Small Hive

I popped the top of the hive in our yard Thursday evening to check out the lumps of sugar I had put on top. The temperatures were nice. I didn't wear any gear, just because the hive appears so weak. It turns out that I certainly didn't need any. I pulled off the top feeder. There were a few dead bees on the sugar and a whole lot of cockroaches. There were still live bees inside, but very few. They were mostly huddled in the space between two frames.

I took the top feeder in and mixed hot water in with the sugar to create a true spring syrup. In this case, I couldn't measure precisely because I was too lazy to take the sugar out of the feeder, a task that because the sugar had solidified would have taken awhile. But it seemed that the hot water and a little patience stirring it got the density I expected.

I asked Doug Shaw to come over at lunch to help me. The top super had practically no weight. I didn't see any bees in the brood box. I pulled no frames because we figured it would only do harm.

I have several solutions for the future. First, I think I need to move the hive. It is now in the shadows of the pines all through the winter. The snow stays in that area much longer. The question was, "Where?" I didn't like the idea of the south side of the house. That would be too close to human activity. Doug suggested that I move it to the south side of the greenhouse. A brilliant idea! It is out of the way, not visible from the street, and would get a lot of sun.

Second, I think I need to requeen or combine bees from the other hive with this one or both. The bees looked a little more lively in the evening. They were coming out of the hive for the first time. I don't know for sure if the queen is dead. I'm not sure what a small colony can do in terms of repopulating itself. I asked Doug to see about getting a new queen. (He has an order for a new package that should come next week. It won't hurt to ask.)