21 Days Later...

[manowar422]

Hive inspection 21 days after installation of our package.
(April 30, 4PM)

My son Matt was unable to come with me today so I had to take my own pictures

These pics are of one side of each of the three middle frames from the brood box and the next 3 towards an outside edge.

The queen has now been laying in all frames (in this box) except the last ones on the outer edge.

The brood box is a medium super (the bees made this choice, not me)
 
















If anyone sees anything unusual in the photos, speak up, for I’m a green horn!

Thanks! Manowar

[Horns Pure Honey]

Looks like they are doing great manowar. bye

[Bruce Hanson]

Looks like a nice healthy hive of bees,but looks like the enterance is too small,if thats a reducer it is time to take it off and give the bees a bigger enterance for venterlation

[manowar422]

if thats a reducer it is time to take it off and give the bees a bigger enterance for venterlation

It is an entrance reducer Bruce, I've had lots of trouble with robbers due to my hives location (on a rooftop in an industrial park). I opened the reducer to the larger size opening about a week ago and it was a "free for all".

With the little half moon (inner cover entrance) availible on the upper box and the smaller reducer in place on the lower entrance, the robbers seem to hesitate just long enough to be kept out for the most part.

As the pictures indicate, the hives population is about to increase exponentially in a few days and I hope by then, their numbers will be sufficiant to repel boarders  

[SherryL]

It is an entrance reducer Bruce, I've had lots of trouble with robbers due to my hives location (on a rooftop in an industrial park). I opened the reducer to the larger size opening about a week ago and it was a "free for all".

Manowar, when you say it was a 'free for all', that would imply your hive was suddenly 'attacked' by bees from another hive?  Unless there's another hive in VERY close proximity - you wouldn't notice robbing as soon as you took the entrance reducer off.  If you were noticing ALOT of bees suddenly at the entrance, they were probably your own, happily the larger entrance.  

Your hive is very strong, I wouldn't be concerned about robbing at this point.  I would be more concerned, based on the fact that they're on a black tar roof in Texas that they are getting adequate ventilation.  It could get hot in there really quickly once your temps start rising.

sherry

[manowar422]

I have no idea about the proximity of other hives in the area, other than
the fact that bees have always being visible in the area before I placed my hive here.
IMO the roof tops of a large industial park would be a haven for swarms to discover new homes in.

The "free for all" was noticed the following day after flipping the reducer
to to larger entrance the day before, this took place about two weeks ago.

The weather has been really mild for North Texas this spring! I mean really mild.
I've witnessed no bees fanning or bearding yet. So far this year only one day has even APPROCHED 90 degrees.

I'll flip the reducer to the larger opening tomorrow when I refill the syrup jars and will see if the robbers return.