautifully compacted pattern which our instructors said is an indication of a healthy monarch. This hive is about two or three weeks behind the other one because of the queen fiasco but they seem to be getting right down to business. A standard hive body contains 10 frames and the bees have been working at building comb on at least 8 frames. I'll check back with them in another week or 10 days and see if they're ready for an additional box. Their sugar water feeder was nearly empty so we filled it up and went to our second hive.
Our second hive is the more aggressive of the two so I always leave that for last. However, on Sunday, the girls were in a lovely mood and though a few tried to fly into our veils, they were basically pretty disinterested in us. They aren't drinking as much sugar syrup as the first hive-probably bringing in enough nectar for their needs but I refreshed it anyway. I added a second hive body about a week ago-we saw a few hundred bees in the top one-but I expect that most of their attention is still being paid to the lower one. Bees build comb and then fill it with honey (unless the queen lays eggs in the comb first). I expect once they've topped off their supply in the lower box that they'll head up to their second story.
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