As promised in last week’s post, this week’s post pertains to my visit to the colony a little over a week ago. As you can see in the photos below, I focused how different aspects of the comb and all the interesting things that the bees place into it. Since each photo really tells a different story, please click on each photo and read the captions that go them to get a better understanding of what you are seeing.
One photo I would like to specifically focus on, however, is the photo illustrating the transition between the beeswax foundation and the drawn-out comb. The first time beekeeper will often get inquiries about if they will be expecting honey their first year. However, like me they will find that they will be beginning with new equipment, which only has the foundation seen on the right of the page. An experienced beekeeper in contrast will likely have frames of comb that have already been drawn out – saving the bees from the work of having to build up the comb before they worry about what to put in it. A true beginner will find that a lot of the reason for the slow progression the first year (aside from the small size of the colony) is that there is so much work drawing out and filling 20 frames worth of foundation (actually, a few less to prevent overcrowding) before the bees can being work doing the same in the honey supers, where the harvested honey is stored.
On a different subject, since we are officially in August now its time for me to begin considering a few new challenges for the winter months:
- pest management (i.e. hungry bears)
- when to begin the fall feeding
- how to protect the bees over the winter months
Check back for some future posts addressing these issues. Until then, enjoy what is left of your summer! 🙂
Buzzy Bees 