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So I got into beekeeping early this year and decided that it would be a good idea to start keeping a log of my current hives health and progress. This way I can look back on how the hive has done and things I have tried (or didnt try). The goal is to hopefully split the current hive and have two boxes next year.
The hive currently consists of 2 deeps, no queen excluder (waiting to install that next year if they survive). Very simple setup with plenty of room for them to grow.
Generally my inspection routine involves smoking the hive then cleaning up any weeds near the stand with a weed-eater. Not sure if this is the best order of actions but they don’t seem to mind. Next off comes the telescopic lid and I begin inspection on a few frames on the top box. I noticed a lot of empty drawn out comb. I don’t think this is a good sign but the rest of the hive seems fairly healthy and good in size.
Getting the top box to seperate from the bottom is a little bit of a chore. They glue the two together fairly well but with a little bit of work they seperated. Inside was business as usual. They seem to favor the same 4 frames that came from the original hive they were split from. They definitely seem to have a preference of building up instead of out.
I did not find the queen (I’ve actually not been able to find her since I purchased the hive). I know she is there though because the hive is growing and there is capped brood. It has been really hot recently and there has been a concerning lack of rain. Generally every evening you can find them washboarding and fanning on the front of the boxes.
Pulling one of the frames we can see there is quite a bit of capped brood. Not sure how much there should be but I think its a good sign regardless. I didn’t see too much capped honey but also didnt inspect every frame as it was hot and I was sensing I had overstayed my welcome. Hopefully in a few weeks the heat lets up a little and they can catch a break.