Aaron Drew

Here’s what’s up in year five of beekeeping. We’ve just entered summer and my oldest colony has grown exponentially. With this growth, the bees have also managed to make a ton of honey— easily upwards of 80lbs. Combined, these factors mean reduced living space inside the hive, which then forces many of the bees to dwell on the exterior of the structure. If left unaddressed, the colony will either abscond (which means completely abandon their home) or signal the production of a new queen, thus leading the colony to swarm (where the old queen and half of the worker bees leave to find a new home).

To avoid this, I’m adding a honey super (a part of the hive structure used specifically for honey production and not where the queen lays eggs). I’ve also added frames so that the bees have a little help in drawing comb.

Akin to adding an additional floor to a home, the added honey super gives the bees more space to spread out. Hopefully, this is sufficient enough and encourages the girls to resume expanding the colony and producing honey 🐝💛

#beekeeping #beekeeper #honeybees #blackbeekeepers #gardening