Katie labeled the hives as we installed them, 651, 652, and 653 Buddys Lane. Number 653 is in the back yard, and is notoriously aggressive.
A few days ago I found out why. I pulled frame after frame looking for brood patterns and finding nothing by honey and pollen.
No queen!
I called my bee keeping guru and left a message, but since it was the start of Memorial Day weekend, I also took measures of my own in case he couldn't round up a queen for me.
I exchanged a frame of capped brood, including queen cells, from my strongest hive for an empty one of theirs.
But then I got a call back from the apiary and went yesterday to pick up our new queen.
We call her Latifah.
I'll let her start to be released tomorrow night.
Already the hive can smell her and is calming right down.
I love my bees!
She looks like she is ready to work.
ReplyDeleteI hope things go well with Queen Latifah this evening. (My family loves her name, btw!)
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