Guilfordbeekeepers.org

As Wally suggested, I took the opportunity yesterday to peek in all my hives, check weights, and make general observations.

In 2 of my 19 hives, they are now starting to build comb inside the feeding shim (mainly drone comb). In fact, one was already laid up with eggs! They have definitely been burning through their food stores since I checked a few weeks ago, since these warm days have allowed for a lot more flying and foraging activity. I have also noticed substantially more interest in gathering water, which is typically a good indication that they are needing to dilute honey and feed new brood.

I am trying Hive Alive fondant for the first time this winter as "emergency feed". I don't know that small hive beetles are going to lay eggs in it like they do with the pollen patties, but I sure found quite a few adult beetles in all my hives hiding under the plastic wrapper! It felt good to squash a few...

I looked into my hives today. I had shims on and did have to clean up some comb on top of the frames. Is that a good thing? Saw lots of capped brood including drone. I also saw lots of cells filled with nectar?? Have no idea where they are getting it.

I think having to clean up in shims is a good thing as long as you don't let it go to the point where large amounts of wax and brood have to be removed. It means you have a strong enough colony to consume the sugar bricks you gave them and that they are in spring build up mode. They are producing wax comb, collecting nectar, and raising drones--all good things.

I need to get to the rest of my remote hives, but 2 also had some comb, nectar, and drone brood in the shims. Although the more recent AccuWeather extended forecast for February shows more warmth than earlier long range forecasts, I have not run into any hives that are in swarm mode. I haven't seen any emerged drones and haven't seen any purple eyed drones in the brood I have opened.

Long story, but I put deeps with new heavily-waxed plastic foundations on all my hives on Feb. 10. They still have plenty of honey, and I am supplemental feeding with Hive Alive fondant (no liquid syrup yet). I thought it was worth a shot to see if they'd consider drawing them out, and maybe I'd get lucky and deter some swarming with the new space...

My hopes were low, but on Monday discovered that maybe half my hives had started drawing out small areas and corners of some of the frames. I don't think the other half are big enough to have done anything yet. However, one of my colonies definitely got to work and had drawn out maybe 5 deep frames to about 75% (photo attached)! And I swear I saw nectar in some of these cells, so they must be finding a source somewhere (maples?).

I think I might wait another week before removing the feeding shims and adding my hive-top feeders to start giving them a little 1:1 syrup and trying to motivate the rest to draw those frames out.

I tossed the medium super on my girls last week. Went out for a brief peek yesterday and they're drawing out comb in the super. Looked in the top deep and the queen has been busy. She's fully carpeted 5 frames both sides with brood. When I looked last week there was just one frame in the upper deep with brood and tons in the lower deep.
Weather wasn't ideal yesterday, so it was just a quick peek, but I'll be doing a full inspection first chance I get with temps in the 60s and low wind.