Guilfordbeekeepers.org

I am back! It seems that since the weather has gotten a little cooler the bees are not bearding (even at 11 Pm) like they were.

I have added the 5th super.......a few weeks ago. I checked it yesterday and not much going on there........actually the bees seem to be removing the wax from the frames. I do see bees entering the hive with pollen, although not a lot of foraging going on.

I seem to be seeing drones that are a different color? Somewhat lighter (actually a LOT lighter) and more drones than ever before. Humm........not sure what that's all about? Is that a normal thing?

I guess I need to know, since I have four supers (three and a brood box) that seem to be full of honey, do I need to feed at all? And do I just leave that empty 5th box on the hive?

Thanks!

Drones of a different color are not a concern. The bees will house any drones that come along if they have the resources and the desire to keep them. The main question is why are they keeping drones. Some of my hives still have them while others have been devoid of drones for quite some time. You want to make sure your hive is queenright and that the vast majority of your brood is worker brood.

I would consider reducing the number of supers on the hive IF there are not enough bees to protect the comb. This time of year, small hive beetles can ruin honey and ruin a hive if the bee population is not large enough to keep them from laying eggs. The larvae do the damage to the honey and can make the hive uninhabitable for the bees. Without heavy feeding and the bees feeling the need for space, you are unlikely to get comb drawn out this time of year.

If you really have more than 1 super of "honey", you do not need to be feeding now. You will need to keep an eye on stores so that the bees have at least a full super of "honey" going into winter.

Bees fill boxes from top down, not from bottom up. Just because the top box is full, doesn't mean the bottom onesare. You need to check all frames in all boxes before assuming all 4 are full.