Today was the day. At the house I had a hive that was VERY full with bees, and a full 30 frames. about 20 frames were brood, and about 10 honey. They were meaner than I’d like. I’ve been stung by them at times even just walking nearby for a look, something none of the other hives ever care about. Rather than scrap them all, they’ll be the founders for the new farm hives. Once the new queens begin laying, her gentler bees will replace these. I took the 30 frames with bees to the farm and split them across 8 hives (2 will be populated from a pair of double nucs I wintered). I was able to put 3 or 4 frames in each hive, doing my best to balance frame composition (brood, honey, pollen, free space) and bees. When I found the queen, I kept her and that frame aside. I’ll return it to her original location to build back up again. In this depleted state they should be far less aggressive, and allow me time to generate her replacement. I’ll give them a few days to notice their queen is gone so they’ll accept the replacements I’m installing soon.
Despite working in IT, I prefer spending my time outdoors. I enjoy beekeeping, hiking, camping, and about anything else I can do outside. A Do-It-Yourself’er, I’ve spent much of my life learning new skills like beekeeping, carpentry, mechanics, construction, and more. This gives a refreshing break from the days of screen time we all endure.