What to look for in a healthy hive a few weeks after installing

[Ashlee]

Hey everyone!
Thanks for all of the replies to my previous questions (I have so many!) You can read every book and look at every picture but when you actually get out there and work with them it seems different then what I was expecting. Anyway, I checked my hives and both have eggs. Actually, I did notice a palm size amount of larvae in one hive along with a few capped cells. I didn't see any larvae in the other hive. Maybe they were there but they were hiding from me. It took me forever to see the eggs! I got them on March 17 and both queens were out by March 23. They've drawn out comb on about 3 frames each. How long does it take for them to draw out comb on the entire 10 frames? I've tried my best to separate them as equal as possible but they're building brace comb between the frames of comb they've already drawn out. Oh yeah, they've layed eggs in the brace comb. Should I go ahead and remove it? I know you're suppost to remove it but what if it has eggs in it? Also I noticed pollen cells(orange colored) There was also some cells with black/brown powdery colored stuff in them. It kinda looks like pollen. Can pollen have different colors?  Anyway, I'm not going to check them again for a few weeks. Is all of this normal so far? What should I be looking for by this time in a healthy hive?

[Kathyp]

oh, i'll take a crack at this  :-)

if you see eggs, don't worry about the larva.  you did well to see the eggs!  that queen might be behind the other one in laying.

they will draw out comb as they need it.

don't separate the frames.  if there is extra space, push the frames together and let the space be between the 1st and 10th frames, and the wall.  you want your frames together so that you don't have all that messy comb.  remove the brace comb and don't worry about what's in it.  you are early in the development of your hives and you won't hurt anything by knocking off a few eggs.

yes, pollen can be different colors.  if you had not just started, the powdery stuff might be something to investigate, but i doubt you have disease in there in just a couple of weeks.

since you have eggs in the brace comb, be a little careful when you remove it and when you move your frames.  your queen is laying in there and you don't want to squish her or roll her.

[Michael Bush]

>I've tried my best to separate them as equal as possible but they're building brace comb between the frames of comb they've already drawn out.

Because they should be tightly together.  Natural comb is spaced 1 1/4".  Frames are 1 3/8".  If you space them out you're about 1 5/16" or 1 1/2".

> Oh yeah, they've layed eggs in the brace comb. Should I go ahead and remove it?

Yes, remove it.  If you feel it's large enough to not waste, you can tie it into a frame.  An egg isn't a lot of investment for the bees.  The comb and feeding of young larvae, cost them a lot of resources.