Notes From Zone 4

I did a bee check Saturday with the intention of harvesting and extracting honey. On the formerly queenless side, I saw neither queen, but did see brood in both, pollen coming in to both, and wax being drawn and sugar syrup stored. The more populous hive was ready for more syrup. Actually it’s ready for more syrup again today. The right side formerly queenless hive is still frightening weak. Now that I’m feeding there are constantly hovering yellow jackets, though I’ve seen no fighting. I’m quite optimistic for the populous hive, and cautiously so for the other one.

The queenright hives are also not bringing in a net honey flow. This is not good, as the fall flows should really be picking up. I also discovered that the bee escapes did not seem to have really done there job. There stilled seemed to be at least one third the normal number of bees in both of the honey supers. Both Lisa and I recalled that it took only two or three days to empty the supers in 2005. I looked again today however and things looked better. We pretty much need to harvest this weekend no matter what.

Monday I worked up the ambition to look at the sawmill again, and despite not actually doing anything it worked for just under three logs until the blade got dull and began wandering. There’s three more 1×6 left on a 6×6 piece of raised bed, but I have to change the blade first.