A view of the apiary

Brood Is Here

The girls are capping brood. It won't be too much longer before the hives start exploding with bees. I can't wait.

Spring is Here

It's time to get down to beesiness. I checked the hives this week and things are looking good. We came out ok even though it was a hard winter. It's time to feed, feed, and feed some more.  Feeding a 1:1 sugar to water syrup will stimulate brood rearing. This is an important step to gearing up the hives for the spring nectar flow.

Bee Candy Frame

I'm trying a bee candy frame. I took a new frame with plastic foundation. I added some wire to the outside of the frame to help hold the candy. I poured the candy onto the frame while it was still very hot. The candy firmed up nicely. I'll let you know how it worked out in a future post.

Bee Candy

I made bee candy last night I use a 4 parts sugar to 1 part water with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar. The secret to making the candy is boiling the mixture with the lid on and cooling it to around 200 degrees. I only had one hive that needed that needed the candy at this point. The hive is by far the weakest hive. I hope they make it.

Contruction Continues

The weather has warmed up enough to work in the garage again. I was able to complete 4 more deep hive bodies today. I also placed an order for 66 frames this weekend. 66 is a really strange number. There is a method to my madness though. 66 frames is the exact number at which the shipping cost per frame is the lowest. The cost of shipping goes up the when you order more or less than 66. I end up saving a quarter per frame when I order 66 rather than 100 frames.

Snow Covered Hives

It's been snowing off and on for the past few weeks.  It's finally let up enough to go out and check the hives.  I brushed off the snow and gave my hives a listen.  100% of the hives are still buzzing at this point.