buzzzzzzzzzz new adventure

[addy1]

Is that the queen in the first top photo on the edge of the circle top?

That is probably a drone, the boys are larger then the girls. Down here they have not been kicked out for winter yet, so still have a home.

Look at the pictures of the frames with brood, she is there. She does have wings, just too large to fly.

 

[tbendl]

Omg this is like a terrifyingly complicated "Where's Waldo" game... Hehe. Well since I know next to nothing about bees I can say this with all certainty. They look great! You'd better hope none of them figure out what your chilly plan is for them or there's gonna be a riot though. Very very cool update Addy, thank you!!

 

[addy1]

We were so excited to see brood, a true indicator that you have a laying queen.

 

[j.w]

I looked and perhaps I saw her and perhaps not. I saw one w/a longer butt, maybe that was her. Anyways you know she is there cuz you have brood, YAY!

 

[tbendl]

We were so excited to see brood, a true indicator that you have a laying queen.

I am now singing "We are the Champions"... Written by a laying Queen as well so there yah go!

 

[addy1]

Here she is jw, look at the third picture down, upper left corner. This is a blow up of it.
The bees are very calm, we did not even smoke them.
Without a queen we would lose the hive, there is not enough time for the hive to grow a queen, gets babies going etc. to make a nice hive of bees, honey, pollen

 

[j.w]

Yep she looks like the queen bee for sure! Thanks for showing her.

 

[addy1]

She is in the fourth and fifth picture, see if you can find her, it is hard. She moved down, 4th pic then back up towards the middle of the frame, 5th pic.

 

[j.w]

It is hard but think I found her. So many bees!

 

[addy1]

well we are having a battle here. The new little hive is being robbed by some feral bees, i.e. wild hive, from somewhere. We first discovered the robbing two days ago, the ground was littered with dead bees, ours and the feral ones.

We are doing all we can to protect them, right now on a mandatory lock down for 72 hours, covered with a sheet and moved 75 or so yards away.

This hive is not strong enough to fight off an all out robbing, the poor girls battle to the death to protect their hive.

Here is a short video of a fight going on. The darker body bee is the robber this time there was a good collection of the hive bees fighting the one or two feral bees.

 

[tbendl]

Awe I hope the hive survives after all they, and you, have been through. I had no idea different hives robbed each other. What do they go after? The Queen or honey?

 

[j.w]

I'm pulling for the home team to win! So the ladies give up their lives in a fight like that cuz if they sting they will die right?

 

[addy1]

What do they go after? The Queen or honey?

They are going after any nectar or honey in the hive. Even though it is warm down here, there is not a lot of nectar out there for bees to eat. The queen gets killed, sometimes, during the robbing.

So the ladies give up their lives in a fight like that cuz if they sting they will die right?

If they sting and the stinger is pulled out they die, they can sting the other bees without it getting stuck in the other bee. But usually both bees are stinging each other, so both die.

 

[addy1]

Well success so far, we locked them in their hive for two days, moved it around 75 yards. Released them today, they are doing their orientation flight, i.e. circle when they leave the hive to figure out how to get home. That means they will not fly back to the old spot and get lost.

No robbers seen, they are now in our rented house carport. We can keep a good eye on them.

 

[j.w]

Great news addy!