Getting the bees ready for fall and the coming cold weather...

We are underway preparing the bees by feeding them daily, we are using lots of sugar!

 Today I took the final "Super" (the small box on top) off the last hive which was our strongest and overwintered hive...

they had lots of propolis gluing the hive together. This is a Queen Excluder which had to come off...

I inspected the hive and found them to have lots of pollen and honey reserves for the upcoming cold season...

and I even got a great shot of one of my queens. Look at her attendants watch over her, the hive was on alert because of my presence...

and last "The little Hive that could". If you go back on our blog to the spring, this hive was from a split that was done from an Observation Hive I take care of at the Nature Center where I work. I did a total of three splits and combined from that hive netting a very strong hive. This hive is very promising for the winter and has done quite well. The queen is strong and has plenty of brood as well as them having lots of honey reserves. We will put the Candy Boards on in December which provides another food source and hope that our "girls" get thru the cold season until next year. This has been by far our best honey production season. I have learned well from these creatures that continue to amaze me...