# Looks GAWD AWFUL.



## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Inspected bees at home yesterday. Two colonies were swarms one from back in may and one last week so I didn't expect a whole bunch from them but was still shocked. The swarm from May had a little bit of brood, no capped honey at all appeared to me the queen is just trying to keep the size steady. There were no drone larva or capped drones in either of the boxes.

Second colony is the swarm I picked up off a lawn a week ago after a storm. They I feel are doing OK for the amount of time they have been in the box. I saw eggs some hatched into the tiny C's laying in that milky stuff at the bottom of the cell. Also saw the queen in there and she is a pretty big girl bronze in color with bold black strips. Very little nectar or pollen in the hive.

Third colony was one that made it thru last winter. I last looked at it in mid April when I added another pollen patty and a third deep. For the last month I have seem them early morning hanging on the front of the hive at the top entrance and bottom entrance. Partly why I decided to do an inspection yesterday.
The queen was seen on the third fram pulled and she was backed into a cell. Top box was about half capped honey and brood in the normal upside down crescent. Second box was empty except for some brood in the center 6 frames and eggs. I pulled two frames of brood and put them in the May swarm box. One frame of brood I pulled and put in last weeks swarm box.
We just had the bass wood bloom 2 weeks ago but a every other day of rain for a week messed that flow up. Today I plan on setting top feeders on all of them and fill them with honey. I am not seeing any signs of golden rod plants in my twice daily walks, I did see One Aster while walking this morning. I just do not see things improving before winter.
Again for the 4th year no honey supers were set on any hives. Again this year we are spending money just to keep the bees alive when they should be filling the honey supers with honey. I also don't think all the near by farmers planting every thing into corn this year has helped. 
Still GMO crap.


 Al


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