Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Some exciting news

Stay tuned --

We are talking with a local grocery about them carrying our honey in their assortment and perhaps using it in their ice cream.

There is even a possibility that they will want to set up their own apiary and use us as the beekeepers!


Please visit our shop to purchase Noe Valley Honey and other hive products from the Pollen Princesses.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Quick Peek

While the sun was out yesterday and it was relatively warm and free of a chance of rain we went to check the hive and see if the princesses had room to start growing their colony -- with the weather being so warm I thought the would likely already be starting to rear brood and I know they've been able to start gathering pollen and nectar.

When we got into the hive we got some mixed news.

Egg
We saw a few eggs! But at the same time the hive population is very small -- less than 1 lb of bees total from what I can estimate. And the eggs we did see were very few. Usually eggs are a good sign meaning that the queen is present and laying. With such a small population I expected we would be able to see the queen easily, though and we did not. So I have a suspicion that we have a laying worker and not a queen. This suspicion is strengthened by the fact that in at least one cell there were two eggs.
We'll wait a couple of weeks and see what happens. There is every likelihood that the reason the population is small is that is is late in the Winter. The queen, if she is present may simply not have started laying yet so the bees that remain are only those that have survived since October.
Once the eggs we did see hatch and the larvae are sealed in their cells we will be able to determine if they are workers or drones. And by that time if there is a queen there should be more laying.
If, on the other hand there is not more laying then we will know it is time to order a nuc or a package and start over.
There was not evidence of too many mites on the bottom board of the hive, and no signs of disease which is something to be grateful for.
fanning
We did dust the bees for mites with powdered sugar before we left them. Here is one of them fanning to attract her sisters back to the hive.

cleaning
And one trying to brush herself off.

landing bord

plum blossom
On the way home, we saw a few bees buzzing around the fruit trees that are blooming in the neighborhood, so there is still hope.


Please visit our shop to purchase Noe Valley Honey and other hive products from the Pollen Princesses.