Routine inspection

So this morning Sue (my mentee) and I looked through Adele and Beatrice hives.  The plan was to
a/ Do a routine inspection - eggs, larvae, brood, stores, health and space etc.
b/ clean up all the drone brood brace comb at the bottoms of brood frames
c/ Dust with icing sugar (a varroa preventative measure)
Also to put a reduced entrance block on Adele hive.  I have already put them on Beatrice and Connie hives.

Adele Hive - Bees were very agitated, clouds of them and pinging off our veils plus the smoker took a long time to get going so we didn't have much smoke.  Just got on and did what we needed to do.  Not many eggs, some larvae and lots of capped over brood but the hive is very full and the super is very heavy and it can be usual for the queen to reduce laying at this time of year, so hopefully that is alright.

Cleaned off the drone brood and uncapped some didn't see any varroa on the brood but did see a mite actually on a drone.  Another oops moment as I was removing brace comb the frame slipped and I shook a load of bees onto the ground.  I think I need to join Bill Turnbull's bad beekeepers club.  So by the time we had shut the hive up and I wanted to put on the entrance block the front of the hive was covered with bees trying to get back in.  Just really hope the Queen wasn't one of them!

Dusted with icing sugar before shutting up the hive.

Beatrice - Much calmer, super feels quite heavy.  Bees covering up to 10 frames now.  Shuffled some of the frames to encourage bees to draw out the wax. 

Saw loads of eggs, larvae and capped over brood.  All looking really healthy.  Dusted with icing sugar.

So on Sunday we are hosting a members apiary visit.  We are saving looking in the Connie hive until then - hope some people turn up.