Rain Reduction

The rains have let up a little.

Or at least they were better than we experienced at Cape Lookout over the weekend. I removed the entrance reducer now that the lows are back in the high 40s. Still seeing what seems to be too many yellow and orange bees. It's been almost two months since installation and bees only live for 4-5 weeks! Do I have bees moving in from other hives??

Coldest Day

Today was the coldest and wettest day. I've been going out every other day or so just to see the activity level at the entrance = not much. I plan to spread out the comb once the bees have 12-14 combs built, to reduce the swarm tendency.

We've had the heater on the last couple of days. Figured it's only fair to the bees to reduce their entrance again and help them conserve heat.

Entrance

After seeing what could have been chalkbrood yesterday, we decided it best to open the entrance. This gives the bees more airflow, a larger landing pad. The entrance is about one-inch tall. Hopefully they like it and it doesn't cause robbing from the wasp nest in the hot tub across the yard.

I've read that bees will need a larger entrance once nighttime temperatures reach the high 40s.

Beesy Bees

Despite finding dead larva in the hive this morning, the bees seem to be in full swing this afternoon. I am still undecided whether to remove the entrance reducer or keep it until we past the last freeze date (May 1). I haven't found a straight answer for when it is appropriate in the springtime.