Hi all,
Its with sadness that I report that my first hive did not survive the winter. After a 32" snow storm, I went to clear the entrance the next day and noticed a clogged entrance. That day was about 45 so I quickly cleared the dead bees and noticed heavy casualties. Against my gut, I cracked the top to see no movement, nothing alive. I quickly pulled a sample and sent them out for analysis (still waiting results). The hive still have 50% of the honey left (about 6 medium frames capped), very little capped brood (expected) and lots of pollen stored. I extracted 1/2 of the honey and stored everything else in black plastic bags unitl the spring.
I have already ordered 2 NUCs for the spring and I am not going to go away quietly. I just hope that with time, I can figure out what went wrong.
/Chris in NJ