Weather 20 degrees, sunny and breezy. First full inspection of the season. To achieve consistency and understanding of the colonies, each will be allocated to one experienced beekeeper and a number of new beekeepers, who will remain with the colony for each inspection.
Hive # 1 – inspected by Rowan & Martin. 14 x 12. 1 super. Queen seen. Brood on 6 frames and plenty of stores. 4 play cups knocked down.
Hive # 2 – inspected by Anne. Double brood. 1 super. Queen seen. Brood on 6 frames and plenty of stores. QX added.
Hive # 3 – inspected by Peter R. Single deep. 1 super. Queen seen and marked blue – quite small. Brood on 5 frames. Super left above crown board to encourage brood to be built out within Deep.
Hive # 4 – inspected by David P. Double brood. 1 super. Brood on 10 frames, 5 in bottom Deep and 5 in top Deep. Had been considered for Queen Rearing but discounted in favour of #6.
Hive # 5 – inspected by Graham. Single Deep + half. Brood scattered and minimal. Leave for one week. If no improvement, cull Queen. 2 frames of brood added from #7.
Hive # 6 – inspected by David P. Queen not seen. 6.5 frames of brood in top Deep. 5 frames of brood in bottom Deep. This colony will be used for Queen Rearing.
Hive # 7 – inspected by Brian. Single deep below super and eke. Queen seen and marked Red (2018). Brood on 8 frames. Plenty of stores in Deep. Super empty. Corrected inverted floor. Two frames of bas removed and placed in # 5, to create space for brood.
Hive # 8 – inspected by Liz. Single deep. 1 super. Queen seen. Brood on 11 frames. Additional brood box added to create more room for laying. Frame of bas taken from bottom Deep and placed in top Deep.
