Hives are about ready for winter

[tom]

Hello

 It's warm and cool at nite today i went for a look and i am glad to say that the hives are low in workers and they are storing plenty of pollen and honey. I also have plenty of brood still being raised but the brood pattern has been reduced greatly except for hive three she still has several of frames full of capped brood and eggs but they are filling up real good, All of the bees are in the middle working and filling but they have alot of pollen in the middle and honey on the outer edges. I have not had a chance to take off the top deep for number one but they are full of bees in the bottom so i guess it's true what they say about carniolans they do reduce down alot before winter.

Tom

[Brian D. Bray]

Sounds as if your bees are reducing their brood area and backfilling the empty comb with stores as they should be.  From the sounds of it you won't have to worry about feeding your bees.

[tom]

Hello

 Mr. Bray all three hives are busy as they can be i do not know what they are working at this time but i know they are not fooling with the goldenrods they are by passing it for something else they are bringing in pollen like crazy and there are about 15 to 20 bees coming and going from hive one and three and two is having about 10 coming in at a time. I have not taken the top deep off my first hive yet but i will but i do not have any where to store it to keep web worms out of it i was thinking of putting some very smaal screen on the top and bottom of it so no mice could enter would that keep both outof it till spring.

Tom

[Brian D. Bray]

Use staple (from staple gun) to secure the mesh.  Mice can be very inventive screatures when in the search for food.  If one gets away from a trap it will fome back to the trap and rob the bait with setting it off--it only takes once and they learn.

[tom]

Hello

 Mr. Bray thank you for all of your advice i want to keep wax moths out as well as mice. Because i can use this drawn out comb for my two packages of bees coming for next spring and they will have a good start like i did with the firat two hives i got last year. And i am hoping to increase my hive a few more i really enjoy my girls and they kind of enjoy me. They are doing very well and working like crazy my hives one and three are really going to town and my second hive is slow to start on these cool mornings but when they get going it's like a air port bees coming and going every where.


Tom