I filled the feeders of the 2 year old hives that made it miraculously through the winter, but this past week discovered that the smaller hive is re-queening. I’m not sure what happened as I had seen the queen the week before. She wasn’t laying many eggs though and the hive was failing. I’m glad she got the hive through the winter but she didn’t come out strong this Spring. I was ready to replace here, but it looks like her daughters took care of the problem before I had a chance. They are pretty smart girls.
It is a cold, windy, rainy day so I didn’t spend much time in the hives today. You can see the tie-down strap over the top bar to keep the wind from taking it away like a kite. There is a currant bush (near as I can identify) behind the hive which is nearly blooming. I have had difficulty identifying this wild tree because it is very old and tattered. It is either a variant of an elderberry, or a currant. The bees love it as well as the giant snowberry bushes nearby. All the better for the amazing tasting honey!
