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so far you haven't said anything about you mite counts (unless I missed it). That is one of the things you need to do to understand what is going on.

Knowing what is "normal" defensiveness and what is "too defensive" takes more experience and wisdom than I have, but it sounds like you think this hive is too defensive, and because of a queen which...

for many vaporizers polarity doesn't matter, as it is simple resistance.
If bees are flying you may find some yellow spots on your vehicle.
I also had to use jumper cables to reach. Be careful...

do you want any of that stink/fermentation in your hives?

to add on, this is one more reason to be level side to side. I use soapy water -- bad part, needs replenishing weekly or more often in hot spell --good part, I clean them with a hose. good part --...

I got 10 and they have been useful, mainly temporary nucs, to transport frames with cells between yards, and as a quiet box during inspections.

Human transportation of species into new habitats often has unforeseen and unfortunate side effects. Varroa can be managed with current knowledge and treatments, apparently with moderate risk.

Not for the state. You can check your city or county ordinances, probably online or call. If you don't find "honey bee" as a subject, be sure to search for "livestock."

I ordered a hundred from Kelleys a few years ago.

Take a small cooler with a few cold waters. Maybe even an icy one for a long day. Put the pen in a zip lock in the cooler, but not touching frozen water.

good to hear low mite numbers, especially after a mild winter.

Too bad you do not have room.
How did you start them? (I have one tree and seeds and want to propogate.)

I had a queen who started being a drone layer apparently sometime after Dec 2018. Plenty of bees in the hive, thankfully. She laid a beautiful frame of drone brood (on a green plastic drone frame...

Virginia seems to be having good winter bee health so far (after a rough 2017-2018 winter), with strange spring and summer weather featuring hotter and wetter than usual, a half-harvest, but a good...

The issue may be that September was a bit late if mite populations had surged in June or July. If so, the virus load and damage to the bees may have reached the tipping point before you did...

Glad you have the nucs. The usual question is always, What was you most recent mite count in these hives and the surviving hives?

If bears have hit that yard several times he/she/they will probably be back even with a fence. Once they get their head through, they can push on through most fencing. Best bet is to move the yard...

I could see just pushing 5 frame nucs together and doing something to keep them stable --strapping the whole stack or using hive staples on the bottom boards.

You can check -- my memory is the bottom entrance is supposed to be open during treatment. Your results do sound surprising.

I use Freeman traps with soapy water. I have two plastic bottom trays per hive. I insert a clean plastic tray with soapy water and at 2-4 days inspect what is falling -- mites, etc. At about a...

there are lots of things we don't know about your situation that make a difference.
how much brood and bees do you have? Is this a new prolific laying queen? What is the mite load?
If you are in...

Samuel Ramsey spoke at EAS in August 2018 and indicated he hopes his article, which is in the process of peer review, will be published this year. This is basic science of great importance and...

would someone(s) elaborate on the issue with self-priming paint?

what caused the fermentation? New or reused comb? No experience with this but it seems reasonable that they'd find an odor unacceptable that we might not notice. On the other hand, have you...

On the plus side, given the good soil moisture, I hope for a good fall flow.
If your objective is more overwintered nucs, perhaps you can buy some mated queens,make the nucs strong, and feed as...