One Week Hive Inspection

I went to the farm in the early afternoon to refill feeders and inspect the hives.  It is hard to imagine that it has only been 1 week with the bees.  I have been up there several times, so that is probably why it feels longer.  Luckily the rain stopped and I was able to work with the bees in the dry, but the wind was strong. 

Since Friday evening the bees have used 1/2 gallon of 1:1 sugar water.  I cannot believe how much they are using!  I picked up another 16 pounds of sugar at Aldi's from $1.79 a bag.

I got into the hives and pulled out several hives.  The bees did not buzz around very much due to the wind, but the frames were very crowded.  I hunted all over the frames and did not find the Queens, nor did I find any evidence by way of visible eggs or brood.  I'm not sure when to expect to see eggs or brood with a new hive like this.  I left a message with Dave at Long Lane Honey Bee Farm, but haven't heard back yet.  The worker bees have been busy building comb on the foundation on the center frames.  One of the hives built out large bumps of comb in the middle of the foundation on two frames facing each other; they were actually starting to connect the frames until I pulled them apart when removing frames.

Well, I hope the new feeder jars keep the bees satisfied until I get up there next.  The west hive still uses more sugar water than the east hive.  I plan on check on the bees for a refill on Thursday.