It appears that the little observation hive in the front window of the Beez Neez is continuing to prosper. The bees are continuing to build comb on the bottom frame, albeit somewhat slowly. They have started storing pollen and nectar in that lower frame, but the queen hasn't chosen to lay there yet. I thought I saw the very start of a little comb building activity on the top frame as well.
Since I decided to try yet again to keep bees in the observation hive over the winter, I think I should give the queen a name. I don't believe I've named a queen bee after my grand daughter Abby yet, so I decided to christen this queen as Abigail the First. This queen is unmarked in that I haven't put a dab of paint on the top of her thorax to make her easier to spot. Note the enlarged black thorax of the queen bee versus the thoraxes of the worker bees which are covered with fuzzy golden brown hairs. Also a worker bee's wings extend almost to the tip of her abdomen while the queen bee's wings only extend halfway down the abdomen. Experienced beekeepers learn to spot the queen as much by her behavior and that of the surrounding bees as by her appearance. Often the bees will form a little cluster around the queen whenever she stops. Also they will often clear a path for her as she walks across a crowded frame. It is almost like there is a herald bee crying out "Make way for the Queen!"
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| Abigail the First is the larger bee in the center of the photo |
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| Capped honey on the left side of the photo, capped brood on the left |
The observation hive has a rotating base and is set up on top of two hive bodies on a rolling platform. That way the entire assembly can be taken outdoors for maintenance. There is 1 1/2 inch plastic tubing that leads from the top hive body over to the feeding station and the exit out the top of the front window. We replaced the top window with a piece of plywood with the exit hole. Attached to the outside of the plywood is a front mounted pollen trap which functions as the landing pad for the bees. I removed the grid from the pollen trap so the bees can pass freely.
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| This honey was recently capped in late September |
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| The tubing that allows the bees to access the feeder and the outside world |
I'm trying to keep constant feed available for the observation hive. They are currently emptying a quart jar of sugar syrup in about three days. I'm hoping that the easy availability of syrup plus the warmer indoor temperature will encourage them to build comb on the two partially drawn frames. The observation hive consists of four deep frames stacked vertically. The middle two frames are 100% drawn comb, full of honey and brood. The top frame is partially drawn on one side( about 20% drawn) with nothing done on the second side. The bees are not using the top frame at present. Instead they are focusing on finishing the bottom frame, which is currently 70% finished on one side and about 50% finished on the other side.
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| A worker bee coming in for a landing |
Note the observation hive is visible through the front window. I keep the glass covered with styrofoam insulation when I am not looking at the bees. That makes it easier for them to incubate their brood at the right temperature. It is 70 degrees inside the store, but the brood are incubated at 92 degrees. 1 like to make it a little easier on the bees. Besides, if the brood are not kept at 92 degrees the newly emerged worker bees may actually have learning disabilities. We would rather not have slow learner bees.
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