I would like 2 sets of clothes so that I can have one for home and one for Cathy's house. A larger smoker might be easier to stoke.

The other two hives are half as aggressive and much quieter. I topped Cathy's smaller hive. Last, I mixed up my sugar water.

Today, I was making sugar water by 7:45am, at Cathy's by 8:10. the first hive I worked was the big one. Like yesterday, even with smoking, there were so many bees in the feeder area that when I lifted the lid off, they spilled out onto my feet. The noise of that hive is completely aggressively productive. The feed trough was empty.

I found an interesting blog by a man who had a similar hive loss this spring

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/ian-douglas/

Mr. Douglas lost his hive, then requeened, and lost it again. Now he is discussing the loss of hives in general.

today's quick trip to feed the big hive

I got to Cathy's at 3:15. I was pretty sure there wouldn't be any access to the hood/veils, or gloves, so I brought my smoker and a glove. I smoked the hive a little bit, then opened the top. There were so many bees in the lid, there was an avalanche of bees that fell onto the ground and my boots. I was very glad I had long sleeves, pants and boots on. True to their voracious appetite, the feeder trough was empty. I gave them their gallon, but I think they need more, tonight. So, we have a daily job for the near future.

i wonder how we are going to survive. Does Cathy have any plans to go away? Should I make sure I don't till the end of fall? I have already said I would go to Hackers in November.

I did order a jacket, veil and gloves today. I tried to get a S nylon jacket, but I had to settle for a cotton one. I ordered 2 pairs of gloves- small. One cloth and one goatskin. They very carefully say- sting resistant, not proof. Kind of "cover-your-ass" funny.

We need more frames- Cathy's deep super frames are not as busy as her medium super wooden frames. I am thinking we should add another medium super, so that we can then have maybe 3 brood supers( medium) then move the big super away. Maybe we can replace some of the plastic frames with wooden ones at the NJBA auction on Saturday.

Fwd: Today's bee workuu

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From: Lorette Cheswick <lepac@cheswick.com>

Date: June 1, 2010 8:47:57 PM EDT

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Tomorrow- sugar sharing, sugar water making, put trough feeders in hive bodies.

When get deeps, put Cathys frames in deeps, set up feeders, then put my second deeps on my first deeps.



On Jun 1, 2010, at 20:25, Lorette Cheswick <lepac@cheswick.com> wrote:

On Jun 1, 2010, at 19:32, Lorette Cheswick <lepac@cheswick.com> wrote:

1. Watered cladradtis

2. Planted nandina.

3. Loaded my hive bodies, clothes

4. Got cathys hives

5. On time to brian Rowe.

6. Loaded my cordovans. 1 hive has new queen. Check on Thursday

7. Needed to use nucs for Cathy,. Her hives were too actively making honey.also, Brian was running out of blond Italian super nucs.

8. Got tray feeders from Brian, $42

Cathy had to order 2 deeps and one feeder. They should arrive end of this week.

9. Need to make sugar water to feed bees. 81 pounds of sugar.

10. Moved Nadine to tomorrow

11. Will have to make honey supers asap and sugar water.

Fwd: Today's bee workuu

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Date: June 1, 2010 8:25:15 PM EDT

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On Jun 1, 2010, at 19:32, Lorette Cheswick <lepac@cheswick.com> wrote:

1. Watered cladradtis

2. Planted nandina.

3. Loaded my hive bodies, clothes

4. Got cathys hives

5. On time to brian Rowe.

6. Loaded my cordovans. 1 hive has new queen. Check on Thursday

7. Needed to use nucs for Cathy,. Her hives were too actively making honey.also, Brian was running out of blond Italian super nucs.
8. Got tray feeders from Brian, $42
Cathy had to order 2 deeps and one feeder. They should arrive end of this week.
9. Need to make sugar water to feed bees. 81 pounds of sugar.
10. Moved Nadine to tomorrow
11. Will have to make honey supers asap and sugar water.

Fwd: Today's bee workuu

Begin forwarded message:

From: Lorette Cheswick <lepac@cheswick.com>

Date: June 1, 2010 7:32:53 PM EDT

To: Lorette Cheswick <lepac@cheswick.com>

Subject: Today's bee workuu

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1. Watered cladradtis
2. Planted nandina.
3. Loaded my hive bodies, clothes
4. Got cathys hives
5. On time to brian Rowe.
6. Loaded my cordovans. 1 hive has new

Today's bee update

Boy, I didn't want to work my bees today. It was hot, I was tired, and there were way too many things to do. But bees, like children do not understand when you are late with their sugar water. In this continual heat my bees and Cathy's bees are making comb as fast as they can and aggressively sipping all the sugar water we feed them. Today when Cathy called me at 4:40, I threw pants, 2 long sleeved shirts, long socks and my hiking boots on. I grabbed my smoker and some tea.

By the time I got to Cathy's house, I was in a much better frame of mind. Lynn came home shortly thereafter and got ready to help. Cathy had just received a package from Brushy Bees, so the first thing we did was put foundation in 32 medium frames. I was thinking that we might need a super for Cathy's smaller hive.

Cathy wanted me to look at her two hives for the whereabouts of their queens and if the broods were doing ok.

While I was lighting the smoker, Lynn fed my hive which had a dry feeder trough. Since I checked my hive last time, I wanted to leave it alone this time. Once the smoker was going, I started on the smaller Cathy hive. I put the top brood super on top of my hive lid. That super is full of wooden frames. Then I systematically went through the lower brood super.

What I found- The bottom brood super is a full height super that only has plastic frames. The first two frames had almost no activity. No bees, no obvious bee products. The third frame had brood, but it wasn't really strong. I did not have my glasses, and the light was no longer really bright, I explained to Lynn how to look for young brood v capped brood. He felt there was some uncapped brood on the next few frames. We found the queen on one, and she was busy. I was afraid that one of her wings was miss-formed, but in a bit she moved, and Lynn thought she was symmetrical. We moved one of the empty outer frames in closer, but I was not impressed with how the bees were working the bottom layer of brood super. THe story was completely different on the next layer. There was lots of capped brood, even some that had more of a domed cap, like a drone. I would say that all of the frames except one had comb built out and there were more than half of the frames busy with brood in all stages. Lynn cleaned the top feeder and we put in new sugar water.

The big hive was dry, as it always is. The bees were all over the feeding trough, and we filled it. I will add another gallon tomorrow.

Things I need to do- cut the metal post in my front yard, so that I can get my bees home. Cathy says my bees seemed to be settled today. That most days they have been agitated. Zipping high and low, back and forth. Order my new bee clothes so that I am happy.

Just a reminder- I did get bitten on Saturday. I wasn't sure at the time. Inside the L knee. Yesterday, it was swollen, but on my 5 hour beach walk, I kept the knee wet, and the swelling went down rapidly, and it stopped hurting. It is still visible today, is not warm, and is about a nickel in size.

I moved frames on the bottom super of my hive. Both of that hives supers were active but seemed to be busy with honey as well as brood. It seemed like about 50% brood. I did not find the queen but I did see uncapped brood.

When I checked the big hive yesterday I did not see brood in the two honey supers. Beyond a small bit on one frame. The bees were actovely making comb on the newest honey super and filling the first honey super. I did not check the brood supers because it took 1.5 hers to do what I had already done and I was getting tired. I still have problems keeping the smoker lit. I got stung on my left knee this time.

Cathys big hive got a honey super three weeks ago and a second one t a week ago. The second super seemed warped so Lynn and I put it in the middle.

Perhaps stress of moving the hive. Perhaps the damaged queen. On the other hand both supers are busy. So I might try putting a honey super on when they are home.

Yesterday I worked my moved hive and the top two frames of cathys big hive. Then I gave my hive most of a gallon, her big hive a gallon, and her small hive a gallon.