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
Gary Fawcett
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