More bees coming

This week, May 14th, I'll pick up more bees. I had ordered this Nuc back in January I believe...and paid for it which is always a plus. A Nuc is five frames of bees with brood and queen.  I will then put them into their permanent home in a hive right next to the active one.

I was just out watching the bees at the first hive and they were beginning to bring in light yellow and orange pollen in the little sacs on each side of their tiny bodies.  Dandelions are in bloom so I expect the orangey pollen is from them.  Daffodils and lots of lawn flowers that are beautiful before the first mowing I saw some bugle weed in bloom and lots of other flowers but don't know their names.  The weather today is in the high 70's and we're in a warm spell right now so I should see a lot of activity in terms of bees and nature in general. I love spring.

I will get into the hive this week since I've had the current hive for almost three weeks.  I'll see how they have filled the frames in their hive.  Because this first hive was a "package of bees", they came with no frames or brood.  And the queen had to be introduced to them.  So it'll be interesting to see how they're doing in there.  From the outside looking in, it looks like they're doing well.  Stay tuned!

I keep thinking of winter

I've probably mentioned this before about my winter plan this year.  But it bears repeating, if only to get it out of my system.  I am determined to not lose my bees this coming winter.  So I will make cedar shavings pillows!  I have one bale of cedar shavings and I will be making pillows that will fit into a super (this is the box where you collect the honey in the summer). This year, we'll also put a few into use in the winter.  The super will have a screen stapled to the bottom so no bees can get into the box. The shavings will catch any condensation that drips down onto the bees and freezes them during the winter months.  I'm convinced that's what happened to my bees this past winter. So I will be making the cedar pillows this summer to be ready for them later.