Disclaimer:

This blog explains how I keep bees. It works for me, it might not work for you. Use my methods at your own risk. Always wear protective clothing and use a smoker when working bees.

Search This Blog

Friday, January 15, 2010

What's Happening in the Hive right now.


The warm weather has been a good deal. The bees should be able to shift their cluster around, hopefully to be on new frames of honey. If you went out to peek under the inner cover you should notice the bees have moved up into the top box. If there was a lot of honey below they might not have moved up yet.
This time of year a hive uses around 12 - 14 pounds of honey a month. Which is about a deep frame and maybe a half of one. The hive continues on this pace of honey consumption until mid Feb. when brood raising starts and honey consumption goes up considerably.
The bees will be going on cleansing flight tomorrow Sat. The high of 34 degrees and the sun will be just right for this. The bees will fly out of the top entrance, fly out, poop and fly back into the colony. It is normal to see dead bees around on the ground dead in front of the hive.