5.12.12 Hive Inspection

     It's been another dreary week.  The clouds and rain came in on Tuesday and hung around through Thursday.  Yesterday there were some breaks of sun, but overall, not a good "bee day", at least for my Italians.  As such, not much comb building went on this week.  Today has come off sunny and warm, with a constant breeze, and the bees are active.
     Last week, after my hive inspection, I moved the follower board back one slot so that I could open a second entrance for the bees.  As I watched this morning, I found that the bees are using the opening they've had all along (at the far right side of the hive) as the entrance, and the new opening (just left of center in the photo) as the exit.  There were a few who insisted on going against the grain, but the vast majority had adopted this pattern.  Reminded me of that quintessential restaurant scene where the waiter tries to go in the out door!

       There are five entrance holes in the front of the hive; one on each end, and three in the middle.  I used corks to stop them up until I have to move the follower board back and make more space in the hive.  Currently the bees are occupying the right hand end of the hive, and so the entrance holes farthest to the right are open.  

     Once again, the bees have started a comb in an awkward place.  I think the wax coated sisal isn't enough of a road map for them, and they built this comb in between top bars #11 and #12.  Fortunately, I discovered it before I pulled the bar out, and I was able to remove the bar without destroying the comb.  Somehow, it is attached to the comb on top bar #12, and until I get some professional advice, I'm going to leave it as is.  I think I'll remove the sisal and look for some sort of wooden strip that I can attach to the bottom of the top bars.  Maybe that will be a better guide.

  

                         

     

     But for now, I have left about 1/4 of an inch between the top bars when I closed up the hive.  I'm going to email some other top bar hive beekeepers and ask them what would be the best way to prevent this in the future.  On the left in this photo is where the bees are, and you can see the space between the bars, as compared to the ones on the right, in the unoccupied side of the hive. (Bear in mind, I'm working from the back side of the hive, so right and left references may just refer to pictures.)

     In order to acheive certain results, like more comb building, increasing brood space, or honey production, beekeepers manipulate the hive, that is, they move things around.  Being a novice, I have a lot to learn about this.  Today I decided to try my first manipulation.  The bees seem to be keeping the comb towards the back side of the hive, so I turned bar #12 shown below end for end when I put it back in the hive.  My goal is to get the bees to build the comb out further.  I put a small mark on the top bar to indicate the width of the existing comb, we'll see next week if this works!

     Production in the hive seems to be going well.  Top bars #13 & #14 have brood in all stages; eggs, capped and uncapped larva, as well as hatched brood.  And top bar #12 has capped honey.  In the photo below you can see uncapped larva.  Zoom in on the black circle, and you'll see a little white worm curled up in the cell.  It is surrounded by capped honey and other uncapped larva, to which the workers are attending.  

     The weather for this upcoming week looks to be very similar to what we had this past week.  I sure wish it would change!  There are a ton of flowers out there just waiting for my bees, and I'm anxious for them to build more comb!  I read about inserting an empty top bar between the brood nest and honey stores to get the bees to build comb.  I may try that next week.