It is a beautiful Sunday here and my bees have been happily occupying their top bar hive for 2 weeks now. It was time for another visit to take out the sugar feeder and check and see how things were going. I tried using cardboard to light and fuel the smoker this week and had a lot more success.
There is my smoke. Finally.
So once the smoker was going, I gathered up my things and headed to the hive. As I began to arrange my assortment of tools, including camera, my finger started burning, and I realized that I had my goatskin-gloved finger touching the hot smoker. No stings today, people, but I burned the shit out of myself. If you know me, this will not surprise you one bit. This did not dampen my excitement, though, so after smoking the entrance I proceeded to start opening up the hive.
After having challenges replacing all the bars last week, I did some research. Seems that this is a fairly common occurrence with top bar hive since wood expands and contracts with the weather. Everything I read said it was nothing to be concerned about, and that it was fine just to remove a bar behind the follower board (space where the bees are not living yet) So I did that after I got the roof off my hive. I pulled out a few bars and took a peek. Here is the view:
Hello, my friends. Just like last week, they did not seem too concerned about me or what I was doing. Last week was good for my confidence, and I was much less anxious. However, I had on my bee jacket with veil over a tank top and long sleeve shirt, and on the bottom a pair of leggings under a pair of jeans (in case they try to sting my legs.) While it was giving me confidence that I didn't need to worry about stings, my attire was also causing me to heat up considerably, and it wasn't long before sweat was dripping down my face. Next time, fewer layers. I need to get over my sting-phobia anyway.
Last week, there was comb on 3 bars. The man who built my hive told me they would have comb on 6 to 7 bars in 4 weeks. Well my bees must be over-achievers, because they are building on bar 6 already. I saw quite a few drones flying in and out of the hive during the afternoons this week. I noticed a few on each comb, but nothing too concerning. It also looked like they were constructing the beginnings of a queen cell on one comb, which I read is normal for my race of bees. So I have decided not to worry. I looked for the queen on all the combs and was not able to spot her, but I was able to see brood.
Newest comb, bar six
A full comb - bar 2 or 3 I think
You can see capped cells and pollen stores in these pictures. Everything on the combs looked good, however, quite a few were starting to attach to each other and one bar was stuck to the side of the hive. When I pulled that bar, some nectar started dripping out. Sorry, bees. So, the beautiful straight comb of my dreams was not there, but it was not the total disaster I have read about in some books and web sites. I think I am going to pull a few bars and make comb guides using popsicle sticks and beeswax and see if that helps them keep things straighter.
I had to re-light the smoker before closing up the hive, and managed to do so without burning myself again. Once I open up space between the bars, the bees just want to peek their little heads out and see what is going on, and I need the smoke to force them back down into the hive.
Peekers, along with one bee to the left helping herself to some of the nectar that dripped off the damage comb.
Overall, it was a successful and interesting visit today. The bees are very tolerant of me and I am glad. I'm still slightly concerned about my failure to locate a queen, but since there was brood I'm not too worried I guess. As long as the drone population stays under control, I think it will be okay. All I can do is be patient, as with many things in life.
Thoughts run through my head at a million miles and hour, but hearing the soft buzz brings me into the moment. It echoes in my head for the rest of the day.
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