Wednesday, August 21, 2013

A New Golden Queen!

The bees know what the bees need.  While I was noticing the diminished size and productivity of the original dark queen, the bees were doing something about it.  Yesterday when we were looking for the queen, we found the court surrounding a large golden queen, who was busily going along laying eggs in one cell after another.  The queen mother (the mother of the dark queen) was golden, so her coloration is a fun surprise, but reasonable.
Maybe I will get better pictures, but here is your first glimpse of the new royalty!  Perhaps I should name her George?




The design of this observation hive has the area between 2 frames hidden from view, providing the bees a sheltered environment away from light, and with greater temperature control.  Unless I take the hive outside to tend it, they can keep some secrets in there.  In this case, the secret appears to have been a nice supercedure cell.

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