Ok... and whats the latest report for the splits, the production... .the attitude in the bee yard... the learning curve of the beekeeper
Well, I went pulled the queen cage out of the hive last Sunday morning, and she'd been released. I decided not to dig into the boxes so as to let her start doing her work undisturbed. I figure either she's in there laying eggs, or another queen is doing her thing, because the hive is acting normal, busy foraging and bringing in pollen, etc. I plan to inspect tomorrow to find out if the queen I introduced is the one in there. That hive seems to be going strong.
The other split is strong, too, maybe stronger than the other. I went into it last Sunday. The bees were still drawing bad comb in the upper box, but not anywhere near as much as before. I'd neglected to duct tape my pant legs, and sure enough, got a sting behind my knee. The swelling was gone by Wednesday, though. :D Both splits are busy drawing out there second boxes, and perhaps I may be able to super one or both of them with supers full of drawn comb I have waiting to go on.
The two new colonies have dwindled, being only 4 weeks old, but new bees will be coming along soon and I expect the populations to grow again.
It's been a busy week, and I hadn't had time to do much with the bees other than feed them. Maybe I'll have something new to add tomorrow . . .
-- Kris