Bee Adventures - Part 3 1/8

June 16 2020 One week and a day has passed since I received my nuc. It’s highly recommended to leave them alone for a week or so after you settle them into their new hive. It allows them to explore, the queen to lay, and for new bees to hatch. But now is the time for my first bee hive inspection! A little nervously, I get my gear out and take time to breathe and try to be calm… I go through the motions mentally of what I’ve learned… and I can’t wait to see what is going on in there!

I prepared 2 liters of syrup (4 cups for 4 cups), the tools, Richard got my smoker lit and a smokin’, plus an empty frame that I could not fit in while installing my nuc last week, and walked over to the hive. The bees were very calm. I smoked the entrance a bit then removed the roof and the ventilated top and layed them both upside down on the ground. The end frames don’t have anything on them at all but the middle ones (the ones that I received with the nuc) were quite heavy and full of brood. It is uniform and filling in nicely with eggs, larva and pollen. A few frames needed to be unstuck. Bees will built and seal everything and anything, given te chance and the space. I’m not sure about using the frame grip to pick up the frames… If I use only one hand to pick up the frame, it seems unsteady and difficult to turn to see the other side… I prefer using my fingers to pull up each side of the frame for now... Maybe I’ll get used to the metal grip eventually. 

The feeder was empty. The almost 6 cups of new syrup came up to about 2 inches inside the screened tubes. Did I explain what the inside feed was? Takes up the same space as a frame, almost 2 inches thick and hollow inside to contain liquid, holds like a frame, but is smooth on both sides, so bees can’t built anything on it. Two holes about 1.5 inches in diameter are on the top, and plastic screened tubes are inserted inside. The screened tubing serves for bees to get a grip on, while going down inside the feeder and avoid drowning. They escalade up on the screen to the top once they are done.

I gently closed everything up and called it a success!!!

Before I left, I noticed the tongue and groove of the hive were not together properly. I might have to glue that ... We received the bees and equipement in the same day, so we had no time to paint nor stain the hive. Mistake number 2. If I don’t glue it closed properly, they might seal it shut or worse, air or rain will get in there...