Inspected Hive #1 (last year attacked twice by bear and queen was superseded this past Spring.) The colony had been weak in June and I found lots of brood, honey, and bees. Very nice. There is a minor problem with small ants that have decided to build a nest on the inner top cover. I brushed them off and my dad cut back the grass and bushes to discourage them. Because this hive was so weak we hadn't planned to rob it and didn't install a queen excluder.
Hive #2 - "Blonde Bees" Cordovan Bees. I bought this colony this year and they are so productive we were able to harvest honey from this hive. Just one rack because this breed needs lots of honey through the winter because the queen continues to lay eggs heavy throughout winter, which means they need a large store of food.
Hive #3 - Found some queen caps, lots of brood, and honey. Harvested honey from this hive. One of the racks had honey and bee bread. We were able to separate the honey from the bee bread, and I will use the bee bread to feed the colonies during the winter. I will make a pollen patty out of it and it will be a treat for the bees during the cold winter months.
