Day 2 - Checking on the "Girls"

Today I went to the farm to till the garden and set out some tomatoes and cabbage, and of course check on "the girls", which is my pet name for the bees.  I drove out to the bee yard at about 6pm and walked to them.  There was a little activity with bees flying around the hive, but they were quieting down for the evening.  I looked at the quart mason jars that I had filled with 1:1 sugar water and was quite shocked.  The right hive had about half of the water gone, and the left hive had only an inch of water left!  I had no idea they would go through the sugar water that fast!

After working in the garden, I went to the farm house, made up a batch of sugar water, and walked out to fill up the feeders.  It was about 7:40pm and the sunset was beautiful and the air was peaceful.  As I approached the hives all was quiet and not a bee to be seen.  I carefully filled the feeder jars with sugar water and thought about my girls tucked in for the night.  While I was there, 3 bees from the left hive came out for a quick look to see what was going on and then back into the hive again as if they said, "What's going on out here?  Oh, it's our keeper.  Good to see you again...hey, were running low on that good sugar water, so fill'em up if you don't mind."

As I was leaving my son-in-law, Dan, came walking up to meet me (he had been fishing at the pond with his friend Kelly).  We walked back out to the hives for a final look tonight.  We got down and put our ears to the sides of the hives and hear a quiet and gentle "Buzzzzzzzzz" telling me that all was well in the hive.  That's my girls!  I won't be able to check on them tomorrow night, but I hope to go up Wednesday to check to make sure the Queens are out of their cages and all is well on the inside.

Good night girls!