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Subject: Orange County, NC Beekeepers

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  • From: "Wilson Lamb" <infomet AT embarqmail.com>
  • To: <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [ocba] Neglected Hive
  • Date: Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:26:27 -0500

Well, I was hot and lazy this summer and did nothing for my hive except check for activity occasionally. I've opened it today, with mixed results.

There are four boxes, three deep and one medium. the two deeps on the bottom are nearly uninhabited. One has a total of one frame of honey and one has almost none. the drawn comb is all dark gray, nearly black!

The deep above is nearly full of honey, hard to lift!
The medium on top is nearly full of honey also. There are a FEW larve, so there must be a queen, but I didn't see her.
the bees are active, but there aren't a lot of them, althogh they fill most of the beespace in the one deep and one medium boxes.

So what to do.
For some reason they don't like the two boxes with black comb, so I think I have to put on another box with drawn comb, to give them some space. But will they move into it?

Naturally I'm hoping I can feed them and keep them over the winter. Perhaps I can harvest now and treat for mites. I saw only a couple of beetles, but don't know about mites.

So what's the advice? Harvest the deep, harvest the shallow, harvest nothing?

Is anyone else needing to extract soon? I'd hate to have to do it alone!

Is there anyone who would trade extracted honey for my frames? I can imagine this if someone wanted to providse winter food??

I'm thinking of getting Don by, but would appreciate some input before I bother him.

Lastly, is there anything with which I can treat now that will help survival??

Thanks,
Wilson Lamb





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