August Update! Bees are happy, but slow to make comb!

Just went into the hives after spending a week in the Outer Banks. Both hives look queenright (meaning they each have a queen and she is doing her job) so that is a good thing (as Martha Stewart would say!!)!

They are so slow to draw comb though. I added the medium supers back at the end of June...and NOTHING! No drawn comb to speak of! I tried shifting the medium super and putting it BETWEEN the two deep supers to see if that would force them to draw comb on the meduims. Nope! Didn't happen!

Then on one of my favorite beekeeping forums, I read about spraying the foundation with sugar water. The idea is that hopefully the bees will feast on the sugar water and draw comb on those frames.

Keep your fingers crossed that this wil work! Very important this time of year as I want to have strong hives to make it through winter here in Pittsburgh.

Drawn comb is really important so that the Queen has sufficient room to lay and keep the hive healthy and strong. No drawn comb...no place for the queen to put her eggs.

This is a really heavy frame loaded with capped honey, capped brood, and a bit of larvae and eggs. Can you tell by the smile on my face how in love with beekeeping I am!!!!!

I am becoming a beekeeper!!!

As of 6:00 Am, June 6, 2011 I will be an official beekeeper!  I have always wanted to keep bees but just couldn't seem to get the courage up.  After meeting Mr. Fine my bee mentor, and watching him the past two years as he and his daughters have so eloquently spoke at various functions, after reading countless beekeeping books, after researching the internet night after night, reading millions of posts on various forums, researching through countless beekeeping supply catalogs, finally finding just the right equipment, after hounding poor Mr. Fine with question after question...I finally feel I am ready!

I just dropped off my two hives at Mr. Fines home and by morning, he will have moved the two nucs into my hives!  Cannot wait!  I am wondering how the girls will  survive the two mile trip home from his home to my farm?  I hope they are not too riled up!

Here are pics of my two new hives!  In my living room!  The shallow supers are already at Mr. Fine's house.  By tomorrow they will be out in the new pasture filled with my new girls!  These were purchased from Brushy Mountain.  My bee suit was purchased locally in Washington county at Bedillion Honey Farm in Hickory PA.  Great people at both places!  Mr. Bedillion took the time to give us a quick tour of his honey farm and it was fascinating!