YAY! I'm up to two hives now.

[Blackbird]

I haven't posted in a long long time, just been lurking once in a while.

I just aquired a swarm from a fellow beekeeper. I'm so happy to have two hives going. I just finished my first year of keeping bees with one hive and am starting my second year with two. Maybe I'll just add a hive a year.

I was thinking of requeening the swarm since it's most likely an older queen but maybe I'll wait till the fall and requeen both of my hives. Any opinions or suggestions on that?

Stacie

[thegolfpsycho]

I guess you never got those bargain colonies last year.  Seems like I remember you had a pretty good price on some existing colonys.

I would probaby wait until fall at this point.  I don't know your nectar flows out there on the coast, but I would guess it has started.  The swarm queen was able to make enough brood to cause a swarm, may as well give her a chance to carry on.  Swarms have always seemed even more industrious than normal to me, and I like to watch them grow.

[Blackbird]

yea, that whole deal never came through. Not sure what happened there. I'm happy to have my swarm though. They are very active and the weather is great right now. I've heard new swarms are great honey producers.

 I'm going to give them a few days and then have a peek in to see how they are doing and see that the queen is laying.  They seem slightly more defensive than my other hive right now. Not super aggresive, just a little more easily annoyed if I'm near the hive. Hopefully they will mellow out when they settle in.

Stacie