Rather than build suspense . . .

My package bees arrived from Drapers Super Bee Apiaries (now they really are super bees!) just over two weeks ago on June 6th. There are quite a few things to report on between my last post and the current state of the bees, but I just want to show you a successful two week hive!

The bees released their queen from the queen cage and she had already laid eggs in most of the newly made comb by the end of the first week. I fed the bees a pint of simple syrup and went off to Minnesota for a fun wedding. Yesterday, I went back in to feed the bees again and was delighted in what I saw!

The bees had comb built all the way to the feeder! In all, 10 top bars had comb, most built almost completely across.

Most of the combs looked like this one (except slightly larger) with bee bread (pollen), honey, and plenty of brood. Zoom in and you can see the 'c' shaped larvae.

I was especially pleased that the bees had not yet built any brace comb, making my initial inspection of the hive quick and smooth. I did see the queen looking healthy and active. For the first time in over a year, beekeeping is more fun than challenging!