removal - no brood

[PeeVee]

Did a removal this morning complete with rain. Had a canopy set up for my helper and guest.

But I was positioned on step ladder right under the eaves. Got all my parts soaked.

This colony moved in last year. Some of the comb was older than that though. I had been checking on this colony since the end of Winter and had seen the bees bring in pollen. There was a fair amount of pollen, capped and uncapped honey. But, I never saw any brood, larvae, or eggs. I'm wondering if the latest cold snap caused the queen (who I didn't see son don't know if I got her) to stop laying and everyone had already emerged.

I'll check the hive in a couple days to see if there is any activity. If not, and if I don't find the queen I'll do a newspaper combine with a colony I removed a few weeks ago.

At sometime in the past, someone had done a removal from this same location. Time to put hinges on that section of siding  :-D

[David McLeod]

I ran into a bunch of russian looking bees last year that had laying workers. Eleven of the most beautiful large straight new combs with lots of bullet caps and tiny little drones.
They got dumped out on the ground in my yard.

[PeeVee]

This colony had no drones. Even with the crazy weather we have had (seems like extreme up and down) I have yet to see drones.

So, with that said when I go through the hives this weekend the girls will have made me look foolish  ;)