Splitting the hive and adding a super

It's July 18th, 2012. I got up to a few of three deer in my yard.  One in the lower pond, one at my blueberry bushes which explains why I didn't get one blueberry this year, and then another down by the birdhouse.  I grabbed my camera and took great shots, but none came out.  I can get a great photo in my kitchen but through the screen, it comes out a gray blank image.  Darn because they were so close and only ran when they heard me snap the last photo. Next time, I'll need to quietly step out onto the front porch to get an unobstructed shot.

Well, the very next morning, I looked out my bedroom window to see a couple of deer in my backyard.  This time, I quietly sneaked around the side of the house and got this wonderful shot!

As for the blueberries, next year, I will build a shelter for them with 4 posts and netting over the posts that drape over the bushes too..I've seen others do that and it seems to work.  Left alone, the animals eat the blueberries (and bushes) before you can get to them.  Live and learn!  I may have to move the bushes though. It will obstruct my view down the hill to the birdhouse which now has gourds flowering unless I can figure out some attractive way to do it..which is doubtful. I've been thinking that I'd like to see some evergreen shrub in the area so I will be thinking about that for the future.

I have to laugh at the unrealistic expectations I personally start out with year after year.  I suppose it's like this with other gardeners too...you expect everything you do to be in peak condition, lush, with no insect or other disease damage.  But it's never perfect.  I suppose that if it were. there would be nothing left to do and what's the fun of that?  But some things surprise you and sometimes surpass your expectations.  I can't speak of my beautiful tomatoes this year..knock on wood...I don't want to jinx them.

Over by the beehive, my little rustic archway has gourds blooming.  I will try to get a shot of this early evening...or as soon as I see the flowers open. It was pretty last night and will get much more filled in over the next few months until the frost gets it. Gosh, I don't want to think about that right now!
I sure hope this turns out to be as lush as my imagination saw it.  It's coming along and it now, at least, catches the eye.

I've been busy trying to figure out what to do with the hive.  It's been difficult to not go in for an extra week. I believe I have a super filled with honey, or at least some frames should be filled.  I'm ready to add on the second super this weekend.

The other chore this weekend is to get into that bottom hive and pull out some frames to see what's going on.  I fear there is comb being built that needs to come off and I need to make sure I have a healthy queen who is laying eggs.  If I see that....then I'm planning to split the hive and make a Nuc so that next year I won't have to buy one to start my second hive.  More on that later.

Let me just say this. Yes, I want another hive.  I'm told that I can start a Nuc now and winter it over (I need to learn more about how to do this...seems like they'd freeze in such a small box for the winter).  Then, in the spring, I will use that to start my second hive. But that's for discussion later on.

Right now I need to focus on extracting the honey.  And I've order what I need and the various items are being shipped. I ordered all the extraction products I need with high hopes that I'll have honey to extract.  It does seem like I will but until it's in the jar....

More on extraction next time. I'm finding this to be a very busy time so apologize if I bounce from subject to subject in these posts. It's how I am in the yard too, bouncing from task to task. :)