We were blessed with another warm couple of days.
During Iowa summers, I can allow some degree of neglect or laziness, but not during winter. I feel that I HAVE to check hives when I can during winter because we just don’t know how long our winter will be. I’m trying as hard as I can to keep plenty of food available. If the colony starves, then I’m responsible for the loss. I made quick visits to check overall health today.
On this particular hive, the bees have a little traffic jam as they leave for and return from cleansing flights. They need to eliminate about once a month as well as take time to remove the dead bees and the empty wrappers from their winter food patties, and generally maintain a clean hive.
This sun and warmth was very pleasant compared to last weekend:
