 Shaking bees into a tub, preparing to take a sample of 300 bees to test for Varroa. Photo by Harriet Harris, August 4, 2026. | Time in the Yard: 4 hours 53 minutes Avg Time per Colony: 9 minutes Time in the Barn: 20 minutes Total Colonies: 65 Temperature (°F): Hi: 92° Low: 69° Avg: 80.3° Total Precipitation: 2.15” |
Actions:
In the yard: Inspected and sampled all research colonies started from packages in the spring for mites (n=33). Checked food stores.
In the barn: Loaded our deep freezer with remaining 10 honey supers to store until we’re ready to finish extracting to prevent pest damage to honey frames.
Observations:
Two colonies had no eggs but acted queen right and 3 colonies had no capped brood. Starting to see more frequent cases of bald brood, small hive beetle adults, and signs of wax moth larvae damage in capped brood area.
Reflections:
We need to feed some of the colonies started from packages as they have little to no honey or nectar stored. We are not sure if the queens that were not seen are due to a queenless colony or a colony late in the process of requeening.
Things in bloom:
Crepe Myrtle, Queen Anne’s Lace, Chicory, Common Cinquefoil, Daisy Fleabane, Narrowleaf Mountain Mint, Clustered Mountain Mint, Virginia Mountain Mint, Spearmint, Peppermint, Basil, St. John’s Wort, Early Goldenrod, Black-eyed Susan, Brown-eyed Susan, Glossy Abelia, New England Aster, Swamp Milkweed, Tropical Milkweed, Anise Hyssop, Culver’s Root, Japanese Spiraea, False Sunflower, Winged Sumac
In the yard: Inspected and sampled all research colonies started from packages in the spring for mites (n=33). Checked food stores.
In the barn: Loaded our deep freezer with remaining 10 honey supers to store until we’re ready to finish extracting to prevent pest damage to honey frames.
Observations:
Two colonies had no eggs but acted queen right and 3 colonies had no capped brood. Starting to see more frequent cases of bald brood, small hive beetle adults, and signs of wax moth larvae damage in capped brood area.
Reflections:
We need to feed some of the colonies started from packages as they have little to no honey or nectar stored. We are not sure if the queens that were not seen are due to a queenless colony or a colony late in the process of requeening.
Things in bloom:
Crepe Myrtle, Queen Anne’s Lace, Chicory, Common Cinquefoil, Daisy Fleabane, Narrowleaf Mountain Mint, Clustered Mountain Mint, Virginia Mountain Mint, Spearmint, Peppermint, Basil, St. John’s Wort, Early Goldenrod, Black-eyed Susan, Brown-eyed Susan, Glossy Abelia, New England Aster, Swamp Milkweed, Tropical Milkweed, Anise Hyssop, Culver’s Root, Japanese Spiraea, False Sunflower, Winged Sumac