They looked very good, although a bit grumpier than usual which, coupled with me being more tired and clumsy than usual, made for a bit more defensiveness than I've seen before.
There were definitely more bees than last week, but the big difference is the stores - they are really piling them in. They have drawn at least some of all the frames now, and only the outside ones weren't being used for lots of honey. They seem to be using every available space, including some emerged cells in the brood frames, so I can't help thinking this won't be good for the build-up speed.
The half-foundation frames I put in have been enthusiastically drawn and extended with lovely white wax. They've made lots of larger cells in these 'free' bits for drone brood or honey storage, I guess.
Couldn't see eggs, or larvae in the main brood area but, again, light was bad. I'm guessing when I compare the video for this inspection with that of the last two, all the previously free brood cells are now capped and there were some empty areas with no honey storage which I guess have eggs in them (or they would have stored more nectar in them?).
I have a new, painted, poly brood box full of new frames with ONLY wax starter strips in them. Tomorrow I'm going to put this under the current one to give them more room (a bit like a really big Warré maneuver). I may leave one of the current frames which has brace comb under it with its brace comb and omit the respective frame from the lower box. I'm hoping they will build down from this one, into the gap in the lower box, then build on the neighbouring frames using their starter strips . . .
Photos of the wax games to follow.
FG
There were definitely more bees than last week, but the big difference is the stores - they are really piling them in. They have drawn at least some of all the frames now, and only the outside ones weren't being used for lots of honey. They seem to be using every available space, including some emerged cells in the brood frames, so I can't help thinking this won't be good for the build-up speed.
The half-foundation frames I put in have been enthusiastically drawn and extended with lovely white wax. They've made lots of larger cells in these 'free' bits for drone brood or honey storage, I guess.
Couldn't see eggs, or larvae in the main brood area but, again, light was bad. I'm guessing when I compare the video for this inspection with that of the last two, all the previously free brood cells are now capped and there were some empty areas with no honey storage which I guess have eggs in them (or they would have stored more nectar in them?).
I have a new, painted, poly brood box full of new frames with ONLY wax starter strips in them. Tomorrow I'm going to put this under the current one to give them more room (a bit like a really big Warré maneuver). I may leave one of the current frames which has brace comb under it with its brace comb and omit the respective frame from the lower box. I'm hoping they will build down from this one, into the gap in the lower box, then build on the neighbouring frames using their starter strips . . .
Photos of the wax games to follow.
FG
