We just got home from checking the hives up in Maine, taking off the Miteaway II, and giving them all some comb to clean up and bring down into the hives for the winter. Unfortunately we lost one up there, it's one we got from up in Buckport two years ago, they were weak and they got robbed out. There was the beginnings of wax moths in there, so I brought the frames home and tossed them in the freezer. The other three hives up there are doing from fine to gangbusters, I think they'll winter through well. So now we're down to eight, although that'll drop to seven when the weak one out back dies, which it will. Gives us room to expand again next year!
We've decided no more package bees, they just don't do as well as the nucs we've purchased, and we're really pleased with the bees we got from Beeline Apiaries up in Hudson, NH. We'll definitely be buying from him again this spring!