Andrew Siwko’s Blog #2

I opened up the hive by myself today.  It’s been 12 days since the last inspection when Bill came over to help.  This time I took pictures.  Brad came over and watched.  Some of the frames were really heavy.  I saw the queen on the back side of frame 6.  I took pictures to analyze later.  Here’s my overview:

Frame 1, 2, 3, no activity except a few cell sized holes.

Frame 4, some small amount of comb drawn on both sides.  8 bees on the inside.

Frames 5, 6, 7 are the nuc frames.

Frame 5 (outside): about 50 sealed brood center top, about the same number of larvae below, nectar all around the rest of the frame

Frame 5 (inside): about 150 sealed brood in the center, about the same in a band around the brood of larvae, maybe double that, but I can’t see into the cells, a band of pollen cells about 6 wide,  and then nectar.  I’d guess a third of the frame side is nectar.

Frame 6 (inside): a large block of sealed brood surrounded by nectar.  I’d guess 1/3 brood, 2/3 nectar.

Frame 6 (outside): about the same as the other side, but some larvae and the queen, a number of empty cells in the brood area.

Frame 7 (inside): about 150 pollen cells surrounded by nectar.

Frame 7 (outside): some nectar, empty cells, maybe eggs?

Frame 8, 9, 10: unexamined, unused, perhaps some drawn comb on inside of frame 8?

Pictures here: http://linode.siwko.org/2009-09-14-inspection