As I mentioned in the last post, we are at the height of swarm season here in Harford County, and in light of missing several swarms from my hives, I was able to observe two queens hatch from a strong hive that was going to be one of my honey producers.
I emphasis WAS, because on average, whenever a hive swarms, nearly half the colony leaves with the old queen.
Shame on me for thinking I could control the destiny of my bees.
Just like her worker bees, she also hatches with less hair and a lighter color.
Her true color will appear then her exoskeleton hardens. This beautiful girl and her sister were moved to nuc boxes along with several frames of brood and bees.
As I quickly deduced, several of her sisters may have hatched prior to this daughter queen, however; the colony had so many bees in it, it was too difficult to find them in the short period of time I had.
Once again, it's a reminder of how important it is to inspect weekly before during and following a nectar flow.
Stay health,
Todd