As the weather was eminently suitable I carried out full inspections of all hives after lunch. All hives were foraging and all queens laying but hive 7 is very weak. I may dummy it down with a sheet of kingspan.
I spotted the somewhat faded mark on my green queen in hive 3. She is laying well and the colony is expanding.
The other hives had elusive queens last year and I had not marked them. However I spotted three and they are now sporting blue spots.
No signs of queen cell building but some normal patches of drone brood and a few drones visible on the combs.
A couple of hives could do with the omf cleaning but I'm unable to lift weight for a while longer so they will wait.
I spotted the somewhat faded mark on my green queen in hive 3. She is laying well and the colony is expanding.
The other hives had elusive queens last year and I had not marked them. However I spotted three and they are now sporting blue spots.
No signs of queen cell building but some normal patches of drone brood and a few drones visible on the combs.
A couple of hives could do with the omf cleaning but I'm unable to lift weight for a while longer so they will wait.
