Question of the Day

To confirm, both hives ('old' and 'new') swarmed simultaneously to the same spot in Chad's backyard that the old hive swarmed to yesterday. We collected the swarm and put it in a cardboard nuc box on top of the uninhabited left-hand side of the top bar hive. (The left and right sides of the top bar are separated by a follower board and can temporarily be used as two separate hives). We're now weighing our options: Keep them in the nuc box and sell them? or put them in the other side of the top bar?

Selling them is quick and easy. Putting them in the top bar commits us to either making another top bar or combining the two colonies at some point in the future. We are a little worried that the hives are weakening themselves with repeated swarms, and keeping this swarm would give us the option of re-combining the colonies if either one begins to struggle. 

At the end of the day my parents stopped by to check out all the bees and the new top bar hive in action. Here's a photo of me, Carol and Al (Master Woodworker).

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You can also see the white cardboard nuc box sitting on top of the top bar hive.

Click on the link for the movies from day........