Curiosity killed the cat and will probably kill my bees, but I went back again today… minus the gloves.  Not that I actually planned that.  It’s just with all the other crap I had to drag along, I forgot them.  Just as well.  It’s too flippin’ hard to handle top bars with those fat leather gloves. This was right after I got a call from Ruhl  Bee Supply in Portland.  Bee people are really nice.  Got some more hand holding but was told unfortunately, no Queens available today.  Talked about looking at the hive and seeing the larva but no definite answers on how long it takes the worker bees to decide to try to take over the job of laying (infertile) eggs if the Queen isn’t there.  Was told I could add the weak hive to one of the stronger ones rather than lose them. Was told pollen patties this time of year is good as well as more sugar-water…Apparently pollen is bread for the babies.  No bread no new bees. So I ask if they will send pollen patties instead of Queens  originally ordered.  

So, once again… checked the first hive and WOW!! I saw her… THE QUEEN!! For sure!! that plus more comb and more larva.  I’m happy and stop looking at that hive and move on to the pitiful one.  Just a small group of bees hanging on to the top bars with very little comb, very large cells and little honey and no brood. No Queen that I can see.  I’m heartbroken.  Go to the third hive and  I try smoking them to get them to move off the comb.  All the smoke does is make them buzz more. Softly blowing on them without smoke seems to work better. I see they are making comb like crazy and have more larva but can’t find the queen no matter what.  I figure, they must know something I don’t.   I watch the comings and goings of the bees and don’t see any yellow “pants”  of pollen attached to any of them… not good.  But at least they are active and foraging.

Go back to the house just as I get a call from Glorybee.  They have one Queen available for me. A miracle, exactly what I need!!! I hop in the car, smelling like a smoked sausage, pick up my little lady and her attendants, some pollen patties and back we go for another round.

The Queen is now installed, we await her emergence from her cage in a few days.  The bees have pollen patties and more sugar-water… going back in half an hour I see the quail waterers with some wood shavings in the bowl to prevent drowning placed by the opening to the hive is working just fine. (We won’t talk about the 1/2 gallon of sugar water I spilled in the house, or the swearing that followed.) The bees look like a bunch of guys at a bar, hanging onto the lip of the waterer with their front legs, heads tipped into the sugar-water, sucking it up. All lined up around the perimeter of the waterer. Guess they were hungry.

I feel satisfied I’ve done as much as I can do for now and leave them as the winds begin to pick up again.   I will add sugar-water tomorrow, and leave them alone til Friday when I check to see how the new Queen is doing…. She has a bright blue dot on her thorax so I should be able to see her.

So much more to learn….

I love my bees….