It hit 58 deg F today here in SW Virginia, so I popped open my two ktbh to see what is going on. These hives were started from packages last March, and seem to have survived their first winter. There were lots of bees flying at the entrances. I found plenty of honey remaining inside, and apparently lots of bees. Many were bringing in a reddish brown pollen. I didn't see the queen in either hive, but I'm not very adept at finding her. My questions are these:
1) There were a LOT of dead bees on the bottom, at least 1 bee thick over most of the bottom board. Is this a normal finding at the end of winter? Do I need to clean this out somehow, or will the bees take care of it, eventually?
2) I didn't notice any capped brood, but there were a lot of wet cells which look like cells when they start bringing in nectar. However, I don't believe that there is any nectar source yet. These cells were all on the first 5 or 6 combs from the entrance. Could these be cells with larvae and the wet is just the food for the larvae? I just couldn't tell from looking if I could see any eggs or larvae. Need to take a magnifying glass next time.
3) Small hive beetles were running around. I smashed over a dozen, but many more escaped. What do you use in TBH to control these? I tried some of the traps that you fill with oil and place between frames, by placing them on the floor of the hives, but they only caught a couple of beetles last year.
4) While they seem to be bringing in some pollen, should I be feeding some substitute to get the brood rearing started?
I hope you guys can shed a little light on my findings, and I thank you in advance for your replies. I'm looking forward to two more packages at the end of the month, and if things go well, making some splits from these hives.
-Rod
1) There were a LOT of dead bees on the bottom, at least 1 bee thick over most of the bottom board. Is this a normal finding at the end of winter? Do I need to clean this out somehow, or will the bees take care of it, eventually?
2) I didn't notice any capped brood, but there were a lot of wet cells which look like cells when they start bringing in nectar. However, I don't believe that there is any nectar source yet. These cells were all on the first 5 or 6 combs from the entrance. Could these be cells with larvae and the wet is just the food for the larvae? I just couldn't tell from looking if I could see any eggs or larvae. Need to take a magnifying glass next time.
3) Small hive beetles were running around. I smashed over a dozen, but many more escaped. What do you use in TBH to control these? I tried some of the traps that you fill with oil and place between frames, by placing them on the floor of the hives, but they only caught a couple of beetles last year.
4) While they seem to be bringing in some pollen, should I be feeding some substitute to get the brood rearing started?
I hope you guys can shed a little light on my findings, and I thank you in advance for your replies. I'm looking forward to two more packages at the end of the month, and if things go well, making some splits from these hives.
-Rod