Today I inspected to see what state all the hives were in and to see if they were settling in nicely. How wrong I was!Poly first - the queen is laying well, good brood pattern, and around 7 brood frames drawn, and maybe 3-4 super frames, with a small amount of storage in the super. The rest of the brood frames should be drawn out over the coming week.
Heather - also laying well - although no need to put a super on just yet. 2 or 3 frames unused at each edge.
Alice - they’re superseding again. I think that perhaps she took so long to lay, that her fertility is in question, so they’re superseding to be on the safe side. I didn’t see the queen anywhere, but I did hear her quacking, so hopefully they’ll manage to supersede. I might have to put in eggs from another hive though if this new queen also doesn’t take - although that will be getting a bit late in the year for my liking. There are enough eggs and larvae recently laid that the population will keep going, but I have no hope for any honey from this hive this year.
Todo
Add a super to Heather in a week or two, after the June Gap. - DONE
Add division boards to both Poly and Heather to stop them filling the gap at the edge - DONE - foamex boards made in the workshops!
