Sunday, August 30, 2015

More feed for the Ambrosium

I put on another four pounds of sugar. $1.89.

Removed the MAQS

I scraped the MAQS away today, and took the super off of the Ambrosium. There was no honey in it, or even any drawn comb. There was very little honey in any of the other supers either.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Mite-away Quick Strips

I put mite boards under the hives yesterday. Today I checked them out: 3 mites on the Ambrosium, 2 on the Benedictium, and 6 on the Josephium.

Time to treat! I put two strips of formic acid between the deeps on each of the hives. I took the feeder off of the Ambrosium and put an empty super on it per the recommended practice. Unfortunately, I see no need for the super for any honey stores.

The other two hives already had supers on them, but they hardly seemed full, or even drawn in the case of the Benedictium. Looks like no early August nectar flow for us.

Oh, did I forget to mention I saw pollen going into all three hives yesterday?


Sunday, August 16, 2015

Four more pounds for the Ambrosium

$2.39.

No sign of pollen going into any of the hives this afternoon. When are we going to get some rain? Sancti Ambrosi, Benedicte, et Joseph, orate pro nobis!

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Four more pounds for the Ambrosium, and Pollen!

The dearth is over, we have bright orange aster pollen going into the Ambrosium and Benedictium, and some yellow stuff going into the Josephium.

But I put four more pounds on the Ambrosium anyway. I opened them up yesterday, and they still had not drawn out the lower deep. I pulled a frame from the center of the upper deep, and I saw no brood, probably because they had no bread. You need bread to breed brood.

Another $2.39.