Wheather the Weather Will

Well, tick, tick, tick the time goes by as I wait eagerly for my hive to swarm so I can install the wanderlust section of my Women's Honey Cooperative into my bigger and better Top Bar hive. I haven't had time to put together all the photos and improvements for my post yet, but soon. The weather has been very wet punctuated by one or two shockingly sunny days and cold nights every 5 or 6 days. I'm baffled as to whether these guys will take a chance with this crazy weather.
But we are keeping our eyes on them - just in case.

Giant Drones

April 10, 2011

My bees drawing up comb to hold the nectar that is soon to come.

I am amazed by the sudden burst of energy in the hive. Baby bees play in the front of the hive and giant drones are bumbling around begging for food from nurse bees. I think that there is definitely a difference in the size of the drones this year. I took some pics so you can see for yourself. The drones are HUGE!

Baby bee and giant drone

April Fools Joke?

April 1,
I had a mysterious occurrence in the hive recently. I opened the hive to see what the bees were up to and I found 3 of these drone pupae on the floor of the hive.

 I panicked and ask around, did a google search, all pointed to some deadly disease. But the next day I opened the hive and I found MICE in the hive. They had been walking up and down the floor of the hive eating off the bottoms of the combs (which is where the drones are usually laid).
I have caught 4 mice so far. They don't seem to have done a lot of damage. I must have caught them soon after they had found a way in.