I decided to give the Buckfast hive another medium. I used extra smoke around the hive before I got near it. A few puffs at the entrance and a few under the lid as I was removing the outer cover.The top medium is packed with capped honey. I might be stealing 1/2 of it next week. The second medium wasn't quite as heavy. I didn't pull any frames but I'm sure the queen is laying in it. I'll know for sure in a few days. I put the empty medium between the other mediums and closed them up. They were still a bit pissy, but not nearly as bad as they were last week.
I checked the Italian hive next. They weren't very happy to see me but they calmed down fast. I checked the top medium, I would say it was a little more than 1/2 full. That was good enough for me so I closed them up.
After I was done, I went ahead and mowed the field. No cloud of bees coming at me this time. It may have been the smoke or that they were in disarray from having the hive opened up. From now on, I'll be carrying smoke when I mow around the hives.
I'll be getting my new queens to replace the Buckfast queen in a few days. I'm still up in the air about giving the Buckfast 4 frames of brood and placing her in the woods. I figure a deep and two mediums should be enough space to get them through the winter, if they build it up as fast as they did the hive they're in now.
I think I'll do that just to see if they survive.
Topic: Hive check with smoke, smoke, smoke... (Read 1503 times)