Queen Inspection

Its been four days since we added the bees to the hive and we finally had good weather.  Today we checked on the hive for the first time to check on the queen and make sure she got out of her cage.  This was my first time opening up a hive that had bees inside so I was a little nervous, but once I got it opened I realized how easy it was.  The hive was easy to open and the bees were super gentle.

I started by taking the frame out from the end to make it easier to view the frames in the middle where I left the queen cage.  The rubber band was broken so I didn’t have to worry about removing it.  The queen cage was empty which was great to see she had gotten out, but the bees had built burr comb from it.  I felt bad they worked so hard and I had to remove it from the hive.  Next time I get a package I will put the cage more in the center of the frame so she can stay warm (if it’s still cold) and also so they will build their comb on the frame instead of the cage.

I did not see the queen during this inspection.  I made it pretty quick inspection.  The main objective was to make sure the queen got out of her cage and to remove the cage from the box.  The hive appeared to be in good working order.  I’ve seen many worker bees coming and going, many bringing in pollen.  That sure is fun to watch.  There was still some sugar water in the frame feeder.  I did not refill it this time.