Our trip to the beekeeping supply store was successful. Everything they sell is constructed locally by Mennonites and they're all super friendly and helpful so I enjoy going. I can ask as many questions as I want and they never seem to get tired of educating me. We got two slatted rack and two vented inner covers to help combat the heat and humidity we have here in Missouri. They still need paint.
I hope you all had a nice Hump Day and a great rest of your evening!
I guess the yellow hive though I was talking bad about it earlier. This is it when I pulled up. Looks like a lot of orientation flights to me. The brood is emerging.
The nuc I put in the blue hive is blowing up. The package in the yellow is growing strong but didn't arrive with 1000+ brood already laid. Though at noon the yellow hive looked more like the blue now. It's very interesting watching them build their homes out.
Have a good afternoon everyone! 
Both our hives now have their second brood box. I'm going to continue feeding until the top boxes are almost filled out. We might see a little honey production this year if the girls get these boxes flushed out quickly.
The yellow hives lid is upside down to dry out some condensation on the underside. I wonder if the week straight of rain played some role? 
Have a good evening everyone! I'm stinky from my smoker so it's a shower for me.
The sun came out for about 30 minutes today, and a swarm of bees showed up in the backyard (!). Again. (at least... we don't need to hunt for bee swarms to replace lost hives 
)
Filling supers. Queen got a little frisky and put a hair of brood on a couple of these.
I really don’t need more bees. Anyone want a split?
Great activity in the hives today! Plenty to forage in the neighborhood at the moment - dandelion, apple, pear, chestnut and rapeseed among much else blooming at the moment. Will probably need to add another super in a week or so.
Fellow #beekeepers I am encountering a situation I haven't run into before (third year keeper) and am interested in hearing thoughts from seasoned keepers...
In 2 of our hives and one young but strong split I have no brood, very little pollen stores, and mostly all nectar or capped honey. ~ 2 weeks ago saw 1+ day old and capped brood.
We got a late frost about 2 weeks ago which knocked off a lot of blooms on surrounding flora. Daytime weather has generally been hotter and drier than usual the last couple of weeks. Could this brood break be a natural response to potentially low pollen availability?
I am not convinced yet that we're queenless in 3 hives. My strongest hive is far too aggressive right now (chasing us for 1/4 mile...) to go frame by frame - so it may be without a queen. There's a lot more detail I could go into but I'll end it here for now.
TIA
[New post] In the apiary, every day is Judgement Day. Good judgement involves ample information, some insightful interpretation, and understanding. Bad judgement involves a lack of information, guesswork, wishful thinking and sentimentality.
https://theapiarist.org/judgement-day/
#beekeeping
Beehive bandit makes off with 57 hives, leaves Alberta beekeeper feeling 'helpless'
Honey Meadows Farm owner Jon Zwiers visited four bee yards this week and discovered hives were missing from each location.
#theft #beekeeping #agriculture #crime #Alberta #News
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/beehive-theft-foothills-1.7525145?cmp=rss
I bought a package of beetle jails to try and intercept the few small hive beetles I have running around in my hives. The bees seem to be managing them well on their own but the jails will give them somewhere to chase them in to. As a new beekeeper it really bugs me having well, extra bugs in my hives. Apparently it's almost unavoidable so I'm trying to keep my OCD in check.
I'm using banana peels soaked in apple cider vinegar as bait. The beetles like funk.
Another swarm caught today! This one was on the bottom of a lift boom, so I got to go on a construction site to catch it.
#bees #beekeeping
I guess I'm going to add the second brood box to the blue hive tonight. My plan was to wait until Sunday but the need the room.
In the first apiary this hives pallet stand had almost rotted away, pallets are useless for stands. Searching in the bank for something to use as a stop gap I found, of all things, 2 short lengths of railway track. They'd been used to stop a pile of corregated sheets from blowing away back when Adam was a lad I'd say. The sheets are not blowing anywhere now having become one with the landscape so these make a very sturdy and durable hive stand, if a touch short. #beekeeping
Bearding. The bees do this when it is too hot in the hive and they have no work to do, so they hang about outside. They are not doing anything, such as fanning to cool the hive, they are just keeping out the way and letting work go on inside. #beekeeping
Plenty of the big male bees, the drones, in the hives now. Named for the distinctive sound of their wings. #beekeeping
