I promised I'd report on my progress or lack thereof, so I will. But I'm definitely not happy to report that all my bees have died. There were so few left that other bees came in and started feeding on the honey. I don't know if the other bees killed the honey bees or not.
When I went out yesterday to put roofing paper around the hive, I didn't hear anything! So I opened it up to find it empty of all but some dead bees on the bottom board.
So I packed up my hives and put them away. I took what honey was left and it's now safely in the freezer. I'll extract it at some point.
Then, I will start off fresh in the spring with a Nuc which will give me a good start. I will not even think about expanding my hive next year. My goal will be to keep my one hive going and get it strong.
What lessons have I learned?
1. Don't try expanding the hive unless it's very early in the season
2. Watch for swarms on hives more than a year old. (this year's main issue)
3. I will not buy bees from the same vendor next year since I had terrible luck with my bees for the two years when I bought from them. It's probably not at all their fault...but now I'm a bit superstisous.
4. Attend the bee meetings to keep on learning
5. Continue with the fence system which worked out great this year.
That's all for now. Next year is another attempt!
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