I opened both beehives this morning and moved two undrawn frames from the far left into the center. The green hive is a bit ahead of the white one and its outermost frames are now drawn, and only the two frames I just moved are empty. I didn't pull out any of the active frames to check them since its only been 5 days since I last opened the hives. There were some large ants in the white beehive.
I'm thinking that, with 9 frames in the hives (feeder frame is at the right in both hives), and only 2 undrawn frames, that's 80% drawn. I should add another box to each very soon.
I'm wondering about filling the feeder again. I've only fed 1.5 gallons per hive this spring. Not much. I've read to expect to feed 3-4 gallons (how can that be?). I've also read to keep feeding until they don't eat it as they prefer nectar and will eat that when enough is available. I think I'll go down today or tomorrow and take a look at the feeder level (wish I'd thought to look at it this morning). It seems to me there are lots of flowers now and they should be fine, but I'll check. I want to get the feeder out before it gets drawn with comb.
2 comments:
I like a Vivaldi / Swienty feeder on my hives. The Vivaldi box goes on top with the feeder inside. You refill just by taking the top off the hive without opening the hive. No need to put on any protective gear - just stand behind the hive while refilling.
http://www.monstermarketplace.com/beekeeping-supplies/round-swienty-feeder
Marc
Nice selection of blueberries! To keep the acidity in the soil, add composted coffee grounds to the soil around the bushes every month throughout the growing season.
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