The hive in the second story wall is still going strong having made it through another winter.
And the swarm trap by the north pond still has bees. That's two winters in a row they have survived with no attention other than checking with the Flir in winter to see if the box is still hot. I'm leaving this one alone to cast swarms.
View from the bottom. The white spot is a bee. The boxes hold six deep frames. I set out two more today, both with a frame of old brood comb that had a little honey in the corners, and five empty deep frames.
You seem to have a penchant for keeping bees in unusual places.
ReplyDeleteIf they can survive on their own then I figure it's best to leave them be. (sorry about that) They are breeding traits that evidently can hold their own against the varroa mite, and they pass them on by swarming. The queen leaves to set up another hive and a new queen is born in the old hive.
DeleteI seem to remember hearing that one bee strain already has some mite resistance. Of course they're probably some foreign strain that will bring some other problem with it.
ReplyDelete