My second bee inspection today and all went well. I didn’t see the queen but this is no reason to panic – yet. I did see a bee emerging from a cell which was incredible and the “super”, the box above the brood box, has started to show signs of honey being stored on three frames
I also discovered that holding the frame of bees and taking a close up photo isn’t easy.
During my first inspection the smoker went out but I had no problems this time other than my clothes now smell of smoke. It’s a delicate balance to keep the wood shavings smoking without catching fire or going out completely. The bees were very active but not aggressive and were compliant when I brushed them aside to see into the cells. I did find just blowing on them was sufficient when I held the frame close.
I guessed that getting to know what to look for would take some time however I’ve already started picking out the drones and drone cells. More importantly I didn’t see any queen cells because if the colony starts to create a queen it is possible they will swarm although this is more common in May and June. There’s so much to learn and I’m already finding it a fascinating pastime.
And so back to the garden…
