Productive queens, good-looking hives, and a couple of (nice) surprises.

Third inspection of Hive A and Hive B, Wednesday, 5/29/13:

This was day 25 for the hives, with the packages having been installed Saturday the 4th.  I was able to do a full inspection today, as the weather was in the mid-70's.  There were thunderstorm warnings for the day and some heavy rain in the early afternoon.  I was a bit worried that we'd not be able to do the inspection, but it cleared nicely and was even slightly sunny (but rarely).

In addition to the usual goals for the inspections, I also was planning to begin using a screened bottom board.  This would allow for counting a parasitic mite that impacts bees and also allow for population control of those mites.  I might discuss this more in other posts.

The day prior to inspection, the 28th, Konrad and I were walking the field and saw "our" honeybees working the Dandelions.  There is a previous post about that, with a couple of pictures.

This evening's inspection has, as the previous ones have, a video on YouTube.  It is split into two parts (part 1 and part 2).  There is still some wind noise as I didn't start using my digital recorder and microphone yet.  But, it is much better than the videos that go along with the second inspection.

I might not be able to get to the hives for 10 or more days, so I decided that I would add the second box to each hive today.  We prepared our trusty and rusty wheelbarrow.

Smoker in foreground, two white feeder pails w/ new syrup, and the wheelbarrow filled with various supplies and the two hive bodies that will be added to each hive.

Close-up of the tools and of the hive bodies that will be added.

The beekeepers at the apiary.

I'm putting on my gloves.

Getting ready to light the smoker and dismantle Hive A.

Before I close this post, I'll let you know of the two surprises...

First, in Hive B, we saw the queen.  We have some good video of her.  She has a much longer and slightly more rotund abdomen compared to when we last saw her during the installation of the packages.  She is full of eggs and laying hundreds to perhaps thousands per day.  She was moving along slowly and surely.  She was inspecting cells and possibly even laying.  I should have checked near her for eggs, but I just wanted to get her and her frame back into the hive so that she would keep on doing what she was doing--laying many eggs.

Second, also in Hive B, we saw and videotaped a new bee emerging from her cell.  From my angle, I could see her antennae and mandibles and head poking out of the cell off which she had mostly chewed away the cap that had sealed her in when she was a large larva and ready to pupate.  The video doesn't show this as well, but you still can clearly see her head moving around in the chewed-open cell as she tries to emerge.  It was funny to see other bees just walk over the top of her, seemingly oblivious to her struggle.

Almost forgot a "bonus" surprise.  There was a tree frog hiding under the log weight on top of Hive B.