It’s a hot Sunday in Denver, and this morning I went out to check on both hives. It’s been more than a month since I last looked. Last time, LaFonda’s hive was so instantly aggravated when we popped the lid of the hive, we aborted the inspection and decided we needed to get the smoker going. Then it was too hot out.
To all outward impressions, Maggie’s hive is more active. More bee activity, more bees, more bees “coming in heavy” – meaning their back legs are so swollen with brightly colored pollen, they look like they’re wearing leg warmers.
So I was a little concerned about LaFonda’s colony. For as big a swarm as it was when it started, they just didn’t seem to be as active or as plentiful as hive #1.
This morning it was 95 degrees by 9A, at which time I mowed the lawn and pulled weeds before coming inside to pull on jeans, boots, a long-sleeved shirt, and a full bee suit. Did I mention it was 95 degrees out?
I went first to hive #2, and again popped the lid off, without the smoker. Again her bees got super-pissed, super-fast. I went to the shed, got the smoker, and got it going. somewhere in all of that, one of LaFonda’s bees stung me through my leather glove; as I type this, my right wrist is swollen and owie.
They responded quickly to the smoke, but still didn’t like it AT ALL when I started pulling out frames!
I didn’t check the brood (bottom) box, but the really good news is that box #2 is probably 90% full of honey. Enough so that I put box #3 on top today. Whatever they fill that with between now and September is part of the harvest! Go girls go.
Next I popped the top on Maggie’s hive. Good news there too – tons of bees, and the top box is nearly completely full of honey. Technically, we could harvest right now…!