Inspecting two hives – Swanson and Glen Eden 2

The weather was good and the temperature was 22 degrees today, so I decided to inspect a couple of our hives. Days in which inspections can be done are becoming fewer and fewer, as New Zealand heads into winter.

Here the summary of the inspections:-

Swanson 1

Swanson is a bustling hive with around three frames of brood and loads of honey.

I didn’t notice any eggs or a Queen today, so this hive could be queen-less, we will check it again next week. The queen may be having a rest?

Glen Eden 2

This hive may have been robbed, Margaret noticed some robbing type behavior last week. These guys have plenty of brood, but very little honey at all.

I have added a frame of spare honey to the hive and reduced the hive to one full-sized box. We may have to feed this hive I suspect.

I didn’t spot the queen, but did see loads of new lava.

I will check both of these next week, perhaps the answer is to merge the hives together, if the Swanson hive is indeed queen-less. We have heard some queens have stopped laying due to the winter temperature.

See ya….Gary

About Gary Fawcett

Gary enjoys designing new kiwimana products which we sell through our on-line shop. He is passionate about saving the Bees and encouraging urban beekeeping. Gary loves to write about issues that affect the Bees and our environment. He is also into tramping/walking in the beautiful New Zealand bush.

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